Synopses & Reviews
The hour fortold has come at last! Edward the Ninth, reprobate King of England, is dead and a proud an venerable institution is to be buried with him. A new political order--encouraged by an ambitious Prime Minister and supported by a public wearied by a succession of royal scandals--is about to render the old obsolete. With signed abdications of all potential throne claimants already in P.M. Thomas Waring's hands, it is a near-certainty that the British monarchy will not survive the twenty-first century.
But in the Scottish Highlands, a young man makes a remarkable discovery that will change the seemingly unaltered path of his beleaguered nation. For Captain James Arthur Stuart is not the commoner he has always believed himself to be, but rather the scion of an obscure branch of the royal family, raised in ignorance of his true station. Even more astonishing, the monarch-to-be does not merely share the name of the legendary King of Summer--he is, in fact, King Arthur reborn!
Claiming a throune, however, is one thing, while holding it is quite another, as James--now ruling the land as Arthur II--turns to those most beloved and most loyal for support, guidance, and assistance: his adored wife, Jennifer; his best friend, Calum; and his enigmantic and mystical advisor, a certain Mr. Embries.. better known as "Merlin." Their road will be rocky and perilous, and there are powerful enemies arrayed against them--not only Prime Minister Waring and his ruthless political machine, but the forces of an ancient, far more potent , destructive evil. For Arthur is not the only one who has returned--and Merlin's magic is not the only sorcery that has survived the centuries.
With Avalon, one of the premier voices in the literature of the fantastic offers us an unparalleled adventure as replete with bravery, treacher, romance, and magic as the beloved tales of the Table Round, yet cast in a setting as recognizably real as that which surrounds us.
About the Author
Stephen R. Lawhead was born in Kearney,Nebraska on 2 July, 1950. He attended local schools and then Kearney State College, where he majored in Fine Art. He paid for his education by playing lead guitar in a popularlocal rock band, Mother Rush. While at Kearney State he published numerous poems incollege anthologies, and wrote a humor column for the college newspaper.
He married Alice Slaikeu in 1972 and, together they moved to the Chicago areaso he could attend Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. He left before graduating whenoffered a position on the staff of Campus Life Magazine, where he worked for five years. Writing a record review column at Campus Life fed his musical interest; he took on themanagement of Christian rock band DeGarmo & Key, then left Campus Life to start hisown record company in Memphis, Tennessee.
Ariel Records lasted only a year; going out of business on a Friday afternoon in January. On the following Monday morning Lawhead began writing a novel: In the Hallof the Dragon King. The object of the exercise was to see if he could sustain afull-length work of fiction, and support his family  which now included baby Ross,and soon-to-arrive Drake A on a writer's income.
He did finish the book and, with the support and advocacy of editor JanDennis, it was published in 1982 by Crossway Books. Eight novels followed, all publishedby Crossway: the remaining DRAGON KING books, three science fiction novels, and the firstthree books of THE PENDRAGON CYCLE.
Meanwhile, the Lawheads moved from Memphis to Lincoln, Nebraska, and then toOxford, England, in 1986 for more than a year while researching and writing Taliesin,Merlin, and Arthur. They returned to Lincoln in 1987, but by 1990 were backin Oxford where they now reside.
A strong publishing relationship with Lion Publishing in Britain was forgedwhen Lion published Dragon King, and went on to commission severalchildrenÂs books which had been inspired by Ross and DrakeÂs interest in theirfatherÂs stories. Additionally, Lion acted  and continues to act  asagent for translation editions of the childrenÂs and adult books throughout Europeand beyond.
Avon Books (New York) and HarperCollins (New York and London, along withtheir subsidiary Zondervan in Grand Rapids) are both currently commissioning books. Themost recent Avon release is Grail, the fifth book in THE PENDRAGON CYCLE, andthis will be followed by Avalon a stand-alone novel in which King Arthur returnsto modern-day Britain (anticipated publication September 1999).
HarperCollins, who published Byzantium, is releasing THE CELTICCRUSADES, a series of three books of which the first, The Iron Lance, will beavailable on 21 September in Britain and in November in the United States.
Lawhead's fascination with historical mythology continues unabated. Havingstarted in fourth-century Britain (Taliesin) he has now worked his way forward tothe twelfth-century. What is next? Perhaps a giant step backward. Books about ancientEgypt are beginning to fill his shelves...