William Jay (3)

Redwyn is a traveling illusionist in 14th-century England. After being caught swindling coins from other travelers, he flees into a forest, where he finds King Arthur's sword Excalibur and meets the ancient wizard Merlin. He then finds himself involved in saving a lady, an orphanage, and a town from a group of false monks who are deliberately spreading the Black Plague. Redwyn is an orphan of unknown parentage, and it's implied that he may be a descendant of Arthur, but little comes of this or of the sword Excalibur, which in the end has very little to do with the plot. The lackluster story might work well enough as a TV movie but makes for an uncompelling novel; this, combined with poor copyediting, gives it the feel of a self-published book. Not recommended for younger readers due to two or three brief sex scenes.… (meer)