The Bright Sword

Grossman (The Magicians) returns with an intricately woven, richly detailed, and thoroughly researched Arthurian tale. Collum, a knight-aspirant to the fabled Round Table, finds himself drawn into the realms of magic and treachery when he arrives at Camelot in the wake of King Arthur’s demise, as told in Le Morte d’Arthur. Only a handful of forgotten and misbegotten knights remain. Searching for a new king for Camelot, they set out on a great quest that challenges them beyond their usual stations. Each character has a place in the tale, and their individual backstories are interwoven with the main narrative to add depth to the ongoing quest. Don’t be fooled, however—these ancient stories are given new life by Grossman, who embraces the challenge to rethink who these knights may have been and what they looked like. Grossman’s skillful recreation and evolution of Arthurian storytelling is bolstered by Nicholas Guy Smith’s exceptional performance as narrator, imbuing each character with a richness and fullness that will have listeners hanging on his every word.