The Wolf and the Crown

by A.A. Attanasio

Book Overview

A.A. Attanasio presents a flamboyant recounting of the myths of Camelot in The Wolf and the Crown, which continues the story of The Dragon and the Unicorn and The Eagle and the Sword. This particular... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061057762
• ISBN13: 9780061057762
• Release Date: April 1999
• Publisher: Eos
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 9.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.3" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

A detailed account of Arthur's first year as king.

The Wolf And The Crown is a beautiful weaving of the classic story of Arthur, except now the tale has an original factor to it. Attanasio is a very talented author; he combines legend with his own mythology. I loved it because Attanasio used characters from several beliefs; he didn't just focus on Christianity. You may believe this weird, but I think that his stories compare with The Wild Road, mostly because King's and Attanasio's details are similar. Such as: They both describe the weather, surroundings, features of an animal or person, and attitudes very thouroughly. I reccomend this book to everyone in the universe!!!

Fantastic, not-to-be-missed!

The third book in AA Attanasio's fabulous telling of the King Arthor myths, the Wolf and the Crown follows the young king through the first year of his reign. He must prove to his subjects that he is a worthy king, and must prove to himself that he is a good man even though he fell prey to his witchy half sister's seductions. This book, as all of Attanasio's, is very different from its predecessors. The chapters are short, perfect two-page cliff hangers that whirl the reader between the various characters and situations. In some ways, this book is much more horrific than the ones that came before, but it is leavened with great humor. It focuses on Arthor's humanity, but has the elements of the strange and magical we've come to expect from Mr. Attanasio. Gods old and new, ghosts, witches, demons, angels, vampires, dwarves, a monkey, elves, stolen and misplaced souls, the hell that is our present day, the fabulous world tree that is the magnetic field surrounding the earth, the hollow hills above the dragon at the heart of the earth, heroic adventure, and selfless sacrifice, it is all there weaving a tapestry of magic and realism. Attanasio is not bound by any of the old tellings of this myth, he takes the characters and elements and makes them uniquely believable, uniquely his own. As in many of Attanasio's books, such as his fantastic first novel Radix and the rare The Moon's Wife, the heros are flawed by their own humanity and must take on painful journeys of self-discovery and change. Don't miss this book, I can't wait for the next ones. I hope he follows the King to Avalon and on, to that far future day of need that is predicted for the King's return.

Deeply Innovative and Imaginative *****

This is A. A. Attanasio's third book in a truly unique retelling of the legend of Arthur (or Arthor in this case). Attanasio brings to this new interpretation all the tools at his considerable disposal and they are extremely well used. This series is a slight departure in form in several ways from much of his earlier works since it is meant to be read as a whole; the books in the series draw heavily one upon the other and to read the second and third without the first is to do the series and yourself a terrible injustice... Some may be a bit confused at this unfamiliarity, but it is a result of a thorough attention to detail and the fantastic imagination which readers of Attanasio have come to expect. The series is not a string of stand alone books - it is a real multi-book epic. The plot of this, the third book in this Arthurian series, takes Arthor to the age of budding manhood. So far the boy king has been exactly that - a boy king who has been a lowly servant all his life, with all of the limitations which his lack of age, experience and aspirations would give him in such extraordinary circumstances. But, Arthor is only really a small part of this saga. The story is infinitely more complex than it's "main" figure. Attanasio has again pushed the limits, but this time in the realm of fantasy rather than sci-fi. Those who are looking for the phenomenal leaps of imagination and the amazing worlds which his sci-fi displays like no other's, will perhaps find this a bit sedate, but it is written with a very different intent and should not be judged in the same way as a work from the sci-fi genre. Fantasy is not sci-fi, though Attanasio blurrs the distinction with wonderful skill and those seeking the stimulation of the realm of ideas will NOT be disappointed if they look at the work for what it is. Meticulous research has gone into this series to bring home the amazing diversity and fantastic clash of cultures and their religions which was the very real scene in the British Isles of the 5th century A.D. In most of the books one reads about this part of the world at that time, eveything is candy coated and the truly potent (and completely alien to the modern industrial world/age) intensity of what living in those times would mean is completely lost in a false dream of an age which never existed except in the minds of hackneyed idealistic dreamers. Attanasio has tried valiantly to infuse this dream with a much needed breath of reality and boundary stretching all at once... Some readers may not stretch as well as others, but for a deeply thought provoking and attentive read - this book and series is a masterpiece. I honestly think this is some of his best work to date. I would hazard that if you do not find the book rewarding it is perhaps because you are reading too fast and missing the ideas! And remember that every life goes through stages... This story is describing such a journey and some wi