I Am Mordred

by Nancy Springer

Book Overview

What will a person give to forsake his destiny? From his very incarnation, Mordred has been a pawn in Camelot's history. Foretold by Merlin that he will grow up to kill his father, the beloved King... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0698118413
• ISBN13: 9780698118416
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Firebird
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.3" x 7.1"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Can you change destiny?

Most people familiar with the Arthur legend know of the father-son conflict between Arthur and his illegitmate son, Mordred, a product of a one night stand with Morgause, Arthur's half sister. Because of the unfortunate events leading up to his conception, Mordred is seen as being born evil, predestined to do harmful acts. The wizard Melin phrophesizes that Mordred's fate is to kill his father and destroy Camelot. Thus Arthur tries to kill Mordred when he was a baby, yet Mordred is saved by a fisherman and his wife. When young Mordred learns of his true identity, he rides to Camelot hoping to become a knight and finally get to know his famous father. Yet Camelot is not what Mordred had hoped for. His father, Arthur, doesn't even so much as acknowledge him and the affection that Mordred hopes Arthur would show him is nonexistent. Mordred becomes a loner in Camelot and soon begins to hear voices in his head telling him to fulfill his phrophecy. Mordred, longing for Arthur's love and acceptance, would do almost anything to cheat his destiny, even selling his soul. I Am Mordred is one of the best works on Mordred I have ever seen. He is one of the most misunderstood characters in the myth and the preconception that he is evil because of the circumstances of his conception is quite unfair. Springer tries, and effectively, pictures Mordred as a young man trying to fight his destiny, yet the more he tries, the more closer he comes to fulfilling the fate we all know happened. The reader feels very sympathetic towards Mordred, yet sits there unable to save him. In the end you realize that Mordred was not what the famous Arthur authors wrote him to be, born evil, but instead a boy that needed love and attention from a father he so wanted acceptance from, but in the came up empty. Like I am Morgan Le Fay, this book is more of a physcological work that raises new questions to previous assumptions. I definitely recommend this book to all fans of Camelot. It is one of the best.

Who was Mordred?

One of the most enigmatic and mysterious characters of Arthurian legend is Arthur's illegitimate son, Mordred. Unfortunately, he is also one of the least explored. In a market flooded with preachy, badly-written Arthuriana, "I Am Mordred" shines like a rare, dark gem.The book opens with King Arthur sadly setting dozens of newborn babies adrift on the ocean. Several years later, we see a young boy living peacefully with a fisherman and his wife. Their happy lives are interrupted when a woman named Nyneve rides in to bring Mordred back to his biological family, the royal family of Lothian. However, they are not pleased to see him. He soon finds out why: he is the product of incest between King Arthur and his half-sister Morgause, and is destined to kill his father someday. Shocked by this, Mordred goes to Camelot and soon begins craving his father's love and acceptance. He is also terrified of the prophecy that he will kill Arthur, and does everything he can to fight it. But can he fight his destiny, or only fulfil it?This is probably the best book I've read by Nancy Springer, a dark, beautiful, suspenseful and very sad novel. It's very rare to find an inspired Arthurian novel with any new material, but she pulls it off by creating a new Mordred -- this is not the monster who wants to kill Arthur for no reason, but a confused young man who only wants to be loved by his father, while knowing he is doomed to destroy him.One of the primary themes is whether a person is "born bad"; Mordred has, in his lifetime, done nothing wrong. Yet he is treated as a pariah by the people around him. His loneliness is broken only by Arthur and by Mordred's dog, Gull. While traditional Arthurian legends seem to be based around the idea of Mordred being evil because of his incestuous conception, Springer simply breaks those ideas apart. Nobody is simply born to be evil. Destiny and fate are some of the items that are also explored: Mordred seeks a way to avoid fulfilling the prophecy, but risks fulfilling it through avoidance. Mordred is an incredibly appealing character. He's merely a shy, introspective teenager who has been shunned by his relatives and by others in Camelot. His desperation is present on almost every page, as is his isolation, but Springer makes it sympathetic. Nobody will want to say "just shut up and quit whining"; rather, they'll be hoping that Mordred can somehow beat the prophecy, while knowing that he's all but certain to fail. Arthur is a good supporting character, surprisingly complex. Springer portrays him as an essentially good man who committed a terrible crime in an effort to save himself and his kingdom, and who regrets it. He wants to love Mordred as Mordred wants to be loved, but is as afraid of the prophecy as Mordred is.Springer's writing is descriptive and evocative; it's a little flowery, but not too flowery. She has an excellent sense of buildup and suspense, that grows as the book progresses. The first and last chapters are writte

The Sorrows of Camelot

One day you're just this normal little kid and the next you find out that you are the son of a king who tried to kill you. That's how it was for Tad (Mordred) when Nyneve came to his simple house one day. He was King Authur's one and only son. It was prophesied by Merlin that his son would grow up and kill him. So king Athur killed all of the baby boys of that year, well Mordred survived. He grew up and became a knight of the round table and served Authur until that fateful day, when the prophecy was supposed to come true. Read this book to find out what happens to Mordred. This book is probably one of the saddest books that I have ever read. It is also one of the best written books that I have read. The suspense of it kept me right on the edge of my seat the whole way through. To see Mordred's fate unfolding right in front of him will live you breathless at times. I feel that although it made me cry that it is a book worth reading. Fiction

I am Mordred

I loved this book !It is not only for adults ,i am 14. I love the way Nancy describes things, i feel like i'm really there. There was never a dull boring moment in this book. I bawled in the end . If you like fantasy and magic you will like this book. ~Angela(Wilma's daughter)

This is a real mind twister!!

I think this book was the greatest. It sucks you in and makes you want to keep reading. I would recomend this book to anyone who likes to read about King Aurther. This book makes you feel sorry for Mordred. At the end you will have tears in your eyes.