King Arthur: Excalibur Unsheathed

King Arthur: Excalibur Unsheathed

Author: Jeff Limke

ISBN: 082253083X

Publisher: Graphic Universe, 2006

Age: 9-12

Genre: Graphic novel

Summary: England was a country in chaos.  The king had died leaving no heir, but instead left a sword in a stone with the inscription that whoever pulled the sword out of the stone was the rightful kind of England.  Young Arthur came to London for a tournament with his father, Lord Ector and brother, Sir Kay, and met Merlin at Westminster where they had gone to see the sword in the stone.  When Kay’s sword goes missing Arthur runs and pulls the sword from the stone and takes it back to Kay.  Other’s recognize the sword and demand to know where he got it from.  He showed them that he could remove the sword and so became the king.  He grows up with the help and advice of many advisors including Merlin, successfully fights his first battle, meets Guinivere, his future wife, and received Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake. 

Read A-likes: Robin Hood; Perseus: The Hunt for Medusa’s Head; Demeter & Persephone: Spring Held Hostage; Theseus: Battling the Minotaur; Psyche & Eros: The Lady and the Monster; and Odysseus: Escaping Poseidon’s Curse.

Personal Thoughts: I have found these books to be very fun to read.  This specific one is about the English legend of King Arthur, and gives an interesting look at his younger, formative years rather than his adult years.  My niece and brother are thoroughly enjoying these books, which is a good indication since she is 10 years of age and is very picky about what she’ll read.