Arthurian legends have been passed down for centuries. There would seem to be little left to mine from the story of the king who pulled a sword from a stone. Yet The Magicians author and former TIME book critic Lev Grossman manages to conjure an ambitious, nearly 700-page narrative about Camelot—albeit Camelot in its latter, less glorious years. Collum, an aspiring knight, ventures to the fabled city to earn a place in Arthurian legend, only to find the castle in shambles and its legendary king dead. A ragtag group of remaining knights embark on a series of quests to restore Camelot to—well, they don’t know what. There is a certain episodic quality to the novel, reminiscent of video games: the plot sometimes meanders between its fantastical battles as the characters execute more mundane tasks. But the colorful cast buoys the story as they wrestle with the disappointing gap between legend and reality.
Buy Now: The Bright Sword on Bookshop | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Cybersecurity Experts Are Sounding the Alarm on DOGE
- Meet the 2025 Women of the Year
- The Harsh Truth About Disability Inclusion
- Why Do More Young Adults Have Cancer?
- Colman Domingo Leads With Radical Love
- How to Get Better at Doing Things Alone
- Michelle Zauner Stares Down the Darkness
Write to Eliana Dockterman at eliana.dockterman@time.com