Mordred's Curse

New York, NY, U.S.A.: Avon Books, 1996. Hard Cover. Fine/Near Fine. Book Club (BCE/BOMC). 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Book Club Original. Raised by his witch-mother, Mordred of Orkney has a burning desire to serve his uncle, King Arthur, but after he discovers that he is the bastard son of the king, and Arthur rejects him, Mordred's worship of King Arthur becomes a deep, all-consuming hatred. This book is a look at the life of Mordred, a character who in most Arthurian tales appears suddenly at the end, just in time to spoil the party and bring Camelot to its ruin. In this book, we get the full story. McDowell's Mordred idolizes Arthur as a boy, but his admiration turns sour when Arthur, unable to accept the truth of Mordred's parentage, rejects him. The two develop an uneasy relationship, as Arthur increasingly relies on Mordred, even as he disapproves of him in many ways. Mordred makes a wonderful narrator. He is perceptive, brutally honest about his own faults as well as those of others, and wickedly funny. The other characters are also well drawn. Arthur is portrayed particularly well as a man struggling with the problems of kingship - he comes across as a flawed but admirable man. And Guinevere, who is all too often a rather lifeless character in the Arthurian retellings, comes across as a woman of real intelligence and spirit. In short, Mordred's Curse is well-written, has great-characterization, and will turn your picture of King Arthur on its head. 311 pages. Jacket top & bottom of spine slightly bumped with a 1/32" closed tear on the top front corner. Rear cover has a 1/8" closed tear on top edge. 4 outside corners tips are rubbed..