There’s always been something alluring about Arthurian legend. I think I’ve devoured just about every version of the story as I’ve possibly could. Camelot, Avalon, Lancelot, Morgana, Guinevere, Knights of the Round Table, Arthur….. it’s all so… romantic and mysterious.
What if the stories were real? What if there was a sword called Excalibur and it held great power? What if that sword had been broken into 5 shards and hidden in the farthest corners of the Earth? What if Merlin were still alive and trying to claim those shards and the only people who could stop him are some young Canadian teenagers – one of whom is apparently the descendant of the Lady of the Lake?
This is the premise for the young adult book series – The Shards of Excalibur by Edward Willett.
A 5 part series (with only 3 currently published and the next two to follow soon), this story follows the adventures of Ariane – a teenage girl who discovers she’s the heir of the Lady of the Lake, inheriting her powers over water, and sent on a mission to collect all 5 shards of the sword. With her is a rather geeky and awkward boy – Wally Knight – and the two of them race to find the shards before Rex Major (aka Merlin) does.
When I read the first book a while ago, I was instantly sucked into a delightful story that piqued my interest and passion for Arthurian legend. It’s a unique twist to an old classic, modernized for a new generation, and action packed enough to keep you reading.
Mr. Willett has done a great job of creating characters that you can feel through and develop with:
- the power hungry, controlling, villianous wizard
- the strong, independent teenage girl
- the geeky, aiming-to-please teenage boy
- the annoying, “mean girls” older sister
- the supportive older aunt
I appreciate the Mr. Willett has developed a strong female lead character, based on the mysterious Lady of the Lake. I like that this character is developping through the story, moving past the teenage sullenness to become controlled and powerful while still maintaining herself. Wally’s character is a little more complex – developping from the nerdy teen boy into a man. He doesn’t seem to mind his position as Ariane’s sidekick.
It isn’t hard to feel the power that the shards give, or to visualize the sensation of travelling through water, or even to imagine the “singing” the shards do to draw Ariane in their direction.
As I finish book three (and eagerly await for #4), I’m still left wondering what Merlin is up to, if the Lady of the Lake is trustworthy, if Ariane and Wally can successfully get all the shards before Merlin and, if they do, whether they can withstand the powerful anger and strength that the shards give off.
I admit, I’m a little disappointed that book 3 has a few implied moments of Wally’s teenage hormones towards Ariane. Until now, it’s just been some moments of awkward awareness, but the latest book made an uncomfortable reference to wishing he could kiss her bare shoulder. It just felt off from the rest of the story and sort of like an unwanted intrusion. There is also at least one light cuss word that was relevant to story – definitely showcasing one person’s opinion of the other.
All in all, I am looking forward to finding out where this story goes and to continue the adventure.
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