I Am Mordred Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Again another great spin on the Arthur saga told from a different prospective, again think it would make a great audio book read by the correct person, or even better still again someone look into making it a movie.

The story of Mordred has been presented better.... Have read it but will pass it on.

Chroniclers from the Middle Ages, spare though the references are, generally treated Mordred with high regard as an honorable man. At worst he was viewed as a victim of fate and circumstance. Starting with "Le Morte d'Arthur" in 1485 and continuing more or less to the present day, Mordred was reduced to a black hearted villain, (or sometimes an angsty and petulant youth), and his name became synonymous with treason, if not patricide. It thus seems fitting that Nancy Springer has written an account of Mordred's life that reaches back to his earliest status and recasts him as a victim of circumstance, fate, and intrigue beyond his control. The further back you go in Arthur cycle scholarship the more conflicted and imperfect all of the main characters become, and it seems only fair that Mordred be allowed to plead his case.That said, this is not a book of dry scholarship or academic argument. It is Mordred's tale, and I imagine should be judged as such. In that regard it is, to me, a fine tale. We start with the babe Mordred, set adrift by Arthur on the ocean to perish for the simple sin of being born, and for being foreseen by Merlin as Arthur's fated assassin. It was not unusual at the time for kings to have children by their sisters, so the fact that Mordred was the result of the union of Arthur and his half-sister, (at least in this telling; scholars differ), was less important than Merlin's foretelling. Since Merlin was considered either a genius wizard or a bumbling and pathetic charlatan or a devious plotter, (depending on who you read and the need of the moment), Mordred's tragic backstory as collateral damage from Merlin's scheming comes into clearer focus.Springer brings Mordred to life in a sympathetic and remarkably engaging fashion. Torn from pillar to post, kept in the dark about his background and about the prophecies that marked him, the Mordred in this book is a kind and honorable young man with spine and wit. How he is turned and twisted and ultimately destroyed by fate and Arthur's indifference and distance makes for a thrilling tale. It is perhaps not by accident that the two most tragic figures in Arthur lore are Arthur himself and his son Mordred. In the final pages of this book their tragic relationship is brought to a head with high drama and grace.Arthur lore and revisions aside, since all of these stories are tales of wonder, and can be woven, picked apart, and rewoven at will, I guess the main question is how has Springer done with all of this familiar material? I for one very much enjoyed and appreciated her portrayal of Mordred, and found new sympathy for his place in the Arthur canon. And, in any event, simply as a ripping tale of towering figures drawn from a lost era, this was a well written, tightly structured, fast paced, often touching, and always interesting story for anyone with a taste for Arthur tales.