Pendragon

Pendragon Cycle Book 4

By: Stephen R. Lawhead

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Arthur is King - but treachery runs rampant throughout the beleaguered Isle of the Mighty. Darkest evil descends upon Britain's shore in many guises. Fragile alliances fray and tear, threatening all the noble liege has won with his wisdom and his blood. His most trusted counselor - the warrior, bard, and kingmaker whom legend will name Merlin - is himself to be tested on a mystical journey back through his own extraordinary past. So in a black time of plague and pestilence, it is Arthur who must stand alone against a great and terrible adversary. For only this way can he truly win immortality - and the name to treasure above all others: Pendragon.

©1994 by Stephen R. Lawhead (P)1996 by Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Though Lawhead brilliantly creates an authentic and vivid Arthurian Britain, he never forsakes the sense of wonder that has graced the legend throughout the ages." (Publishers Weekly)

detouched

This is the first book in the Pendragon Cicle. A story which tells you the mystery of britains early days. A bit longwinded and detouched, but all in all a fantastic tale.

I Love the narrators ability to capture

I like the story even though it's more British Imperialism defeating the savages and infidels of the world. The narrator once again does the best to bring you into the store with authentic pronunciations and by manipulating both the tone and pace of the reading. The narrator is a master and the story is good as well.

Outstanding

For who love tales of heroism and warfare, along with some romance and magic while paying respects to God, this is a great series. Stephen Lawhead is a gifted author and the reader’s voices are perfect as narrator and for each part played.

An excellent program but a little slow in places

Well written by Stephen Lawhead and well read by Fredrick Davidson who has a dry and lofty tone of voice, but he makes the effort to pronounce words that are difficult for English speakers. The book seems somewhat disjointed as it skips from episode to episode in Arthur's life from boyhood to defeat of the Vandals. Merlin comes through sounding more like Gandalf in some places as he descends into the Earth on a voyage out of time.

One part inspiration, two parts monotony

This book, and the Pendragon Cycle as a whole, is a great idea with a so-so execution. The characters are developed and noble. I also appreciate that, in contrast to so much produced today, the story can acknowledge gritty and violent historical realities while still being grounded in hope rather than descending into cynical nihilism. The main weakness is how much the plot drags. The series has a remarkably high word count for so little plot variation. There’s much more focus on monotonous and repetitive battle sequences and scenes of petty leaders squabbling, rather than the features that make the Arthurian legend, legendary. Those mythic elements (Avalon, the Lady of the Lake, the Fisher King, Merlin's "burial") make appearances, but they’re almost like cameos dropped into a sea of monotony.

By this point in the series, it seems we should be enjoying the high point of the Summer Realm, but instead it feels like that's always just a promise and never a reality. I think to myself, Arthur's character is great, but what's so great about his kingdom? Ceaseless invasions and battles, a plague, and grumbling kings who, even after all this struggle, still don't fully buy into his leadership as high king. It feels like not enough progress since years ago when Arthur drew the sword from the stone and had to deal with the rebellious kings. The overall tone of the books feels like a Christian version of the Mary Stewart books in its lyricism, but Stewart (mostly) stays closer to the traditional legends that are familiar from Malory while still putting them in their context of post-Roman Britain. If Lawhead had also stayed closer to that material while recasting it in his own way, I think I’d find this cycle more satisfying.

A footnote: The reader's style doesn't bother me with most characters, but it's very grating how he does Merlin (which is unfortunate since Merlin is the narrator of this book and also the second book of the cycle). Merlin's voice sounds pretentious and condescending and makes me feel little liking for him personally, even as I respect his actions and dedication to God, Arthur, and the Summer Kingdom.

Filling in the Blanks

A pleasant revisitation with our heros, with a new enemy to conquer. "Pendragon" details futher some of the events mentioned as having happened in the first three books. A very worthwhile 'listen', good fun!

Excellent

This is a great story and a great performance. I would highly recommend reading the entire series.

Adventure Plus

Well written and narrated, I throughly enjoyed it from beginning to end.

Pendragon Series

it's a Great story and a Great series. I Love it. I will read it again.

One of the best series!

I discovered this series years ago at a random library in a small town. It’s one of the best.