ospalh reviewed Arthur by Michael Morpurgo
Nothing new
3 stars
Content warning Changes to the Arthur story
This is just a plain retelling of the standard Arthur story, mostly le morte Darthur, i think. Just doing that, a century after A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and almost twenty years after Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a decision that is, well conservative and monarchist. Not sure about capital-C Conservative, but we get Torygraph and Daily Mail praise on the back (with praise for the pictures from the Grauniad.
»Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. (…) You can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!« But here it just is, and he does.
I mean, sure. Yu can still do a plain retelling. This is aimed at a yunger audience, so, eh, whatev.
Mordred being Arthurs son and nephew actually gets hinted at obliquely. And oddly enuf i did learn that in the standard telling Morgana and Morgawse were separate people.
For some reason Tristram and Iseult₁ fall in love on their own, without a love potion.