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King Authur The Dragon Queen: The Tales of Guinevere by Alice Borchart $25.00 / Ballantine / 2001 The Dragon Queen is the best re-working of the Arthur mythos since Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon. The familiar characters of Arthur, Guenevere, Cai (or Kay), Merlin, Igrane, and Morgana breathe with vibrant emotions yet remain true to their original characterizations. The story begins with Guenevere, who is described as a homeless waif who was raised on the run by a Druid/Christian priest. Guenevere soon learns of her family history, including her Pictish warrior mother and of her duties as a Pict princess. (Not to mention how to harness her thought-connection with dragons, her ability to burn things with her hand, and her ability to wander between multiple levels of reality.) Strong yet unabashedly feminine, she is forced to battle a scheming Merlin who wants to destroy her before she can fulfill her destiny and marry Arthur. The plot utilizes many of the familiar elements of fantasy fiction yet Borchardt's characters are so likeable and non-traditional that they draw the reader into the story with each page turned. In particular, Cai, the seal shape-shifter-and his lover, the Saxon woman, Ena-have a fascinating relationship which snaps with love, tension, and anger. Likewise, Guenevere is not the mewling prude who pleads with the divine for a baby. In fact, she refuses Arthur's proposed relationship, even though she feels herself drawn to him. Merlin and Igrane seethe with suppressed evil as they try to manipulate Guenevere through magical spells, false illusions, and seductions, as well as Arthur, who has been imprisoned in another reality so that Merlin and Igrane can rule in his stead. And who could forget the wise dragons and the wolf shape-shifter Maeniel? Although well-written, unfortunately, some of the characters simply disappear in the last quarter of the book. Since the story remains unresolved at the end, there is hope of re-visiting some of the forgotten characters in the sequel, The Raven Warrior, published in June, 2003. The Dragon Queen is a book of scope and beauty that far surpasses any recent additions to the Arthur mythos. From Guenevere's bare-backed ride on a dragon to her mystical dance on air, this story tingles with excitement and mysticism. —Michelle Santos

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