Le Morte D'Arthur

By: Sir Thomas Malory

Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell

To the modern eye, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table have many similarities to our own contemporary super-heroes. Equipped with magical powers, enchanted swords, super-strength, and countless villains to take on, they protect the weak and innocent and adhere to their own code of honor. Comparing Batman, Superman, and Captain America to Sir Launcelot, Sir Tristram, and Sir Galahad isn't a huge leap of the imagination.

Perhaps, for the 15th century reader, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table were the equivalent of our modern day Justice League or Avengers. This audiobook gets to the heart of the narrative, telling the exciting legends of the supernatural, magic, dragons, beasts, battles, and chivalry contained in Sir Thomas Malory's epic in a contemporary and unaffected style. First published by William Caxton in 1485, this version is a faithfully unabridged narration of the complete Malory text (excluding the introduction). It includes the chapter numbers and descriptions used in the original manuscript.

Public Domain (P)2016 Chris MacDonnell

vocabulary building

I should have known the language was going to be so archaic, but if you can get past that it is worth a listen. the repetition is iconic of oral tradition, but does take a while to get used to.

Tradition Plus

This is an exceptional rendition of Le Mort D'Arthur well performed from a good translation. If you have not ventured into the true cornerstone of the Arthurian myth; this is a great book. It may, however, be a little dense. The text and the performance preserves many of the traditional usages, wordings, phrases, and vernacular and it's truly Wonderful and I have nothing but praise for this fine work.
Although if this is your first foray into "King Arthur Stuff" you may want to start with the more cinematic and YA-friendly "The once and future King" which is pleasing in its own right but is limited in its scope and is an ultra abridged treatment of the Arthurian Legend in much the same way Prince Valiant is a "lens" or introduction to mere elements of the canon. But if you want to be magically transported into the Legend and you're wanting to get a great feel for canon this is a fun and significant place to start.
If you're at the point in your Arthuriana were your collecting translations and comparing works in the canon, this is a must-have addition to that scholarship. Many of us "Arthrians" hold up "Le Morte D'Arthur By (author) Sir Thomas Malory, Edited by Janet Cowen in the Penguin edition as a strong modern translation. These 37 odd hours of the tail are an equally good treatment and come with the highest recommendation.

Not for the faint of heart, but worth the journey!

What made the experience of listening to Le Morte D'Arthur the most enjoyable?

It's an English literature, history and foreign language lesson all rolled into one!

What other book might you compare Le Morte D'Arthur to and why?

It's a combination of all medieval stories, and the holy bible.

Which character – as performed by Chris MacDonnell – was your favorite?

Well it has to be Lancelot and Palamedes for me. The most noble nights, with definite kinks in their armor.Chris did a fantastic job with the Olde English, and the sheer multitude of characters! I can only imagine the chops he earned on this one! It was tough going at first, but Chris's steady, easy tone certainly helped me acclimate and learn. I feel like I learned a whole new language!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The insight into the struggles for many knights to maintain the code of knighthood added a sense of realism, and made the story more approachable. Was Gallahad a reference to Jesus? Very interesting parallels for sure. I liked how the ending ties into the story of the Knights Templar.

Any additional comments?

Quite taken by the number of archaetypes introduced in this work that resonate throughout literary history. This book seems but just once removed from the Holy Bible itself.

Boring and dull delivery

The narrator just never shifted out of his very neutral cadence. I got quite far but just gave up and couldn’t be bothered to finish when I found a better alliterative reading with a beautiful cadence and a less monotone delivery.

and anon

I thought lancelot or tristan or percival were meant to be the best of knights,

for I had never heard tale of the Knight of the Four Chans before reading these pages here.

even when speaking of the impressive exploits of others knights more renowned to me, the author would be driven to non-sequitur; "and Anon, he was in truth the best of noble knights."

imspired am I to spread word of this well and good Anon throughout the many threads and realms I troll.