NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A New York Times Editors’ Choice • The #1 New York Times bestselling
author of the Magicians Trilogy and “master storyteller” ( New York Times ) returns with a
triumphant reimagining of the King Arthur legend for the new millennium Los Angeles Times
Book Prize Finalist NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES NPR THE WALL
STREET JOURNAL VANITY FAIR TIME OPRAH DAILY TOWN & COUNTRY ELLE VOX PASTE LIT
HUB POLYGON KIRKUS REVIEWS “Lev Grossman’s The Bright Sword stands out as the best
fantasy of the year.” — The Wall Street Journal “Grossman who is best known for his The
Magicians series is at the top of his game with The Bright Sword .” — The New York Times Book
Review “A thrilling new take on Arthurian legend. . . . Marvelous.” — The Washington Post
A gifted young knight named Collum arrives at Camelot to compete for a place at the Round Table
only to find that he’s too late. King Arthur died two weeks ago at the Battle of Camlann and
only a handful of the knights of the Round Table are left. The survivors aren’t the heroes of
legend like Lancelot or Gawain. They’re the oddballs of the Round Table like Sir Palomides
the Saracen Knight and Sir Dagonet Arthur’s fool who was knighted as a joke. They’re joined
by Nimue who was Merlin’s apprentice until she turned on him and buried him under a hill.
But it's up to them to rebuild Camelot in a world that has lost its balance even as God
abandons Britain and the fairies and old gods return led by Morgan le Fay. They must reclaim
Excalibur and make this ruined world whole again—but first they'll have to solve the mystery of
why the lonely brilliant King Arthur fell. The first major Arthurian epic of the new
millennium The Bright Sword is steeped in tradition complete with duels and quests battles
and tournaments magic swords and Fisher Kings. It's also a story about imperfect men and women
full of strength and pain trying to reforge a broken land in spite of being broken themselves.
