The Blood of the Bear, by Grahame Fleming, is the story of Artos, who will one day become Arthur. This novel brings a new take on Arthurian legend but still brings the familiar characters to ground the reader in this tale. It’s a tale of witches, honor, prophecy fulfillment, and coming of age. This novel is meant to be a humorous version of the story of King Arthur and readers will find this take refreshing and unique.

I am a fan of King Arthur and Arthurian legend. Fleming brought a new view to a subject I love while retaining some familiarity with the legend. In Fleming’s tale, we follow Artos as he begins his journey to become Arthur, the legendary King of Britannia. We also meet Merlin, Morganna, and Lancelot. There are also new characters for us to love and hate.

There are places where Fleming tells instead of shows us what’s going on. Just drop me into the action and let me see the story. Another thing that distracted me was when Fleming dropped from third person to second person. It pulled me out of the story. Some of the dialogue didn’t feel natural to me. However, the storyline and action scenes were well written.

I enjoyed reading this rendition of the Arthurian legend. One part that stands out is that a good portion of the story is dedicated to Duncan MacForres; it is not just about Artos. I would have loved to have seen more about Artos’s growth through the story, but having a diverse character base can make that more challenging.

The Blood of the Bear is only the beginning of Artos’s story; there is still much for him to learn before he becomes king. While this story wrapped up its story goal well, it left much room for more to happen in future books. I’m interested in reading the next book.

Pages: 513 | ASIN : B09HNX63YW