The Bright SwordThe Bright Sword
What it's about
After King Arthur's death, Collum, a young man from Scotland, arrives at Camelot to become a knight, but finds the Round Table broken. Only a few knights are left. Together, they set out to save Britain from chaos, as Collum learns the true, complicated stories behind the legends.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's a rich, epic Arthurian fantasy by the author of The Magicians.
You'll love it if you liked
Lyonesse
The Knight
The Pillars of the EarthGood to know
It's long.
By the numbers
- Readers24 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller24 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it's well reviewed, but isn't currently a prize winner, a lifetime bestseller or a book everyone's talking about, so we don't rank it. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
Reads as
Epic, Moving
If you like this, read next
Cloud Cuckoo Land
Babel
The Island of Missing Trees
North Woods
Circe
The Underground RailroadExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is The Bright Sword worth reading?
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. Its Must-Read Score is 56.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Bright Sword about?
After King Arthur's death, Collum, a young man from Scotland, arrives at Camelot to become a knight, but finds the Round Table broken. Only a few knights are left. Together, they set out to save Britain from chaos, as Collum learns the true, complicated stories behind the legends.
How long does it take to read The Bright Sword?
About 17 hours (683 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Bright Sword?
If you liked it, try Lyonesse by Jack Vance, The Knight by Gene Wolfe or The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.