Here Lies Arthur

By Philip Reeve Published by Scholastic, 2007.

For those people interested in the Arthurian canon, and for those who enjoyed the Kevin Crossley-Holland series set some 700 years later, this version, set in the 6th century and voiced by Gwyna, Myrddin’s servant girl (and, when needed, ‘boy’), will be a fascinating read.

Myrddin is drawn as a cunning and tatty old travelling bard, whose job it is to put some spin on the stories of Arthurs’ bullying, brutish travels around the West Country - not just tales that will sound heroic and gallant around the fireplace, but that will build Arthur a reputation as one of Christ’s soldiers and the greatest hero of all time.

Reeve demands that we not just reconsider the oft-told glossy stories of gallant heroes, round tables and quests, but also think about the way that stories become official ‘truths’ when enough people are prepared to believe them. Year 5+.

Reviewed by Jan