I've just been looking at Amazon regarding Arthur, King of Britain by Michael Morpugo.  This book tells the story of a boy who is saved from drowning by a man who turns out to be King Arthur and then proceeds to tell the boy his life story.  One of the reader reviews on Amazon said  All his books were great, but this is not one of his better ones, as it was not very realistic in places.   Errh?? I wonder if this read has read any tales of King Arthur before  - Realistic??? Of course I'm pulling swords out of stones and talking to Ladies of the Lake every day and my best friend is a wizard named Merlin.

I always thought there was something odd about you Wendy.... maybe it was the jester outfit or the twirling tail??  You do get some very odd reviews on Amazon - hard to believe at times that people have actually read the books....

He's obviously been watching too much SG-1 on sky 1( Which incidently, my husband thinks is ridiculous, especially now they've entwined it into the Merlin storeyline)

How bizarre! Maybe the reviewer meant being saved by King Arthur wasn't very realistic?!? (Happens to me all the time.....)

A few things to consider here:

One, the person might be referring to the original stories of Arthur and making comparisons.  Two, the person might be a pagan who considers Arthur part of the mythology of his chosen pantheon (yes, its possible).  Three, he might be referring to the text describing the surroundings, etc.

Just out of interest:

Pulling the sword from the stone is sometimes considered to be a reference to Arthur being a blacksmith in the times when the molten metal was poured into suitably shaped stone.  Thus the stone had to be broken to release the sword.   There are many traditions which talk to genius loci on a daily basis, including the spirits of trees, lakes and mountains.  And, I personally know of a few merlins, in real life, who are druids, witches or celts.

These are very valid points,Bry, and it didn't actually occur to me to look at the review in this light.

I did wonder, however,  if the "unrealistic" element refered to the geographical/physical landscape.

Thanks for these insights.

Well I've managed to swap for a copy so I will let you know.  It just struck me as amusing that someone should think that an obvious fantasy book should be "unrealistic" - I wasn't looking for hidden depths. 

I, too, am surprised when people get aggro about obvious fantasy books, because they detract from their favourite character, person, etc.   For instance, all those Boudicca books out there are great, but people do get riled up about them, saying they are historically inaccurate, etc.

brythonwitch:

I, too, am surprised when people get aggro about obvious fantasy books, because they detract from their favourite character, person, etc.   For instance, all those Boudicca books out there are great, but people do get riled up about them, saying they are historically inaccurate, etc.

I have to confess my guilt at being somewhat critical of books, particularly historical fiction, which massage the truth to get a better story.