Books

Arthur: King of the Middle March

Book 3

Kevin Crossley-Holland, Author

Paperback

Series: Arthur

Imprint: Orion Children's Books

Publication date: August 5, 2004

Category: Traditional stories (Children's / Teenage)

ISBN: 9781842551554

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Medieval life meets Arthurian magic in a novel that transcends boundaries of time and age, appealing to children of 9+ and older readers alike. The final book in the trilogy from the winner of the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and the Smarties Prize bronze award is a timeless novel.

It is 1202, and thousands of knights and footsoldiers are mustering in Venice for the Fourth Crusade. Among them is young Arthur de Caldicot, whose experiences in the crusades opened his eyes to the realities of war. Looking into his seeing stone for guidance, he realises that the exploits of King Arthur and his knights, like those of the crusaders, are as grim as they are glorious.

War, romance, murder, family quarrels, power and politics combine in a marvellous ending to a trilogy that has utterly captivated its readers.

Reviews

"Crossley-Holland is, of course, a poet, and the simplicity, musicality and laconic directness of his writing reflects this."

The Independent, 31 October 2003

"¿a dramatic conlusion to what has been a wonderfully inventive perspective on Arthurian legend¿full of contemporary relevance."

Hampstead & Highgate Express, 31 Oct 03

"With King of the Middle March, Kevin Crossley-Holland triumphantly concludes his trilogy about the two Arthurs¿Arthur's breathless diary entries have an immediacy and wonder"

Times Educational Supplement, 14 Nov 03

"¿conjures up a vivid picture of medieval life combined with the magic of Arthurian legends."

Financial Times, 29 November 2003

"King of the Middle March makes a fitting elegiac end to a remarkably grown-up sequence."

Guardian, 29 November 2003

The trilogy is an ambitious and brilliantly realised work, which informs and astounds.

Bookseller Buyer's Guide Highlight, 11 June 2003

"¿the multi-layered conclusion to a most original trilogy¿The style is distinctive; short, kaleidoscopic chapters marked by uncluttered, precise sentences. Legend and historical fact are subtly intertwined to make an exciting medieval adventure relevant to today's conflicts and beliefs."

The Bookseller, 25 July 2003

"If you like a good historical saga then you've probably already read The Seeing Stone and At the Crossing-Places, the first two-thirds of Kevin Crossley-Holland's Arthur Trilogy. King of the Middle March weighs in at 432 pages and is a fairly chunky read...At times funny, at times magical and at times dark, King of the Middle March more than repays the effort"

Guardian Children's Books Supplement, Autumn 2003

Kevin Crossley-Holland

Kevin Crossley-Holland won the Carnegie Medal in 1985 for Storm. His many notable books for adults and children include poetry, classic retellings and anthologies. He has written and presented many BBC radio programmes and is a frequent speaker at schools and libraries. For some years he held a university post in Minnesota and he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. The Seeing Stone won the prestigious Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, At The Crossing-Places won a Silver award at the SWPA Spoken Word Awards and Gatty’s Tale was shortlisted for the 2008 Carnegie Medal.