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King Authur Pendragon by W. Bernad Faraday $19.95 / Green Knight Publ. / 2002 A long-unavailable classic, last released in 1930, Pendragon was a ground-breaking work when first published, and today provides a refreshingly politically incorrect view of sixth-century Briton. This was the first, and still one of the few books to be told entirely from Arthur's point of view. In Pendragon, Arthur (here called Artorius) expresses dim views of the Irish and Scots, does not hesitate to use torture when needed, and generally comports himself in a manner that is consistent with a Romanized Briton war leader of his day. His future queen Gwendaello is a remarkably strong and resourceful young woman, a proud ruler who is a product of her time. Lancelot does not appear in this tale and, indeed, it is difficult to envision Gwendaello finding time for such trifles. For she believes herself to be the Pendragon-the guardian of Britain-and all her considerable passion is for her land and for Arthur. The book's realism extends beyond the characterizations. Pendragon was one of the first books to use a Dark Age setting. Faraday avoided popular medieval retellings and instead based his story on the research of historians and archaeologists, as well as historical sources, such as Gildas' sixth-century De Excidio Britannia, and early Welsh writings. And Farady's depiction of the Battle of Badon has a grim immediacy which suggests first-hand knowledge of bloody battlefields. There are many reasons to read this book, not the least of which is the delightfully varied humor, its sly irony, and the wonderful verbal battles between Merlin and the priest Gildas, who raises ranting to an art form. —Elaine Cunningham

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