Fall of Camelot (The Enchanted World Series) by Time-Life Books

Fall of Camelot (The Enchanted World Series) Reviews

• 
  Julie

  Anyone who has kept up with my reading knows my fascination with the Arthurian legend. My favorite book that I have read on the subject is The Mists of Avalon, which tells the legend from the point of view of Morgan le Fay and other followers of the old religion--perhaps older than the Druids--earth and goddess worship. The Fall of Camelot concerns itself with the magic that brought about the ruin of Arthur and Camelot. Some of the stories I'd never heard before, although many were of course familiar. Beautifully illustrated and an interesting point of view.
• 
  Rex Hurst

  Volume 15 of The Enchanted World series, The Fall of Camelot, is a departure for the series. Previously, each book had a specific theme and all the stories revolved around it, but they could come from any time and any region in the world. This however is very specific in date and place. The Fall of Camelot is a retelling of the Matter of Britain - that the lord of King Arthur from beginning to end, containing all the old characters you know. And while many of the previous volumes have stories from Arthurian Legend, but I am happy to say that none are repeated in this book.
  
  This book is a valid interpretation of the legends of King Arthur. It keeps to the original themes of the Enchanted World Series with the old ways, and the time of Fairie, losing power before the God of Reason while still affecting the real world. In a way, King Arthur is the quintessential pivoting on this axis. For we begin with much sorcery, and fairies, ogres, giants, raids into the otherworld, but by the end its men fighting against men, with a son and father killing each other. The return of Excalibur (or Caliburn as it’s called in this tome) of the Lady of the Lake represents the end of the era of magic and fairies. Men are now on their own, for good or ill.
  
  The book keeps a solid pace, essentially telling one tale, instead of a collection of stories, about the rise and fall of King Arthur and Camelot. Granted, the author picks and chooses those tales and parts which fits his interpretation, from a much larger boy of work, but it is almost impossible to include all of the stories, as many are contradictory, and be able to maintain a stable narrative. The art, as always, is extraordinary.
  
• 
  Stuart

  A stand alone book in the brilliant Enchanted World Series, THE FALL OF CAMELOT is written in a somber but engaging, highly readable tone, and beautifully illustrated. A concise, single volume retelling of the King Arthur saga, the book does a good job of remaining focused on the principals conflicts and characters, and while generally speaking this works it does have the occasional drawback of skipping over certain aspects of the story (for instance, the ultimate fates of Genevieve and Launcelot) or rushing through them (the romance of Launcelot and Elaine, the birth of Galahad) in a way that reduces some of the poignancy of the tales. Still, affectingly done, and useful as an introduction to the Arthurian legends, especially as it combines many of the more common legends and provides both a linear narrative and consistently medieval setting that most readers will find less overwhelming than more all-inclusive collections, or ones that strive for more "authenticity."
• 
  Katrin

  This was different from the other books in the series, because it retells one single story, the rise and fall of the high king Arthur. The chapters were named after characters, which maybe was strange, but other than that it was absolutely fantastic. I loved to read it, refreshing my memory on certain details I had forgotten or were omitted in other books. The illustrations are again brilliant. What a nice read!
• 
  P.S. Winn

  King Arthur is such an interesting figure and those who lived around him and interacted with him makes for a great story. Of course, Time Life Books always adds great pictures and info for readers to enjoy.
• 
  Jason Prodoehl

  This tale was told by character, in a general storyline. I suppose it could have worked, but just didn't draw me in the way most of this series do. Still, if you want to read about Arthur, Morgause, Guinevere, Morgan, Lancelot, Mordred, and Gawain, this is a good story of the fall of Camelot.
• 
  Dianne

  This beautifully written book is illustrated with the stunning imaginative work of Barry Moser, W. Russell Flint, and Yvonne Gilbert, among others. Seven chapters cover seven Arthurian characters, each presenting aspects of the lore and legend of that magical age.
• 
  Kevin

  Probably the best version of stories of Camelot that I have ever read.
• 
  Adrian Rose

  Next in a series. Review when series completed.
• 
  Manta Ray

  Beautifully illustrated and gives the reader a great back story to each of Camelot main characters.
• 
  Athena

  My review for all of these books in this series is the same.
  
  Time-Life has once again done an outstanding job putting together a series. From cover to cover they are thoughtful, beautiful books. I'm starting to sound generic, but it's true.
  I'm a DK fan, I like white backgrounds and side notes with clear sections for every subject. This series has none of that. What they do have is an old book feel. Timeless artwork, thoroughness, and very well written makes these a must on my occult/paranormal bookshelf at home. I've been collecting the series slowly over several years and still have a few books to go. I refuse to go on amazon and buy them. It's all in the hunt for me. There is no subject they have left untouched. I highly recommend them.
• 
  Jamie Belanger

  This was the seventh book I've read from this series, and so far it was the most interesting. There are a lot of aspects of the Arthurian legends that I'm familiar with, and apparently quite a few that I did not know about. I especially liked seeing how my favorite interpretations of the legends (like the movie Excalibur) differed from the original stories.
• 
  Ronel

  I grew up with that iconic 1981 movie Excalibur. It's where I first encountered the story of King Arthur, so when I picked up this copy from a second hand book seller it was the cinematically beautiful movie adaptation that made me buy it. And I really enjoyed it.
  
  Just like the movie, this book is not afraid to be dramatic, the writing combined with the inspiring artwork made it a feast to read. It is a crime that this copy doesn't have an image on Goodreads as it is amazing.
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