The Book of Avalon Eternal

Information

Status

Ongoing

Author

AustenKeats

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• longwindedone1Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This review comes after reading the first seven chapters of The Book of Avalon Eternal. I apologize for the spoilers and the spouting of excitement!
  I have to start by saying that my path down the fantasy and litrpg route can be traced back to d&d and my love Arthurian legend. I was psyched when Hollywood realized that if the real King Arthur lived, he would have not been the knight of medieval legend, but a Romanized Dux Bellorum from the tail end of the Dark Ages (however Hollywood failed to deliver). He would have likely been Welsh. This story, picks up where The Once and Future King and Le Morte d'Arthur begins/ends. The author even used a real Welsh name from where the "Welsh Winchester" (Camelot) would have been - Meurig.
  Story:
  This is a dark a retelling of the final days of King Arthur and his knights. It is centered on the Battle of Camlann the real/possibly fictitious last battle of Arthur and his son Mordred. Arthur lays dying and Gawain struggles to find a healer. Morgan le Fay and Nimue use forbidden magic in an attempt to save Arthur by transporting him through a mystical gate. The rest of the nights are left to pick up the pieces. Gawain is forced to navigate the aftermath, including Lancelot coming back, all the while the fate of Camelot hangs in the balance.
  Style:
  The novel brings together themes of loyalty, power, and the dark magic (as all stories of Arthur do- that's why we love them). The overall tone is pretty heavy, as should the aftermath of Camlann be. The author delivers on what I would expect of a sequel to the story of the King of Kings. The point of view is delivered in third person, but it closely follows Gawain.
  Grammar:
  Again, I don't usually comment too much on this because I use the audio function of the Royal Road app to listen. But I have no complaints here.
  Characters:
  I have already mentioned Arthur, Mordred, Lancelot, Gawain, Nimue, and Morgan le Fay. As well, there is Owain (a loyal knight) and Meurig (a druid healer and a ni
• Ptolemis, the BardRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  First off, I'd like to preface my review by clarifying that I'm personally well-versed with Arthurian mythology. That, however, did not take away from my enjoyment of the work so far - if anything, it's stirred an interest in this area of fantasy that I had never expected myself to take any form of interest in. Similar to how works like Percy Jackson or Hadestown appeal especially to Greek myth geeks but also to those not as versed in the mythos, I believe The Book of Avalon Eternal can appeal to both newcomers and Arthurian veterans alike.
  One way this could be seen was in how the wide cast of important characters was handled. Written in another style by another author, I most likely would have been lost in the web of different character dynamics, lore, and backstories behind the different names at play in the story, but The Book of Avalon Eternal handled this well, taking time to introduce each character and their relevance to the story at large as they come, as well as including a helpful Dramatis Personae for the entire cast at the beginning.
  Another aspect of the work that I appreciate is the level of initiative taken by its main protagonists as the plot progresses. Gawain, as well as the rest of the knights, royalty, and people of magic, take a very active approach to the events as they unfold, and that keeps the story chugging along satisfyingly. One thing that would have turned me away from Arthurian mythos in the past would have been the preconception that most of its works would be painfully slow and old-fashioned, but with this work, that's not a problem at all.
  Overall, I think the work's been lovingly crafted and written, and is worth a read for any reader interested in fantasy, Arthurian or not.
• R. C. VettaRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  If you have ever read "The Once and Future King" you will love this story!
  Sure the author here isn't T. H. White and the book isn't 300,000 words, but this thing reads like a dark adapted chapter/story arc! The author clearly set out to write an Arthurian adaptation and they succeeded!
  Style- The prose here is B E A UTIFUL! The descriptions are detailed and following. I am not a lover of present tense as I typically find it a little difficult to read considering 90% of what I read is past tense. I had no problems here, once I started I never had a hiccup in my reading. Perhaps a first for present tense work on this site, Bravo!
  Grammar- From the comments I suspect the author has done quite a bit of editing already and I will say the story appears quite polished as a result. Some might have issue with the paragraph length, but that is a point of preference and not a fault of the author. In case anyone has forgotten a printed book is primarily large blocks of text.
  Story- It is an adaptation of characters and setting so if you are familiar with the source material you are put right back into a place you should recognize. This story walks a fine lone between retelling something heard dozens of times before and providing a fresh take on the old stories. After just a few chapters, the story is fresh while still benefiting from the momentous amount of source material.
  Character-The main character is not who I assumed it would be and I am thankful for it! I have always enjoyed their stories from the myths and found it really cool to see them get to helm this one.
• RavensFantasyRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Style/Story:
  This story is a beautifully written tale that follows a retelling of King Aruthur. The story is told in a third person narrative, contains plenty of beautiful descriptions and is told at a decent pace.
  The story is an interesting tale that has some great pose, pacing, chapter and paragraph length. I for one have not found anything wrong with the writing of this tale as it appears that the author has already done a good job with edits.
  Grammar: As I read this tale, I have not found anything wrong with the grammar in this story, as it is beautifully written.
  Characters: The characters are written well in my opinion. There are a lot of characters introduced early on, but I was able to keep up with them. Each character does seem to be different from each other, from what I could obtain. Which is always a plus when you have a ton of characters at the beginning of the story. There is a good amount of description for the characters and you can see some of their personalities come through as you read each chapter. Overall, I think the characters are done pretty good in the story.
  In Summary: If you enjoy the tales of Arthur then I would recommend giving this story a chance! It is beautifully written and has bountiful descriptions within the story! Nicely done so far and would recommend it!
• RiversideRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Ignoring some stumbles, The Book of Avalon Eternal rears itself as an Arthurian tale to watch. Do you like Dark Fantasy based on Thomas Malory? Yes? Then why aren't you reading yet?
  Style: Although overly descriptive at first, the narrative slows the descriptions by chapter five or six. When dialogue, internal monologue, and narration fuse properly, the fiction is as vibrant as anything on the store's shelves. Word choice is crisp and on point.
  Grammar: As I say with every review, I don't look at grammar too much. I didn't notice anything overly incorrect. Some minor POV issues are present, but these are fixed with light edits. Outside of the heavy-lifting opening chapters, where too many characters being introduced makes for a hard-to-follow flow of events, there is nothing here aside from some heavy descriptions which will cause concern. Minor issues.
  Story: I know the Arthurian mythos from my time at college. I am, then, slightly more understanding of the characters and what is happening than the average person, I imagine. That being said, there is difficulty with me knowing what is happening and where and how the characters from the legends are being given new life into this fantasy-version of Arthuriana.
  Character: Much like the story, character growth can become lost under paragraphs of descriptions. I would suggest the author spend more time elaborating on character orientation outside of myth-defined roles. That is what is missing early on. That being said, the characters here do have personality, it is only hard to (at times) find when prose and diversions block the way.
  In Sum: Not without its issues, I could recommend this to any enjoyer of Indie Literature and Arthuriana. That is my real opinion. As long as the author continues to strive in the advancement of their writing skills and continues to think through their world, I know this will be a fiction capable of finding its audience.
  As a final set of parting words, I would suggest to the author locatin
• SEBscribeRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Unlike my previous reviewers, I am very familiar with the Arthurian legends and characters (not bad if you aren't), so my perspective is a bit different. It definitively makes me enjoy the story more and there is a lot of anticipation to learn what spin of old tales I'll see. Its familiar but has enough changes to keep me guessing.
  Style: I have seen complaints about the paragraph length, which is perfectly cromulent. I can see that this wasn't nessecarily formatted for a webnovel initially. It does everything exactly the way it is supposed to be for this structure, as the prose is extensive, but not purple. This wants to be a classic fantasy story and succeeds at it.
  Story: The story is not new, but it is told in a new way. A retelling with additional characters and a more abundant and accessible magic, which gives it a modern spin. As there is no "one true arthurian myth" but a wide range of different stories within the same cycle, I am very excited to see which ones Austen choses to incorporate and in what way!
  Grammar: Perfect, nothing to say about it and let the star score speak for itself. It is a higher level reading with long and immaculate sentences, but they're beautifully detailed.
  Characters: As someone who knows these characters pretty well from different iterations, the only flaw I see is that this story can be somewhat predictable for it. For a fan of arthurian legend, that is a plus, but the established characters often don't go beyond their archetypes for it. Its the new ones that mix up the story and the ones I am most excited to see interacting with the old ones.
  All in all, I can see how this might look off-putting to new readers. The prose and the literally hundreds of years of storytelling this work builds on might not be for everyone, but if you are into a classic fantasy epos, this is for you. Or if you want to challenge yourself and become a fan of such works!
• drechenauxRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  The book follows the fallout of King Arthur attempting to put down a rebellion, leading to various events which have yet to resolve- and so I'm not going to mention some of them for spoiler reasons.
  Style: Without a doubt, this book's style is its strongest point. Not only is there no real fault to it, the style flows flawlessly from paragraph to paragraph without any issues. The prose is excellent and easily makes this story stand out.
  Grammar: I couldn't find any faults here.
  Story: The story progresses at a reasonable pace, and unfolds and draws you in. Here, I do have a slight complaint- the story is written for people already very familiar with Arthurian legends, which kind of makes someone like me, who has only a passing knowledge of things, take more time to get things. There is a glossary at the beginning, but it is inconvenient to have to flip to that every time a new character is introduced (and there are many, many characters). Also, the story could use a bit more setup to set its foundation.
  Characters: The characterization is great, mainly because of the style and prose.
  Overall, if you like Arthurian tales, you will like this. It looks like a promising story.
• KyshiesRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This is the re-telling (and re-imagining!) of the Arthurian myth (I think? I'm not actually sure what the proper term is) - a 'what if?' story for an alternate path the author seeks to explore through his writing. I personally don't know much about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and the lore surrounding it... but I can say that this story is pretty well-written, if a bit of a dense read. The author has included a 'Dramatis Personae' to help readers keep track of the characters, given the scale of the story - it's useful but might also put off potential readers by the sheer volume of stuff and terms to keep track of right off the bat, especially if said reader is not well acquainted with the lore and characters of the Arthurian legend.
  There is much showing rather than telling, but this appears to be a stylistic choice, keeping with the style of old storyteller folktales. It works well enough to get the main plot points of each chapter forward, but as I said earlier - it makes it a rather dense read.
  Overall, I would say that this story is mostly competently written, but it's also not exactly the usual fare one would be accustomed to on this site. For prospective readers - I'd say to give the first chapter a try to see if you like the style of storytelling.
• kaydayRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  This book is a beautifully written retelling of the story of King Arthur, specifically focused on the aftermath of the final battle between Arthur and Mordred, his son/nephew. Arthur is struck down during the battle, but instead of being declared dead his body is taken by the witch Morgana under the counsel of Nimue to revive it.
  Now, in the beginning, we follow the narrative of Gawain, who is one of knight’s closest to Arthur, as they deal with the aftermath of Arthur’s death and subsequent disappearance. The story is shaping up to a a political epic fantasy but I do think I’m unable to properly predict the direction of the story based on the blurb. I would say the blurb definitely needs more work to be able to match the story within.
  Grammar/Style: I think the style and grammar are the strongest aspects of the work. The descriptions are vivd and elegant without being too superfluous and flowery. The style of writing is appropriately historical, and very immersive. The author is definitely a skilled writer.
  Characters: I do like the characters, but I feel we don’t get a good sense of their motivations until the later chapters (chapter 3-6). Most of the earlier chapters are spent with laying out the world and the war happening, but I don’t truly feel any of the character’s motivations and fears right at the beginning. Now this could be just be a thing with high fantasies, which I will admit I don’t read a bunch of, but I would rather the beginning explore more of the character’s thoughts, feelings and fears along with the actions.
  Story: I feel the story is shaping up to be interesting and it definitely gets stronger the more you read on. Again, I would recommend the blurb be reworked to match the story.
  All in all, it’s a fun read, nostalgic read, that immerses you in one of the greatest legends of our time.
• ThrillianRoyal Road

  ★★★★ 4.0

  If you're a fan of Arthurian legends, you won't be disappointed by this web fiction.
  "The Book of Avalon Eternal" follows the aftermath of Arthur's fall, as this time Gawain and Nimue try to lead Camelot into a new chapter after the disappearance of Merlin, Arthur and Moran Le Fay.
  The web fiction presents an awesome bit alternate history for Arthurian fans. In addition to place Gawain and Nimue as starring roles in this post-Arthur tale, relatively minor characters like Agravain and others get a chance to shine.
  The biggest draw is the relationship between Gawain and Nimue as they pair up (in more ways then one) to lead the people of Camelot and Camlann into a new chapter. And while Nimue seems as ruthless and pragmatic as their teacher Morgan Le Fay, the mostly stalwart Gawain also has a temper, especially when it comes to a recently-returned former ally (whose identity will be withheld for spoilers)
  Overall, the style is very good. I especially like the prologue, which really reads like something you'd find in a dusty medieval chronicle, though I'm glad the author didn't linger in this style. The main style is very readable, with a fast-pace, though the present tense does take a bit of getting used to.
  This is certainly a fun read for anyone who loves any of the King Arthur. It's always been a time period that's never fully been explored, and I love how the author captures both the weirdness and the brutality of the Arthurian legend while still giving us likeable characters. It's one that I definitely plan to read more of from here on out.