I Am Mordred
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Average rating3.8
Fans of the King Arthur legend will love this tale about one of the most fascinating and misunderstood heroes of Arthurian lore. An epic fantasy comes to life for Camelot fans.
What will a person give to forsake his destiny? From his very incarnation, Mordred has been a pawn in Camelot's history. Foretold by Merlin that he will grow up to kill his father, the beloved King Arthur, young Mordred struggles with his fate, loathing the great king who tried to kill him as a baby, yet journeying to Camelot where he learns to serve and idolize the legendary leader. Torn between feelings of love and hate, Mordred yearns to make peace with Arthur, who still refuses to acknowledge him. But Mordred is determined to have peace at any price--even if it costs him his soul.
"In language worthy of her heroic subject, Springer reworks Arthuriana to craft an original tale resonant with archetypal themes of love, loss, betrayal and reconciliation. Her strong female characters and bold recasting of traditional villains and heroes will draw the rapt attention of both sexes." -- *Publishers Weekly*
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Originally posted at FanLit.
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/reviews/i-am-mordred/
3.5 stars
Almost all the modern stories derived from Arthurian legends focus on King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, and Merlin. Why does Mordred, the man who eventually brings down the whole shebang, get such short shrift? There???s plenty of source material, most notably Geoffrey of Monmouth???s Historia Regum Britanniae and Thomas Malory???s Le Morte d???Arthur. Maybe it???s that Mordred isn???t very romantic. Or maybe we just don???t like reading about people who are hard to root for.
In her novel I Am Mordred, Nancy Springer flips the legend, brings the traitorous Mordred to tragic life, and makes him easy to sympathize with. When we meet Mordred he???s a happy child being raised in a loving home by hard-working fisherfolk. His life changes when he???s discovered and taken away. Now he lives with a cold mother, a heavy burden (Merlin has publicly prophesied that Mordred will kill King Arthur) and a huge helping of guilt (King Arthur killed all the babies in the realm when he found out about Mordred???s birth).
But Mordred doesn???t want to kill anybody. He???s a sensitive child who just wants to be loved and accepted by his scheming mother and the kind father who refuses to acknowledge him as son. Can Mordred find love? Can he defy his fate, or is he destined to fulfill it?
I Am Mordred is a short sad novel with a sympathetic anti-hero. Nancy Springer???s prose is pretty and she brings a little piece of Arthurian Legend to life as Mordred gives his candid impressions of Arthur, Morgause, Morgan Le Fay, and others. In addition Springer explores such subjects as the nature of family, love, loneliness, original sin, self-determinism, fate and free will, honor, shame and guilt, and the function of the soul.
I Am Mordred is marketed to children aged 10 and up. As far as children???s literature goes, the tale is rather somber and dark, dealing with incest, adultery, murder, and death, but it???s tastefully done and none of it is graphic or glorifying. Nancy Springer succeeds in illustrating the lesson that we should always try to look at events from other people???s perspectives. I wouldn???t hesitate to recommend I Am Mordred to children, but keep in mind that it???s dark and sad. Springer doesn???t change the legendary ending.
I listened to Steven Crossley narrate Recorded Book???s version of I Am Mordred. I enjoyed this production.
