Anny P. (wolfnme) reviewed on 9/10/2006 + 3389 more book reviews

Great books are like time machines. They have the ability to lift us out of our ordinary lives and to transport us into another age. Cynthia Breeding's new novel, Camelot's Destiny, is a fresh retelling of the ago-old love triangle of Lancelot, Guenever (Gwenhwyfar) and Arthur. What sets apart Destiny from so many other similar stories is Breeding's mastery of medieval history as well as her understanding of that often-tragic and universal element in human nature that sometimes drives us helplessly into forbidden arms despite all the warnings from our common sense and personal experience. Perhaps what attracts us to the Middle Ages is the fact that it was a time when magic was as much a part of reality as the rising of the sun; when the edges of earthly life and the afterworld were more blurred than today; when the senses told a truer tale than history books can ever convey. In this, Cynthia's descriptions of the period and the people are simply breathtaking. We touch the ancient walls of Camelot, see the proud banners of knights who bow to their ladies before facing death, feel the softness of the lovers' touch, understand their wild desires and guilt. Perhaps this is the greatest magic of all in Camelot's Destiny. For a brief, wonderful moment we, the readers, are Lancelot, Guenever and Arthur, caught between sleep and waking in an age of wonders. I found myself consciously slowing down my reading of Destiny as I neared the end of the novel. I simply did not want to leave the world that Cynthia Breeding had invited me into! For those readers with the capacity to love deeply, Camelot's Destiny is not a book to be missed.

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