Avalon: the Return of King Arthur (Hardcover)

Of course there's much more to it than that, and it's impossible to summarize in a few words a plot that is ingeniously original. The Pendragon Cycle is clearly a prelude to this story, and I would suggest that it is required reading for readers of Avalon. Lawhead makes frequent and obvious allusions to the characters and events of the Pendragon Cycle (eg p.89ff), and readers unfamiliar with his earlier work are likely to find themselves perplexed without this background. At any rate, readers familiar with Lawhead's earlier works are sure to get the most of this new tale.

Yet this is far from a modernized Pendragon - it's definitely a story on its own, and fans of the Pendragon Cycle are treated to a completely new tale. The story begins shortly after the death of the last of a series of corrupt and selfish monarchs, with Britain on the verge of abandoning the monarchy for good. Suddenly the unknown James Stuart discovers that despite his ordinary and obscure childhood, he is the rightful king of Britain, and the modern-day Arthur. Although James has a modern-day Merlin at his side, victory of the monarchy is far from assured, because there's a modern-day Morgian and a host of evil powers against him in his quest for kingship and the restoration of Arthurian Britain.

As a followup to the Pendragon Cycle, Avalon is equally suspenseful and exciting, sparkling with originality, action and intrigue, although some characters and sequences lack imagination and depth. But on the whole it is not as successful. The return of Arthur into a contemporary world bears the suggestion of reincarnation, although Lawhead clearly distances himself from reincarnation and leaves the idea of the "same life in another time" as an unsolved mystery (p.159-160). Likely the premise of the return of Arthur and his companions into a modern world is not intended to be a serious religious or philosophical idea, but a literary device. But one can not be so gracious to Lawhead with respect to other modern elements of the story - the sexual allusions (p.178-9) and frequent use of blasphemy (over two dozen instances) detracted strongly from this novel and its Christian message.

Certainly the vision of the Kingdom of Summer is clearly expressed (p.265ff). Furthermore, the struggle to establish the kingship over against the forces of evil is clearly intended to be a conflict that parallels the universal spiritual conflict between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness (p.396). James' struggle for kingship has definite overtones of the Biblical struggle of David before him (p.343), and overtones of the Christ whom he shadows. But sadly, although the kingdom of summer is presented as a vision, we don't get to see this vision become a reality, because the accession to kingship marks the end of the novel (whether we are treated to another novel where we see a modern kingdom of summer is yet to be seen).

On the whole, Avalon lacks the profound religious depth that made the Pendragon Cycle so captivating. With some exceptions, it is less religious and philosophical and more political. In a contemporary era where the monarchy is largely perceived as irrelevant, one cannot but wonder whether the lengthy and passionate diatribes in Avalon defending the monarchy as a legitimate institution by divine right are in fact an articulation of Lawhead's own opinion on the subject. Is the defence of and vision for the monarchy and the biting criticism of the corruption of today's politicians Lawhead's own? Perhaps there's a pro-royalist and anti-democrat message here for leadership in our own time. One thing is certain: just like "Arthur", "Avalon" will not only entertain you with a nail-biting ride, it will fuel a passion for a king and a kingdom! God save the king!