| Description |
General Information
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Title: Sword of the Rightful King
Author: Jane Yolen
Read By: Steven Crossley
Copyright: 2003
Audiobook Copyright: 2003
Genre: YA Fantasy
Abridged: No
File Information
================
Number of MP3s: 153
Total Duration: 8:08:05
Total MP3 Size: 337.28
Encoded At: CBR 96 kbit/s 44100 Hz Mono
Book Description
================
Amazon.com Review
Bestselling author Jane Yolen does not retell the tale of King Arthur
in this imaginative novel for young readers so much as re-invent it.
There are familiar characters such as Arthur, Gawaine, and Merlin (here
called Merlinnus), and elements from the traditional story, including
the famed sword in the stone. But The Sword of the Rightful King treats
these as ingredients to cook up an entirely new story. In Yolen's version,
Arthur is a young king. He wears the crown but sits perhaps a bit uneasily
upon the throne. It has been reported to the king that there are some
who will betray or even kill him in order to rise to power. To assure
the subjects, the magician Merlinnus places a sword in a stone and announces
that whosoever pulls it out, will be the rightful ruler of England.
The fact that someone else pulls the sword out of the stone first is
just one of numerous intriguing twists. Yolen manages to update the
legend and make it fresh for a modern younger audience without resorting
to gimmickry and incongruous references (no one says "dude", Lancelot
does not ride a skateboard). Instead, she recasts the characters as
real people: flawed, troubled, and altogether human. And while they
still exist in long-ago England, the people we meet and the situations
they find themselves in are accessible to readers of any age. (All ages)
--John Moe --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition
of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8–This recording of Jane Yolen's fantasy novel about King Arthur
is set in post-Roman Britain when Arthur is already king (Harcourt,
2003). The main characters are a young Sir Gawaine and a page named
Gawen. Gawaine is loyal to Arthur, but is the son of Morgause of Orkney,
the sorceress who believes one of her sons, not Arthur, should be on
the throne of Britain. Gawen appears at Cadbury Castle and becomes an
apprentice to Merlinnus, the great mage. Their stories intertwine, and
include many of the familiar Arthurian elements. Adventure, magic, intrigue,
and surprises abound. Steven Crossley's narration is smooth and makes
for easy listening. However, the novel's many abrupt changes in point
of view are sometimes confusing to listeners because Crossley only makes
vocal changes for the dialogue and not the straight narration. Still,
fans of the Arthurian tales will find this an entertaining tale.–Sarah
Flowers, Santa Clara County Library, San Jose, CA
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