Medieval life meets Arthurian magic in a novel that transcends boundaries of time and age, appealing to children of 9+ and older readers alike. The final book in the trilogy from the winner of the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and the Smarties Prize bronze award is a timeless novel.
It is 1202, and thousands of knights and footsoldiers are mustering in Venice for the Fourth Crusade. Among them is young Arthur de Caldicot, whose experiences in the crusades opened his eyes to the realities of war. Looking into his seeing stone for guidance, he realises that the exploits of King Arthur and his knights, like those of the crusaders, are as grim as they are glorious.
War, romance, murder, family quarrels, power and politics combine in a marvellous ending to a trilogy that has utterly captivated its readers.
It is 1202, and thousands of knights and footsoldiers are mustering in Venice for the Fourth Crusade. Among them is young Arthur de Caldicot, whose experiences in the crusades opened his eyes to the realities of war. Looking into his seeing stone for guidance, he realises that the exploits of King Arthur and his knights, like those of the crusaders, are as grim as they are glorious.
War, romance, murder, family quarrels, power and politics combine in a marvellous ending to a trilogy that has utterly captivated its readers.
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Reviews
"Crossley-Holland is, of course, a poet, and the simplicity, musicality and laconic directness of his writing reflects this."
"¿a dramatic conlusion to what has been a wonderfully inventive perspective on Arthurian legend¿full of contemporary relevance."
"¿conjures up a vivid picture of medieval life combined with the magic of Arthurian legends."
"¿the multi-layered conclusion to a most original trilogy¿The style is distinctive; short, kaleidoscopic chapters marked by uncluttered, precise sentences. Legend and historical fact are subtly intertwined to make an exciting medieval adventure relevant to today's conflicts and beliefs."
"If you like a good historical saga then you've probably already read The Seeing Stone and At the Crossing-Places, the first two-thirds of Kevin Crossley-Holland's Arthur Trilogy. King of the Middle March weighs in at 432 pages and is a fairly chunky read...At times funny, at times magical and at times dark, King of the Middle March more than repays the effort"
"With King of the Middle March, Kevin Crossley-Holland triumphantly concludes his trilogy about the two Arthurs¿Arthur's breathless diary entries have an immediacy and wonder"
The trilogy is an ambitious and brilliantly realised work, which informs and astounds.
"King of the Middle March makes a fitting elegiac end to a remarkably grown-up sequence."
