But with the Grail, evil has entered the royal court, in the guise of a beautiful maiden who seduces the King's most loyal champion. Confounding both Arthur and the sage Merlin, evil abducts the Grail, along with Arthur's beloved Queen, and carries them off into the dark unknown. Now Arthur faces the greatest challenge of his sovereignty: to recover his lost treasures. It will lead him through realms of magic and the undead, on a trail that winds inexorably toward a grim confrontation with his most foul nemesis - and his destiny.
©1997 Stephen R. Lawhead; (P)2001 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
"Suspenseful...soulful, philosophical...engagingly drawn...Arthurian Britain is invoked with robust verisimilitude." (Publishers Weekly)
"An exciting and thoughtful addition to the ranks of Arthurian fantasy." (Locus)
"Anti-climatic"
This book seemed better-written than the previous ones, and should have gotten four stars. Ultimately, though, I had a really hard time getting into it. The fact that the events of the book take place *before* the end of Arthur made it difficult for me to take anything seriously, as I already basically knew the limits of the narrative.
Otherwise the book follows its predecessors well, presenting an interesting adversary and a fresh point of view. It was generally well-read, although at a few times the reader failed to properly portray certain emotions. I overall preferred this reader to the previous books.