2024 fantasy novel by Lev Grossman
The Bright Sword is a fantasy novel written by American author Lev Grossman, published in 2024 by Viking Press.[1] The novel takes place within the King Arthur mythology, and follows a talented young knight named Collum who travels from his backwater home to Camelot, expecting to meet King Arthur and join the Round Table. However, Collum finds the king died weeks ago, leaving only a handful of misfit knights to defend Camelot and the throne of Britain from competing warlords, rivals, and the magical forces of Morgan le Fay.[2]
Grossman wrote the novel over a period of ten years, explaining in a blog post that the book was a personal and challenging project, owing to the difficulty of historical research, vulnerable themes, and writing during the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] Grossman stated in an interview that he was drawn to the idea of writing a classic Arthurian legend, but discarding the most famous heroes like Gawain or Galahad and instead placing traditionally minor characters at the center stage.[4]
Plot
The novel follows Collum, a young knight from Mull seeking to join King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table at Camelot. Collum is an orphan and bastard, who stole a set of armor from Lord Alaisdar, his abusive guardian, and ran away. During his journey, he encounters a mysterious knight bearing a white-painted shield to conceal his identity. After defeating this knight in combat, Collum initially spares him but is ultimately forced to kill him in self-defense when the anonymous knight refuses to yield.
Upon reaching Camelot, Collum discovers the Round Table in disarray following King Arthur's death in battle weeks earlier. The remaining knights are not the celebrated heroes of legend, but rather the overlooked members: Sir Bedivere, who secretly harbored romantic feelings for Arthur; Sir Palomides, a Muslim knight from Baghdad; Sir Dinadin, a transgender man who was trained by fairies; Sir Dagonet, Arthur's former jester who was knighted as a joke; Sir Scipio, a Roman legionnaire who entered a century-long magical sleep after fighting to spread Roman culture to Britain; and Nimue, Merlin's apprentice who rebelled against her master and trapped him under a hill.
At Collum's insistence, the knights request a magical sign to begin a quest, following Arthur's tradition. Their request summons the Green Knight through a portal in the great hall. Collum fights and disarms the Green Knight, gaining some respect from the knights, who agree to take him into their party. The knights embark on a series of adventures, with flashbacks revealing each knight's history and providing context for Arthur's rise to power and reign. Their journey takes them into the magical Otherworld, where they encounter Morgan le Fey and her fairy army. Morgan plans to conquer Britain, expel Christianity, and restore the ancient magical order that existed before Roman occupation.
During the quest, Collum learns he is the son of Sir Bleoberys—the same mysterious knight he killed on his way to Camelot. Upon returning to Camelot, they find Lancelot, who had fled before Arthur's death, has claimed the throne. Collum dives to the bottom of the North Sea and meets the Lady of the Lake, who despite her anger towards Arthur, allows him to take Excalibur. With his new sword, Collum defeats Lancelot in combat and pledges his loyalty to Guinevere, Arthur's wife, who becomes queen.
The story concludes with Morgan revealing a vision of approaching Saxon and Germanic peoples on Britain's eastern shores. She explains that despite previous victories against Saxon invasions, their eventual reshaping of Britain is inevitable, with Arthur's descendants being pushed into Wales—just another of Britain's many transformations.
Reception
The Bright Sword was released to positive reviews. Kiersten White for the New York Times wrote that the novel "resoundingly earns its place among the best of Arthurian tales" and that "this Camelot is far more diverse and thoughtful than past iterations."[2] The Wall Street Journal's review wrote that it "stands out as the best fantasy of the year."[5] The Washington Post's Elizabeth Hand called it "a thrilling new take on Arthurian legend" and a "splendid, offbeat quest."[6] For NPR, Wailin Wong wrote "I was very excited to get my hands on this book — and it did not disappoint" and "I recommend it whether you are a huge King Arthur head or not."[7] TIME magazine named it one of their 100 must-read books of 2024.[8]
The Bright Sword was a nominee for Goodreads Readers' Favorite Fantasy award for 2024.[9]
References
