Author: Katherine Roberts
Release date: 1st February 2012
Genre: Fantasy
Target audience: 9+
UK Publisher: Templar
ISBN: 9781848773905
Series: The Pendragon Legacy Book 1
Review:
Sword of Light is an exciting fantasy novel that takes Arthurian legend and carves out for it a whole new journey. This is the Pendragon Legacy.
Rhianna Pendragon is the daughter of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. But she did not grow up in the mortal world of men. She grew up not knowing her true identity in the land of Avalon, where the fairies live. She was the only human permitted to live there and she dreamt of what it would be like to visit the world of men. Rhianna’s best friend is the Prince of Avalon, Elphin. They are a great pair and share a loyal bond.
The story begins with Rhianna and Elphin in Avalon racing their fairy horses. Their fun is interrupted by the arrival of the wizard Merlin. He appears in a boat through the mists to bring Arthur’s body to heal in the crystal caverns of the fairy King’s palace. But in order to return to health, Arthur will need the magic power of the Sword of Light – Excalibur. Only a person of Pendragon blood can wield the sword and so Rhianna must travel to Camelot and with Merlin’s aid retrieve Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake. On her journey, Rhianna is accompanied by Elphin and his magic harp and some endearing characters she meets along the way.
The quest, of course, is not as easy as it first appears. The Saxons are waging a war against Camelot and they are under the influence of the Dark Knight Mordred. Injured by Arthur in his final battle, Mordred is determined to take Excalibur for his own. He too is a Pendragon. The story is full of exciting twists and turns. It is full of heroic, chivalric knightly deeds and honor.
This is the book that I’ve been desperate to add to the school library. All those fans of the TV show Merlin will love this. It takes Arthurian legend and creates a new generation of mythology. The Sword of Light is a story that will enchant readers young and old and have them cheering for the just and valiant future of Camelot. It’s fantastic, so accessible, full of delightful magic, and is all carried off by a fiery heroine in a man’s world. I loved it.
