Road to Camlann: The Death of King Arthur

by Rosemary Sutcliff

Book Overview

Can the Fellowship of the Round Table survive Mordred's treachery?

After years of Arthur's fair rule, evil has come to Camelot. Mordred, Arthur's illegitimate son, is determined to destroy the Round Table and gain the throne for himself. He will use whatever tools he can--mutiny, force, even the rumors of a love between Lancelot and Queen Guenevere. In the end, there is only one place for the battle to be lost or won: the bleak plain of Camlann,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140371478
• ISBN13: 9780140371475
• Release Date: November 1994
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.1" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 10 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 5 and higher

Customer Reviews

Not as good as the first book

-But still a worthy read. Sutcliff captures the dark, dreary mood in the settings and descriptions of this book as Arthur slowly realizes Merlin's prophecy from the first book (Sword and the Circle); that one day, his reign would come to dismal end, is finally coming true. While at times I felt kind of rushed during the story telling, I never lost interest and still felt the emotions of the characters very well.In particular, Sir Gawaine, who,together with his youngest brother Gareth, have been my favorites ever since I first picked up an Arthur book. After the loss of his brothers(a sad but unfortunatly fast part of the story), Gawaine's attitude is extremely believable, and well brought out from the more authoratative reading in La Morte D'Arthur. And King Arthur's feelings and reactions to everything around him are also believable, as he becomes more embroiled in the war against Mordred (who is well portrayed as a slinky, sly man who loves to wear black capes and hangs around in doorways fiddling a peacock feather between his fingers. . .). In very sad fashion, the book ends, much like the actual La Morte D'Arthur, leaving you wishing Camelot and the Round Table didn't have to crumble as sadly as it did in both Morte D'Arthur and Sutcliff's fine retelling. Read this book,and the first two. Then read La Morte D'Arthur. It will give you an even bigger picture, and a greater appreciation for this exceptional retelling of one of the greatest stories. READ IT!!!

Imperfect, but certainly a well-crafted book

"The Road to Camlann" does not quite live up to its potential. Despite being centered in what is arguably the most dramatic period of Camelot's history, it is less poetically and skillfully written than Sutcliffe's other "Arthurian chronicles", being slightly rough and amateurish in style and seeming in places to have been written in a hurry.Still, despite not matching the artful charm of "The Sword and the Circle" or the intensity and beauty of "The Light beyond the Forest," this book does have one thing going for it--the perfection of its characterization. The dialogue, while lacking the wit and poesy of the earlier books, is extremely touching, perfectly balanced and consistent in mood, and it reveals character extremely well. The reader's love for Lancelot is intensified into a sheer adoration that makes you loathe Gawain the way the character was meant to be loathed; that same Gawain is given solid, understandable motivation despite the reader's justified loathing for him; Arthur is transformed from the wooden hero he is often portrayed as into a true tragic hero, comparable to such other truly great portrayals as those in T.H. White's book or Lerner's "Camelot"--one can almost hear Richard Burton's voice when the Arthur of this book speaks.As for the true villains, Agrivain, despite his small part, is made almost sympathetic by subtle trends in his portrayal, and Mordred blows away everything else in the book. The moment he speaks, the moment any description turns to him, the rough-hewn-writing style becomes, to use the book's own phrase, "as smooth as silk of Damascus". For Mordred sake alone this book, for all its faults, is definitely worth reading. Order it today!

The Road to Camlann is Awesome

Do you like mythology? Do you like suspense and action? Well, I have the book for you. This book is about the death of King Arthur, and what leads up to his death. The Road to Camlann is about the darkest days of the Round Table. Some of the characters in this book are, of course King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, and King Arthur's evil son Mordred. In this book Mordred tries to defeat King Arthur. I loved The Road to Camlann. It was very suspenseful. It was full of action and intensity. This might be the last book in the series by Sutchcliff, but it is really good. I would definitely recommend this book. It is wonderful!

One of my favourite books

I read The Road to Camlann for the first time several years ago and I couldn't put it down. It was suspenseful, well written, touching and definitely one of Rosemary Sutcliff's finest books.It is an Arthurian legend, based on the downfall of the round table afrer Arthur's illegitimate son Mordred arrives at Camelot and the love affair between Guinivere and Lancelot.I've read several other Arthurian legends aimed at young adults, and none of them have measured up to The Road to Camlann, which remains to this day one of the best books I've ever read.

It was exciting and I couldn't put the book down.

The book was intresting and had many twists. Most stories have a happy ending, but this one didn't. I had to read the book for school, the teacher would assign us a chapter a night and I would want to read more.