Title:
The House of Pendragon Book I:
The Firebrand
Author:
Debra A. Kemp
Publisher
Amber Quill Press
ISBN:
1-59279-155-7
Copyright Date:
2003
Format:
Electronic
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The kingdom of the Pendragon is not as perfect as it would seem. There are those that would conspire against the king to destroy England. Lin is a fierce warrior, a member of the Round Table. She battles at the side of her father for the future of Camelot. When he is lost despite their victory over the enemy, Lin knows that nothing will be the same. She could leave the war and assume her rightful place in Camelot, but instead she leaves with a small band of close comrades, not to return for twelve years.
Lin returns to Camelot with her family to find that the once great Kingdom is a shell of its former glory. Inadvertently, her son sees her with a sword and knows that his mother is unlike other women. When he questions her, she begins the slow and painful process of explaining how she, a former slave, became a member of King Arthur's Round Table.
In Lin's narrative to her son she goes back to a time when she and her brother Dafyyd were slaves of Queen Morgause. Her earliest recollections were of the constant degradation and humiliation she and those like her faced at Dunn na Carraice. How did she survive the beatings, raping, and constant deprivation she was subjected to? Why can't she be like other slaves? How did she arrive in Camelot and to the court of King Arthur? What does King Arthur reveal to her and how does she come to join him in his final battle at Camlann? Most importantly, why did she leave Camelot only to return?
This story was truly amazing. Readers who enjoy tales of King Arthur and the Round Table will enjoy Debra Kemp's superb addition. She grabs the reader's attention immediately and then holds onto it with strong characters and a well-designed plot. From Lin's passionate determination and Dafydd's quiet support to Modred's licentious intentions, the book is filled with memorable and believable characters. I found myself cheering for Lin and secretly hating all those that conspired against her. The plot moves quickly and keeps the reader enthralled as to what will happen next. We can only hope that there will be a sequel as we all wait to see, what will happen now that Lin has returned to Camelot for good.
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