266 pages

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Avalon , livre ebook

Lion Hudson - R Lawhead Stephen

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266 pages

English

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'A rousing postscript to Lawhead's bardic Pendragon Cycle . . . Playing off snappy contemporary derring-do against the powerful shining glimpses of the historical Arthur he created, Lawhead pulls off a genuinely moving parable of good and evil.'Publishers WeeklyIt has been foretold:In the hour of Britain's greatest need, King Arthur will return to rescue his people.In Portugal, the reprobate King Edward the Ninth has died by his own hand.In England, the British monarchy teeters on the edge of total destruction.And in the Scottish Highlands, a mystical emissary named Mr. Embries-better known as Merlin-informs a young captain that he is next in line to the throne. For James Arthur Stuart is not the commoner he has always believed himself to be-he is Arthur, the legendary King of Summer, reborn. But the road to England's salvation is dangerous, with powerful enemies waiting in ambush. For Arthur is not the only one who has returned from the mists of legend. And Merlin's magic is not the only sorcery that has survived the centuries.

Sujets

Fantasy (canción de Mariah Carey)

Historical fantasy

Fantasy

Informations

Publié par	Lion Hudson
Date de parution	22 mars 2013
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781782640158
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0500€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Other books by STEPHEN R. LAWHEAD
King Raven Trilogy:
Hood
Scarlet
Tuck
Patrick, Son of Ireland
Celtic Crusades:
The Iron Lance
The Black Rood
The Mystic Rose
Byzantium
Song of Albion Trilogy:
The Paradise War
The Silver Hand
The Endless Knot
The Pendragon Cycle:
Taliesin
Merlin
Arthur
Pendragon
Grail
Avalon
Empyrion I: The Search for Fierra
Empyrion II: The Siege of Dome
Dream Thief
The Dragon King Trilogy:
In the Hall of the Dragon King
The Warlords of Nin
The Sword and the Flame
The Bright Empires Series:
The Skin Map
The Bone House
The Spirit Well
Praise for STEPHEN R. LAWHEAD and AVALON
A fine storyteller, he brings the Arthurian characters to life without sacrificing any of the haunting pleasure of the legends.
Omaha World-Herald
Arguably one of Lawhead s best novels to date full of surprises impossible to put down a novel that will keep you up late at night, enthralling you until the last page is turned. Avalon is a modern fantasy that combines Lawhead s vintage storytelling ability and well-crafted language with modern suspense and mystery You will be hard pressed to find a better or more original retelling of this Arthurian tale.
Mythprint
Lawhead s interpretation is different and distinctive.
Kirkus Reviews
Recommended Lawhead s latest novel should appeal to fans of Arthurian fantasy.
Library Journal
Mr. Lawhead beautifully translates the metaphor of yesterday into modern terms in this fascinating examination of what the spirit yearns for in today s society.
Romantic Times

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Text copyright 1999 Stephen R. Lawhead This edition 2013 Lion Hudson
The right of Stephen R. Lawhead to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by Lion Fiction an imprint of Lion Hudson plc Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England www.lionhudson.com/fiction
First published 1999
ISBN 978 1 78264 014 1 e-ISBN 978 1 78264 015 8
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Cover photo: David Osborn/Loop Images/Corbis; Cover Illustration: Laszlo Veres
A UTHOR S N OTE

A valon completes my retelling of the Arthurian legend, the story of the once and future King of England. Whilst the events in this book are set in the near future, the book itself was written in the near past - 1999, to be exact - and therefore the reader may notice the absence of a dependence on mobile phones and other technologies that are ubiquitous today. I have taken the creative decision to present the work in its original form, for its first publication in Britain.
Stephen Lawhead Oxford, 2013
The Britons believe yet that Arthur is alive, and dwelleth in Avalun with the fairest of all elves; and the Britons ever yet expect when Arthur shall return. Was never the man born, of ever any lady chosen, that knoweth of the sooth, to say more of Arthur. But whilom was a sage hight Merlin; he said with words-his sayings were sooth-that an Arthur should yet come to help the English.
- LAYMON , BRUT ( C . 1190)

Yet some men say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead, but had by the will of our Lord Jesu into another place; and men say that he shall come again, and he shall win the Holy Cross. I will not say that it shall be so, but rather I will say: here in this world he changed his life. And many men say that there is written upon his tomb this verse: HIC JACET ARTHURUS , REX QUONDAM , REX FUTURUS (Here lies Arthur, king once and king to be).
- MALORY , LE MORTE D ARTHUR ( C . 1469)

The throne of Britain shall become an iniquity to the nation, and a reproach to the people, ere Arthur returns. But, when Avallon shall rise again in Llyonesse, and the Thamesis reverse its course, then also shall Arthur take up the kingship of his nation once more.
- ANEIRIN , THE BLACK BOOK OF ANEIRIN ( C . 643)
Contents

P ROLOGUE

PART I

O NE

T WO

T HREE

F OUR

F IVE

S IX

S EVEN

E IGHT

N INE

PART II

T EN

E LEVEN

T WELVE

T HIRTEEN

F OURTEEN

F IFTEEN

S IXTEEN

S EVENTEEN

E IGHTEEN

PART III

N INETEEN

T WENTY

T WENTY-ONE

T WENTY-TWO

T WENTY-THREE

T WENTY-FOUR

T WENTY-FIVE

T WENTY-SIX

T WENTY-SEVEN

T WENTY-EIGHT

T WENTY-NINE

PART IV

T HIRTY

T HIRTY-ONE

T HIRTY-TWO

T HIRTY-THREE

T HIRTY-FOUR

T HIRTY-FIVE

T HIRTY-SIX

T HIRTY-SEVEN

T HIRTY-EIGHT

T HIRTY-NINE

PART V

F ORTY

F ORTY-ONE

F ORTY-TWO

F ORTY-THREE

F ORTY-FOUR

F ORTY-FIVE

F ORTY-SIX

F ORTY-SEVEN

E PILOGUE
P ROLOGUE

T he low red car skidded to a halt on the dusty driveway outside the whitewashed villa. The driver unfolded himself from behind the wheel, stepped out, and cast a lingering, if bleary, glance down the lush hillside at the red tile rooftops and pale-blue swimming pools of Madeira s elite.
Above the quiet tick of the cooling engine and the warm sea breeze rustling the dry palm fronds, Teddy imagined he could almost make out the clink of ice in crystal glasses and the twittering voices of the buffed-and-polished hostesses below as the evening s social fandango began anew.
Reaching back into the car, he withdrew a nearly empty bottle of Jameson, unscrewed the cap, drained it, and flung the empty bottle into the overgrown garden surrounding the sprawling house. He then turned and walked to the front door and pushed it open. Cozu! he shouted as he stumbled into the cool marble-faced foyer.
There came the quick slap of tennis shoes on the stone, and a small, sallow-faced Portuguese man in an oversized white jacket appeared in the arched doorway leading into the rambling interior of the house.
Good h evening, sir, replied the manservant in heavily accented English. I trust sir has had a pleasant day.
Tolerable, Cozu. Tolerable. Teddy took a lurching step towards the stairway. The servant quickly closed the door behind him. The sea was a bit rough beyond the point, so we stayed this side of the headland. Anything come for us today?
The package you were h expecting arrived this morning, sir. I have placed it on the desk in your study.
Brilliant. He shucked off his pale yellow windbreaker and pushed it at his servant. He looked up at the wrought-iron sconces on the stuccoed walls and the scrollwork balustrade along the upper gallery. Overpriced tat , he thought; not that he d ever noticed before. Then again, he was seeing a lot of things he d never really seen before. Any calls?
Two phone calls, sir. As requested, I have allowed the machine to answer. Miss Vierta rang to say that she is staying in the town tonight. You are welcome to join her for a late dinner at her apartment.
And the other?
It was the gentleman from the Foreign Office again-most insistent. I left both messages on the answering machine.
Teddy nodded. I m going to take a shower. He belched and took hold of the banister as if to haul himself up the stairs hand over hand.
Will sir be dining out this h evening?
No, sir will not be dining out. Sir is bloody knackered. Have cook send up a tray. Bring me a bottle of champers-something decent for a change. He started plodding up the stairs. Oh, and bring the package to my room.
Certainly, sir.
Teddy dragged himself up the curving stairway and paused at the door of his room, listening. How empty the place seemed when Theresa was out. He shrugged and ambled into the spacious, high-ceilinged room, threw off his clothes, and stalked naked into the bathroom where he took a long, hot shower, emerging twenty minutes later in his favourite old white terry cloth bathrobe.
Relaxed and much revived, he drifted back into his bedroom to see that Cozu had already been and gone. His dirty clothes had been removed, and a clean white shirt and khakis were laid out for the evening. The balcony doors were open, and the glass-and-aluminium table prepared with a gleaming white cloth. There was a sweating bucket beside the table, a crystal champagne flute on a tray in the centre, and a large parcel wrapped in brown paper to one side.
Padding barefoot onto the balcony, Teddy seized the dark-green bottle from the ice bucket and glanced approvingly at the pale yellow-gold label as he poured his first glass. He collapsed into his chair, propped his feet on the railing, and, raising his glass to the empty air, said, Here s to Mister Mo t and Mister Chandon! He threw back his head and drank deeply, savouring the icy bite of the bubbles on his tongue. Ah! Many thanks, chaps.
Tossing down the rest of the glass, he quickly poured another; this one he nursed, watching the last of the sunset as the colours faded into deepening shades of grey and blue out over the bay. The air was warm and perfumed with the sweetly intoxicating scent of wild gardenia. Below him, among the palms and bougainvillaea, the lights of the stylish villas and verandas of Funchal were beginning to glimmer. The diamond-spangled hostesses were, he imagined, wheeling out the hors d oeuvres and dishing up the first juicy tidbits of what passed for society gossip.
He poured another glass of champagne, and felt the familiar glow rising from stomach to head. Where has that blasted Cozu got to? he murmured.
As if in answer to this question, the servant knocked on the door and backed into the room carrying a cover