Sword at Sunset

The legend of King Arthur is one that has been retold many times down the centuries. Most are rehashes of the original Morte D'Arthur. Some rise above the crowd and bring a new perspective. For me the best retelling of the classic “chivalrous” legend is TH White's The Once and Future King. But what Rosemary Sutcliffe does with Sword at Sunset is set Arthur (or Artorius as he is here) in a historical context, specifically post-Roman Britain at the time of the Saxon invasions. And it works brilliantly.

Sutcliffe was an accomplished historical novelist, in the main writing so-called “children's books” (but they can happily be read as adult novels. She never talked down to her readership). Sword at Sunset is another link in the chain begun by Eagle of The Ninth, (followed by The Silver Branch, Frontier Wolf and The Lantern Bearers) and tells, in flashback, in Artorius's own words, the story of Artos The Bear, Count of Britain, war leader under the High King Ambrosius, battling to hold together the last remnants of Romano-British Civilisation in Britain, in the face of Saxon invaders. The historical detail is meticulous. This is a book about war, about holding back the darkness for as long as possible, trying to forge a nation out of tribes, princelings and warlords. But into this context Sutcliffe still weaves the parts of the legend we know - the seed of sin that will undo Artos's efforts, the betrayal by those closest to him.

A large part of the book is taken up with his campaigning beyond Hadrian's Wall as he seeks to quell the Scots and forge alliances. It is here he meets and marries Guenhumara (Guinevere). There is sorrow and hardship, laughter and the bond of brotherhood. There may be no round table but there is definitely a band of Brothers.

There is no Camelot here, no Lancelot, no Merlin, but the tale is not lessened by their absence. The sense of doom, of inevitable fate pervades the novel as the old drama plays out. Artorius does indeed become High King but there is no real lasting peace. There are constant battles to be fought.

In the end, the light of civilisation must inevitably succumb to the Saxon hordes, for that is how the history of these Isles is written. We are a people of immigrants - Roman, Saxon, Jute, Angle, Norman....the list goes on. Britain is, and always has been, greater than the sum of its parts and we have never been defined by one race or people. We would do well to remember that now.

Sutcliffe's novel is superb, one of the best retellings of the tale of Arthur and a must for anyone interested in Arthur and what it means to be British.

Hic iacet Arthurus, Rex quondam, Rexque futurus.