We are taken in the Dark Ages as the last Roman legions are withdrawing Britain. There are many interesting tidbits not seen in the film, I especially enjoyed the extended role of Guinevere who takes central stage in Thompson's novelization as opposed to the film in which she is little more than a pretty (albeit, expressionless) face standing in the background, carrying a bow. Arthur and his knights are adequately developed, Cendric the Saxon is an imposing villain, but for me, the real hero in the film and in the novelization is Lancelot, the knight who sees further than anyone else and never stops questioning the purpose of a mission of madness.

A well-written novelization of the excellent 2004 film which departed from the popular story and tried to trace the historical figure of the man who became a legend.

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