A Cruel Man Delighting in Flowers
...the mildness to which men ... had yielded was only half of the intoxication of beauty, while the other half ... was of such surpassing and terrible cruelty—the most cruel of men delights himself with a flower—that beauty ... failed quickly of its effect...
Hermann Broch, The Death of Virgil
Jeremy Davies is made of ink, but don’t dip a feather in him. It tickles. He once painted a fingernail black and no one really noticed. He was disappointed. He’s also an editor, a religious atheist, a liker of strong coffees, a Shakespeare-lover, a political anarchist and someone who rarely has a pen when he needs one. He has been a PhD candidate, a personal trainer, a life model, a bouncer, an infantry soldier and someone who rarely had a pen when he needed one. He has had words published in a variety of places, in a variety of publications, in a variety of forms, in a variety of moments: Canada, Wet Ink, SMS and twelve minutes past three in the afternoon being some of these. His first novel, 'Missing Presumed Undead', will be re-published by Satalyte Publishing in February 2014. A second is on its way.
The Enemy of God
With all three books of this series, Cornwell manages to walk a masterful line here between historical realism and magical interplay. It's kinda left up to the reader just how 'magic' Merlin is, for example. No firebolts here. Just when you think its all trickery... theres a kinda suggestion of something else. I really enjoyed that.Arthur was great too, and the take on Lancelot and others. I laugh when I see reviews questioning the motivations and actions of these characters. 'how could he be so stupid' etc, as if some of the most intelligent human beings of reality, maybe such as we, aren't full to the brim of stupid calls on people and silly inconsistancies throughout their lives...
This series was so good, I have closed the door on Arthur in fiction. My Arthur will forever be Cornwell's Arthur.
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