This summer, I (Tim) thought I’d reread the Pendragon Cycle by Stephen Lawhead. I should mention that I read most of it in the bathroom. It’s the only place I can really escape my kids! I first read it in high school (middle school?) and re-read it every few years. It’s an amazing piece of work for those who are looking for Christian fantasy. It blends the Authurian legend with the Atlantian legend, blending in Celtic Christianity and placing it all in an historical setting. It begins with the story of Taliesin, the father of Merlin who first dreams of the Kingdom of Summer (KoS), then transitions to Merlin who prepares Britain for the KoS, and then finally finishes with the story of King Arthur who rules of the KoS.
It began as a trilogy (Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur), but due to the overwhelming popularity of it, Lawhead decided to expand the Arthur legend and introduced two more books. Despite reading the original trilogy half a dozen times, I’ve never read the extra two. Someday I will.
Don’t be distracted by the fact that the books were published in the 80’s. It’s been republished since then and historical fiction is always timeless. As one small word of caution, the author has a love of all things Welsh. As such many of the people and places are names slightly different (e.g. Caledvwlch instead of Excalibur). However, if you love Tolkien and Lewis, give it a try. I promise you won’t regret it.
