I’ve read and reviewed a few of Morpurgo’s books for Reading in Bed ‘Why the Whales come’ and ‘Escape from Shangri-La’ both of which were set in a modern setting and both of which were more softer, subtle character like pieces. This one was somewhat different as it focuses on the legend of King Arthur when a young boy stumbles into a cave and meets Arthur who sits down and tells him his story etc and the child instead of being the narrator is the vehicle for him to tell us the story. Arthur’s last battle was at Camlann, also known as Camboglanna. This is thought to be the old Roman name for Birdoswald, although some people think the name actually refers to Castlesteads. His Grave O'Sullivan, Thomas D. (1978). The De Excidio of Gildas: Its Authenticity and Date. BRILL. ISBN 9004057935 . Retrieved 4 February 2014.

Arthur: High King of Britain - Michael Morpurgo - Google Books Arthur: High King of Britain - Michael Morpurgo - Google Books

Benson, Larry D.; Foster, Edward E., eds. (1994). "Alliterative Morte Arthure". d.lib.rochester.edu. University of Rochester: TEAMS Middle English Texts Series . Retrieved 20 February 2014. The book depicts TWO one-night-stands that result in a surprise pregnancy -- it is described subtly enough that young children won't understand what was going on. This was a really wonderful middle grade retelling that included a nameless boy who gets lost and has a run-in with none other than King Arthur himself.... It appears to be a mixture of different versions of the legends. I am sure the author researched these a lot more than I have but some of the stories I have read in the past wouldn't fit into this chronology. There are a few significant details that I haven't read elsewhere included in this as well as some significant changes. The author definitely put his own signature onto these stories. If I had been on that beach at the beginning, I would have grabbed the nameless boy and been like "Hey, don't follow that bell sound! There's a long-winded, self-centered old man waiting for you who claims to be the high king of Britain but is actually just a jerk, and he'll talk your ear off and bore us all if he finds you."

Please don’t hate me but I really love Mordred, such a good antagonist, he wasn’t just a character that came out of no where and was against Arthur, we got to see him grow up and all that stuff, and I think that’s why he’s such a likeable character, yes he did bad things but the way he was also treated/rejected by his father made him be that, and the pressure from his mother to take over the kingdom he never really had his place anywhere and that lead him to a bad path but an understandable path in my opinion. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Merlin's work with Arthur was only part time. He was a famous 6th Century prophet and was kept busy by other jobs the rest of the time. And I felt this was a tale about family, friendships, betrayal, lost love, revenge, forgiveness and faith. It had epic battles, magic, and loads of adventure! Fisher, IV, Benjamin Franklin (1990). "King Arthur Plays from the 1890s". Victorian Poetry. 28 (3/4): 153–176. JSTOR 40002298. Taylor, Beverly; Brewer, Elisabeth (1983). The Return of King Arthur. Boydell & Brewer. p.303. ISBN 0859911365 . Retrieved 7 July 2014.

Constantine (Briton) - Wikipedia Constantine (Briton) - Wikipedia

Moll, Richard James (2003). Before Malory: Reading Arthur in Later Medieval England. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0802037224. History [ edit ] Southern Britain in c. 540, the time of Gildas. Constantine's likely kingdom of Dumnonia is in the southwest; the territory of the Damnonii is in the northwest. Grylls, David (9 October 2011). "The play's the thing – or is it? – A new 'Shakespeare' provokes both scholarly dispute and a teasingly postmodern domestic drama". The Sunday Times.Trachsler, Richard (2003). "A Question of Time: Romance and History". In Dover, Carol (ed.). A Companion to the Lancelot-Grail. D.S. Brewer. pp.23–32. ISBN 0859917835 . Retrieved 28 February 2014.

Arthur High King of Britain – HarperCollins Publishers UK

Thompson, Raymond H. (2013). "Darrell Schweitzer". In Lacy, Norris K. (ed.). The New Arthurian Encyclopedia. Routledge. p.605. ISBN 978-1136606335 . Retrieved 22 September 2014.Lacy, Norris J.; Ashe, Geoffrey; Mancoff, Debra N. (2014). The Arthurian Handbook. Routledge. ISBN 978-1317777441 . Retrieved 14 July 2014.

Arthur High King Of Britain - LoveReading4Kids Arthur High King Of Britain - LoveReading4Kids

As much as I love Michael Morpurgo as a writer I am also prepared to say that this was not his best work. You can also read about his life in War Child to War Horse,a collaborative biography with Maggie Fergusson.

So what about the part of the legend that says he didn’t actually die, but went into extended hibernation? If Arthur did go into a long sleep, he and a gathering of loyal knights are supposed to have done so beneath Blencathra, waiting for their next call to arms. Having been fatally wounded at Camlann, Arthur asked to be taken to a nearby shore where a boat would be waiting to take him to Avalon - in this case Blencathra. Blaess, Madeleine (1956). "Arthur's Sisters". Bulletin Bibliographique de la Société Internationale Arthurienne. 8: 69–77. Main article: Constantine (British saint) Saint Constantine's Church in Constantine, Cornwall, perhaps connected to the historical king of Dumnonia