num_pages: 374
description: Firelord is a historical fantasy novel by Parke Godwin, published in 1980. It is a retelling of the King Arthur legend.Godwin tells the story of King Arthur from a historically accurate perspective, based on research &amp; his own archeological trips to various parts of England. The novel has Arthur dictating a memoir to a friar at a monastery. A flashback leads thru his formative years &amp; his 1st meeting with Merlin. Godwin takes the traditional story &amp; makes it his own, from more historically accurate regional names for the main characters such as Artos for Arthur &amp; Ancellius for Lancelot, to changing key relationships. Lancelot is no longer the best friend, Bedivere Ap Griffin is. Gweniver is also updated &amp; modernized, possibly patterned after Queen Elizabeth I of England, as Godwin borrows from one of Queen Elizabeth's most famous speeches for a passage in which Arthur forsakes Morgana, his lover, &amp; accepts the responsibilities of Kingship at the cost of personal happiness, just as Elizabeth so famously did during her reign.
language: English
title: Firelord
titlecomplete: Firelord (Firelord, #1)
characters: King Arthur
genres: Historical, Arthurian, Mythology, Adventure, Historical Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Medieval, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy
ratings_count: 1249
places: United Kingdom
series: Firelord
awards: awardedAt: 347184000000
name: Locus Award
category: Best Fantasy Novel, awardedAt: 347184000000
name: World Fantasy Award
category: Best Novel, awardedAt: 347184000000
name: Balrog Award
category: Best Novel
publisher: Bantam Books Inc