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!

3 persone l'hanno trovata utile

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.

3 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Again, this is book 4 in my favorite Arthur legend

have many books about the "King Arthur" legend. This five book series which starts with "Taliesin" and narrated by Nadia May is a wonderful interpretation. I have read and listened to at least 6 times and have always found something I might have missed when I first listened. The next three books are narrated by another of my favorite narrators Fredrick Davidson, and the last book in the series "Grail" is narrated by Robert Whitefield. Each narrator does a brilliant job and if you enjoy the legend of Merlin and Arthur, you will enjoy this series. It is different and you should start with this book, then Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon and finally Grail. I have at least 6 other audio books about the "Arthur Legend" and most are enjoyable, but this to me takes the reader or listener to fantasy and legend that has not been touched upon before. Always try the free listen that Audible gives to see if you will like the narrator, I have only found maybe 3 in the entire ten and a half years I have been a member to annoy my ears, but if the story is truly good I can usually get past.

2 persone l'hanno trovata utile

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.

2 persone l'hanno trovata utile

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.

2 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Adventure Plus

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

2 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Lost tales of battles and pestilence

Pendragon is told from Merlin' s point of view, and contains lost tales of battles against the Vandali and the pestilence of the black plague. It begins with Arthur's boyhood and fostering with Ectorius, his friendship with Cai and Bedwyr. Then the struggles he battled against, on his journey to become high king. It then tells of his great battle against the Vandali where Arthur is grievously wounded. Well told by Stephen Lawhead and good narration by Frederick Davidson who has narrated all the books in the Pendragon Cycle.

1 persona l'ha trovata utile

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.

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.

Awful Narrator

I cannot stand the narrator’s voice and could not finish the book because of it.