Here Lies Arthur - Philip Reeve

Read for: Arthurian Challenge; A Tournament of Reading

Picked up purely off the back of Nymeth’s review and because I’m having a bit of an Arthurian (and other mediaeval/middle ages/historical literature!) year, Philip Reeve’s Here Lies Arthur did not disappoint.

This tale of the legendary Arthur shies away from glossy cliché, portraying him as a brutish and not particularly intelligent warlord, who travels around the country with his thuggish band of fighters, ravaging villages, seizing gold and land, and generally taking whatever he wants.

The tale is told by Gwyna, a slave and one of the victims of such attacks, who flees in terror from her burning village and escapes by diving into a frozen stream. She is rescued by a mysterious man, who turns out to be none other than Myrddin, Arthur’s bard, who soon factors her into his mischievous plans. Myrddin explains that what others see as magic, are simply tricks and stories weaved from half truths, into something far grander, the stuff of legends. He uses Gwyna to help him weave the tale of the lady in the lake, passing the sword Caliburn (Excalibur!) to Arthur, who himself falls for the trick. Myrddin is then forced to hide Gwyna in plain sight, dressing and passing her off as a boy, Gwyn, who spends several years working for the bard and learning to live as a boy. She finds the life far better than that she had known, and becomes accustomed to male ways, until she is forced to experience the reality of war firsthand. Soon though, she becomes too old for Myrddin to hide her as such, and she is forced to rediscover her womanly ways, in a life she finds boring in contrast.

To say much else would begin to give away some of the fabulously creative ways that Reeve has incorporated the other characters from Arthurian myth. Most notably Guinevere, who is recognisable as Gwenhwyfar, a middle-aged widow, but whose fall from grace is not entirely the tale you will remember.

Although aimed at children and young adults, Here Lies Arthur is incredibly realistic and astute, dealing with the horrors that children of the age would indeed have experienced. Reeve treats his young readers with maturity and respect, and in return creates something I found to be a joy to read. It is work like this that can inspire so many young people to read, especially in this age of videogames and television. This maturity also makes the novel a fantastic read for adults and I found myself completely absorbed in Gwyna’s tale.

Although primarily an excellent spin on the Arthurian legend, the subplots of gender identity and the lines between what makes a story legend or truth, make this tale that bit more unique. But it is Reeve’s writing and storytelling that make this particular tale something special. Highly recommended.

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