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Arthur
- Author
- Amy Jeffs
- Narrator
- Amy Jeffs, Justin Avoth
- Publisher
- Quercus
- Publish Date
- 10 September 2026
- Run Time
- 9 hours 6 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
From Sunday Times bestseller Amy Jeffs', Arthur: A New Life mines the deep, elusive seams of a story we think we all know: the legend of King Arthur.
But here he is anew: a larger-than-life warlord, a hero raised by fairies, a leader of the wild hunt, a monster-slayer, lying wounded under the ash cloud, longing to rise again.
Tracing an epic story from Merlin's conception and the building of the Round Table to the abduction of Guinevere and King Arthur's ambitious quest for Empire, this Arthur is as real as any other, brought back to life from the earliest sources.
Drawing out the dark and beautiful stories from the original medieval and early modern texts, Amy guides the reader from citadels through forests, into volcanoes, caves and riverbanks and beyond, even as far as Hell and the Otherworld. Going further than merely the stories, she provides incisive commentary about each tale, emphasising the legends' crafted nature and their symbiotic relationship with the political cultures of contemporary medieval Europe.
Critics Review
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Gripping, learned, funny and often shocking, Arthur strips the greatest body of British legend back to its medieval bones, and shows the King Arthur cycle in all its original glorious strangeness. Beautifully illustrated and engagingly told, this is a book you will return to over and over again.
Dan Jones, bestselling author of The Plantagenets
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A tapestry of tales that brings Arthur to ferocious life, following him across Europe and into the depths of even the darkest of legends
Helen Carr
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This is a book full of enchantment and revelation, its strange and marvellous stories alongside Jeffs' spellbinding illustrations. This is an Arthur dreamed into being in the very earliest traditions, far beyond the chivalric figure you thought you knew. Jeffs' compelling storytelling is grounded in meticulous research into medieval manuscripts and scholarship.
Catherine Clarke
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It isn't a book. It is a portal into a time and place in mythical history. Transportive. Scented with apple orchards, rich with the land. To touch upon the story of Arthur, tales I have lived with most of my life, to bring something new, vibrant, alive, after so many retellings is hard, but Amy Jeffs does this, by seeking out the source of the river. A triumph.
Jackie Morris
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Inimitable. You feel this is the book Amy Jeff's was destined to write. Her voice is as mysterious and beguiling as the legends she brings to life.
Luke Sherlock
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A new version of the Arthurian legend, produced by an author who is well informed on a broad range of aspects of medieval history, life and culture.
BBC History Magazine
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Jeffs has a flair . . . for making the marvellous matter-of-fact and the ordinary ethereal. Arthur is a riotous Round Table of tales. Pull up a chair
Literary Review
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A treat to read . . . strikingly different: not a retelling, but a thought provoking addition and alternative to our understanding of this familiar figure. There is yet more to Arthur than we realised
Country Life
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Magical, poetic and striking . . . a fresh and exciting tale of heroes and villains on a grand scale. Erudite and enthralling, this is history told anew. Forget everything you thought you knew about King Arthur and let this brilliant storyteller take you on a journey that will entertain and shock . . . Vivid, authentic and utterly gripping from start to finish
Express
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Amy Jeffs
- Narrator
- Amy Jeffs, Justin Avoth
- Duration
- 9 hours 6 minutes
- Release Date
- 10 September 2026
- ISBN
- 9781529431711
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Quercus
- Genre
- European history: medieval period, middle ages, Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval, Myths and Legends / Mythic fiction, Celtic religion and mythology
Synopsis
It is said that a monument now stands before the high church of Caerleon: an anvil pierced through with a sword. It is said that the sword can only be taken by the Britons' rightful king...From Sunday Times bestseller Amy Jeffs', Arthur: A New Life mines the deep, elusive seams of a story we think we all know: the legend of King Arthur.But here he is anew: a larger-than-life warlord, a hero raised by fairies, a leader of the wild hunt, a monster-slayer, lying wounded under the ash cloud, longing to rise again. Tracing an epic story from Merlin's conception and the building of the Round Table to the abduction of Guinevere and King Arthur's ambitious quest for Empire, this Arthur is as real as any other, brought back to life from the earliest sources. Drawing out the dark and beautiful stories from the original medieval and early modern texts, Amy guides the reader from citadels through forests, into volcanoes, caves and riverbanks and beyond, even as far as Hell and the Otherworld. Going further than merely the stories, she provides incisive commentary about each tale, emphasising the legends' crafted nature and their symbiotic relationship with the political cultures of contemporary medieval Europe.
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