Tor, Dec 2001, 25.95, 461 pp.
ISBN: 076301180
When Merlin first sees the newborn Lancelot he knows that the infant will one day destroy all that King Arthur accomplished at Mount Badon and Camelot. The lad's father King Ban asks Merlin to bless his heir, but the mage wonders if the world would be a better place if he killed Lancelot right then and there. Reluctantly, Merlin blesses the baby stating he will one day be the best knight.
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Years later, Lancelot is considered the bravest knight of the Round Table. However, he and Arthur's Queen Guinevere feel a strong attraction to one another, but both try to do the honorable thing by avoiding one another even as their fey blood screams for these soul mates to converge. Arthur knows Lancelot owns the heart of his beloved wife and feels impotent. The wannabe lovers feel hopeless to stop the inevitable betrayal of Arthur that will disrupt the mortal and mystical planes as never seen before.
LANCELOT DU LETHE, the sequel to MAD MERLIN, is a superb retelling of the Camelot triangle. The lead trio is written as doomed heroes caught in a destiny beyond their control, making them seem human yet majestic. The secondary cast provides further insight into the threesome while deepening a powerfully written plot that adheres to the legend while dramatically freshening up the Camelot lore. Fantasy fans will fully enjoy J Robert King's exciting epic tale that keeps him firmly on the genre's throne.
Harriet Klausner
The review of this Book prepared by Harriet Klausner
