Twilight of Avalon

March 16, 2009
This pallid, predictable retelling of the Trystan and Isolde myth, taking up the queen's perspective, adds nothing new to the Arthurian canon. Queen Isolde, recently widowed granddaughter of Morgan Le Fay, has inherited Le Fay's second sight but is powerless to control it; horrified and helpless, she watches warriors fight to take her husband's place as head of the Britons' army. The most powerful of them, Marche, takes a shine to Isolde; despite her wishes, even Isolde's closest advisers urge her to marry quickly before she's turned out of her own kingdom. When Isolde makes a connection with a well-informed prisoner, the mercenary Trystan, she discovers that even the castle is no longer safe. After being forced to marry Marche, Isolde flees with Trystan, and they form a cautious bond as mutual enemies of the state. Supernatural elements distract from the political intrigue, and Isolde's clueless naïveté—even while her informants are dying mysteriously around her—makes her largely intolerable (as well as an ill-suited candidate for queen). Trystan, meanwhile, never manages to crawl out from beneath his own mysterious shadow.

April 1, 2009
In this first of a proposed trilogy, debut novelist Elliott explores and expands on the traditional legends and mythologies of King Arthur and Tristan and Isolde in a unique and delightful way. In her portrayal, Isolde, daughter of Mordred, the bastard son of Arthur, grew up knowing her father was reviled. Now, she is under suspicion of sorcery resulting in the death of her young husband, the high king who had succeeded Arthur as overlord nine years earlier. When Marche, the brutal and powerful king of Cornwall, coerces Isolde into marriage only three days after the murder of her husband, her only recourse is to flee. With the aid of the mysterious Trystan, Isolde searches for proof that Marche is not the loyalist he claims to be and fights to save her land from those who would destroy it. Elliott has created a most promising first novel filled with passion, courage, and timeless magic. [For more Arthurian fiction, see "The Reader's Shelf," "LJ" 3/1/09.Ed.]Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Municipal Libs., AK

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2009
The first installment in a projected trilogy, Elliotts reworking of a timeworn medieval tale reinvigorates the celebrated romance between Trystan and Isolde. Though the legend has been revised and embellished many times over the years, Elliotts inspiration is derived from some of the earliest versions of the story. Using Geoffrey of Monmouths History of the Kings of Britain as a springboard, she paints a mystical, full-bodied portrait of a bereft Queen Isolde mourning the suspicious death of her husband and King Arthurs rightful heir, High King Constantine. Wary of the attentions and intentions of the devious King Marche of Cornwall, Isolde knows she must escape his watchful eye. When fate brings Trystan into Isoldes orbit, they forge a practical partnership that quickly evolves into something deeper than either could have ever imagined. Fans of the many Arthurian cycles will relish this appropriately fantastical offshoot of the Arthurian legend.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)