A gifted young knight named Collum arrives at Camelot to compete for a spot on the Round Table, only to find he’s too late. The king died two weeks ago at the Battle of Camlann, leaving no heir, and only a handful of the knights of the Round Table survive.

They aren’t the heroes of legend, like Lancelot or Gawain. They’re the oddballs of the Round Tables, from the edges of the stories, like Sir Palomides, the Saracen Knight and Sir Dagonet, Arthur’s fool, who was knighted as a joke. They’re joined by Nimue, who was Merlin’s apprentice until she turned on him and buried him under a hill. Together this ragtag fellowship will set out to rebuild Camelot in a world that has lost its balance.

But Arthur’s death has revealed Britain’s fault lines. God has abandoned it, and the fairies and monsters and old gods are returning, led by Arthur’s half-sister Morgan le Fay. Kingdoms are turning on each other, warlords are laying siege to Camelot, and rival factions are forming around the disgraced Lancelot and the fallen Queen Guinevere. It is up to Collum and his companions to reclaim Excalibur, solve the mysteries of this ruined world and make it whole again. But before they can restore Camelot they’ll have to learn the truth of why the lonely, brilliant King Arthur fell and lay to rest the ghosts of his troubled family and of Britain’s dark past.

Full disclosure – all of my knowledge surrounding King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table stems from Disney’s “The Sword in the Stone” and “Monty Python & the Holy Grail.” Yeah – entertaining sources, but not entirely well-rounded. That said, my minimal knowledge didn’t hamper my enjoyment of this book at all, though I think I might have enjoyed it more if I knew more about the legend. Set in a world where King Arthur has fallen, and darkness threatens to envelop Britain, this novel follows the journey of a man named Collum and a band of unlikely heroes (the remaining Knights of the Round Table) as they strive to restore balance to a fractured Britain.

It all begins when Collum – determined to join the Knights of the Round Table – arrives at Camelot only to find that the Round Table has been nearly destroyed following King Arthur’s death/disappearance. Left with a handful of misfit knights, Collum must join this unconventional fellowship led by the Green Knight on a quest to rebuild Camelot and reclaim Excalibur. With the forces of the old gods and dark powers rising, they must band together to overcome challenges, solve mysteries, and ultimately set right – or at least try to set right – what has gone awry.

Building on familiar characters and legends, Grossman takes readers on a journey that is thrilling and, at times, touching. The book explores themes of destiny, sacrifice, and what it really means to be a hero. I really appreciated that we got a lot of backstory on all of the Knights. While I sometimes feel chapters focusing on characters outside of the main quest take away from the forward movement of the story, it didn’t feel that way in this book. A lot of this is thanks – in part – to the amount of excitement and action in the side chapters and how the author seamlessly weaves it into the overall storyline.

Grossman has done a great job of building the world. While I realize it’s a world that already existed, even with my limited knowledge of these legends, it still felt familiar and rich in magic, intrigue, and adventure. Grossman’s storytelling perfectly captures the essence of Arthurian legend while adding fresh twists and complexities to the familiar tale. I especially loved that the band of misfit knights were not your typical hyper-masculine men. I also loved that he included a gay knight as well as a transgender knight in the mix.

Since this is such a huge book, and my mind tends to wander when I get into long works of fantasy, I both read and listened to this one, and it really helped me focus. A lot of that had to do with how great the narrator was. He perfectly captured each character and made the book all that much more exciting and engaging.

Whether or not you’re a fan of the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, this is an enjoyable read. Despite clocking in at well over 600 pages, it never dragged. I would definitely recommend this one to fans of fantasy, historical fiction, or simply a good old-fashioned adventure. With its compelling storyline, engaging characters, and lush world-building, this novel is a perfect escape.

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