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Title: The Mammoth Book of Arthurian Legends by Michael Ashley, Mike Ashley ISBN: 0-7867-0532-9 Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub. Date: July, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $10.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4.17

Rating: 4
Summary: A Comprehensive and Enjoyable Introduction
Comment: Ashley's anthology provides a thorough introduction to the story of Arthur by bringing together a variety of stories about Arthur, his knights, and other aspects of the legends. The stories cover Arthur's birth and fosterage, his rise to power, the exploits of some of his knights, Merlin's influence, and the demise of the Round Table. The last story in the book is a special treat.

Because the stories come from different times, cultures, and authors, some flexibility is necessary. Names change and events are depicted differently from story to story. But this is also an important aspect of the legend, and Ashley's introductory comments to each tale help to tie it all together.

This book, of course, does not cover every aspect of the adventures of Arthur and his Court, but it introduces the reader to a world that has been explored many times by many authors, and the interested reader can choose his own direction confident that he has a good grounding in the story.

Rating: 4
Summary: Cherished on my shelf at home!
Comment: This book is wonderful--so many varied retellings of Arthurian legend! I especially loved "The Lady of Belec." The only stories I didn't particularily care for were the two about Guenevere and Lancelot.

Rating: 3
Summary: A good starter, but otherwise inconsistent
Comment: Although reading this collection as a relative novice to Arthurian legends, I often found that the quite varied styles of the different authors distracted from the content and continuity of the series. Some ill-adviced placement/order choices made by the editor, as well as glaring omissions in some of the stories (e.g. very little on the quest for the grail) left me thinking a better job could have been done with this compendium. However, individual stories occasionally shine through to redeem what might've been just another scrapbook of re-told legends.