Collum has dreamed of being a knight of the Round Table. Now, wearing a suit of stolen armor, he ventures to Camelot in the hopes of being knighted by King Arthur himself. But he learns that the Battle of Camlann has happened, Arthur is presumed dead, and Camelot is in shambles. But when Collum, with the remnants of the Round Table, ask for a miracle, they’re thrust into one last adventure.

T.H. White’s The Once and Future King was one of the pivotal books of my childhood, and I was not expecting Lev Grossman’s take on King Arthur to recapture the magic of that book and be utterly bowled over BUT IT DOES AND I AM. The anachronisms, the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to the legend (Grossman fully admits this in his afterword but points out its in the grand tradition of Arthuriana), the innocence and hope accompanied by soul-crushing cynicism, and the commentary on the present moment (for TH White, WWII and an exploration of war, morality, and justifiable use of force. For Lev Grossman, identity, gender, race, and more). But Grossman’s book isn’t just a replica of White’s tale. He does something new with it too. Truly marvelous and utterly unexpected.

In hindsight, the plot is one of those “journey is more important than the destination” set-ups. I could share the barebones of the plot in a sentence of two, but wouldn’t capture the magic.

This has immediately become one of my absolute favorite works of Arthuriana, and it makes me want to reread my other favorites like The Once and Future King and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court and then reread The Bright Sword because I think I'd get even more out of it.

In conclusion, I would give this 10 stars if Goodreads' or Netgalley's rating system allowed. But it does not, so here we are.

If you enjoy Arthurian legends, this is the book for you! Grossman’s mixture of fantasy worlds and modern dialogue are a delight to read!

QUICK TAKE: Grossman manages to refresh the fantasy genre and King Arthur legends in a really fun and exciting and contemporary way. Loved the backstories on the characters, and the story really picks up once they begin their quest. Highly recommend!!

I'm no shlub about my Authurian Legend, so I want you to know I mean it when I say this is exactly the correct tone for this sort of thing. The trick with Arthur is to know where to be whimsical and where to be authentic and Grossman absolutely nailed it. Also, Merlin is super-duper evil and I'm surprisingly into it.

Engaging and immersive. A recommended purchase for collections where fantasy and The Magicians series is popular.

I couldn't get into the Magicians based on the writing style, which I felt was a bummer considering how popular it was. I was really excited to see if this one worked for me. Grossman's writing style carries and hasn't changed much, so I feel like fans of his other work based on writing style will eat it up. That said, unfortunately still not really for me. :(

For the target audience, it will probably be an easy a three to four stars, with five stars for Grossman's fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.