LoveReading4Kids Says
Prize-winning author Philip Reeve gives a brilliant new take on the legend of King Arthur. Myrddin rides with Arthur spinning tales for and about him but what is the truth and can Gwyna discover it? Bridging the past and present Here Lies Arthur is the story of how heroes and the legends about them are made. Winner of the prestigious 2008 CILIP Carnegie Medal.
On winning the CILIP Carnegie Medal he said “I didn’t believe it at first, but as I got over the shock and it began to sink in, I felt totally honoured. It is very special to win the CILIP Carnegie Medal. It has such a history and I admire so many past winners’ work it is quite humbling to be ranked alongside them.”
‘Here Lies Arthur is an outstanding book, and deserving winner,’ said Tricia Adams, Chair of the 12 strong librarian judging panel. ‘Reeve’s is a consistent story-telling voice that brings us a subtle and credible retelling of the King Arthur myth. It is both a page turning adventure story and a clever historical novel. It also has clear political resonance for our times, demonstrating humanity’s need to sustain hope and optimism, and our tendency to favour myth over reality to achieve that end.’
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Here Lies Arthur Synopsis
Gwyna is just a small girl, a mouse, when she is bound in service to Myrddin the bard - a traveller and spinner of tales. Without Gwyna, Myrddin will not be able to work the most glorious transformation of all - and turn the leader of a raggle-taggle war-band into King Arthur, the greatest hero of all time.
Reeve’s fascination with the legends of Arthur began with John Boorman’s film Excalibur. As a teenager he found out all he could about the myth through the various retellings and portrayals that punctuate our culture and history. It became the novel he was determined to write, however, it took over 20 years before he decided how to tackle it.
Reeve gives the story Welsh Celtic roots and his choice of the young orphan girl Gwyna as narrator gives a fresh perspective on Arthur’s world and time. It’s AD 500, the Romans have left, and the Celts live in fear of the Saxon invasion. The character of Myrddin (Merlin) is no magician but instead relies on trickery to spin myths around Arthur, creating the credible leader the Celts so badly need. However, in reality, Reeve’s Arthur is no more than a self-interested thug. However, he is clear that what he set out to do was to write an adventure story for young people, although he is pleased to hear that children get the ‘pun’ of the title.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781407172651 |
| Publication date: |
4th May 2009 |
| Author: |
Philip Reeve |
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Scholastic |
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Paperback |
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Philip Reeve Press Reviews
'A brilliant verison of the Camelot story' Guardian
'Ripping and intelligent' Sunday Times
'Brilliant ... an absorbing and emotionally enagaging work' The Times
'Historical writing at its best' Independent
'A masterpiece' Daily Telegraph
About Philip Reeve
Philip Reeve was our Guest Editor for June 2012. Click here to see his books and some that inspired him.
Philip Reeve was born and raised in Brighton, where he worked in a bookshop for years while also producing and directing a number of no-budget theatre projects. Philip then began illustrating and has since provided cartoons and jokes for around forty books, including the best-selling Scholastic series Horrible Histories, as well as Murderous Maths and Dead Famous. He's been writing stories since he was five, but Mortal Engines was the first to be published.
Mortal Engines defies easy categorisation. It is a gripping adventure story set in an inspired fantasy world, where moving cities trawl the globe. A magical and unique read, it immediately caught the attention of readers and reviewers and won several major awards. Three more Predator Cities novels followed, and Philip's latest project are the Fever Crumb books, prequels set centuries before the events of Mortal Engines. Philip has also written Buster Bayliss, a series for younger readers, and stand alone novels including Here Lies Arthur, which won the Carnegie Medal. Philip lives in Devon with his wife and son and his interests are walking, drawing, writing and reading. You can keep up with Philip here on Instagram @thesolitarybee
Photo © Sarah Reeve
Click here to see a Philip talking about his new adventure book, Oliver and the Seawigs, a collaboration with Sarah McIntyre.
Philip Reeve's fiction publisher, Marion Lloyd, describes his Predator Cities series:
“..inspiring adventure stories, in whose futuristic, post-apocalyptic setting, moving cities trawl the Earth. They attack and consume each other in wastelands where natural resources are scarce, and Ancient technology is fought for. Fast-paced, sometimes violent, always surprising and original, Reeve’s epic sequence of love, war and adventure are richly rewarding for both adults and children.”
Praise for Philip Reeve:
‘Conveys big truths while being witty and playful...clever and moving’ - The Sunday Times on Fever Crumb
‘Intelligent, funny and wise’ - Literary Review on Fever Crumb
‘I felt as if the pages themselves were charged with electricity... Fever Crumb is a terrific read, a sci-fi Dickens, full of orphans, villains, chases and mysteries’ - Frank Cottrell Boyce in The Guardian on Fever Crumb
‘Reeve drives his juggernaut of a talent through the streets of a mob-crazed futuristic London with Cecil B DeMille grandeur. Resent being suckered into sequels? Fever Crumb is a complete story – but it may prove addictive’ - Geraldine McCaughrean, Daily Telegraph on Fever Crumb
‘A bold, brightly honed narrative that grabs and holds the attention from the start’ -
Interzone on Fever Crumb
‘A masterpiece’ - Sunday Telegraph
‘Big, brave, brilliant’ - Guardian
‘A majestic achievement’ - Sunday Times
‘Mind bogglingly well-imagined’ - Independent
‘Marvellous… utterly captivating in its imaginative scope and energy’ - Daily Telegraph
‘Brilliant… an absorbing and emotionally engaging work’ - Amanda Craig, The Times
More About Philip Reeve
