What do you think?
Rate this book
Modern Arthur #1
Knight Life
Arthur Pendragon arrives in modern-day New York City with his friend Merlin the Magician and decides to run for mayor, but Morgan Le Fey and Modred try to keep Arthur from reaching his goal, in an updated and expanded edition of the popular rendition of the Arthurian legend. Reprint.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1987
17 people are currently reading
1178 people want to read
About the author
Peter David
3,561 books1,358 followersaka David Peters
Peter Allen David, often abbreviated PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games. His notable comic book work includes an award-winning 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk, as well as runs on Aquaman, Young Justice, SpyBoy, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Captain Marvel, and X-Factor.
His Star Trek work included comic books and novels such as the New Frontier book series. His other novels included film adaptations, media tie-ins, and original works, such as the Apropos of Nothing and Knight Life series. His television work includes series such as Babylon 5, Young Justice, Ben 10: Alien Force and Nickelodeon's Space Cases, which he co-created with Bill Mumy.
David often jokingly described his occupation as "Writer of Stuff", and he was noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real-world issues with humor and references to popular culture, as well as elements of metafiction and self-reference.
David earned multiple awards for his work, including a 1992 Eisner Award, a 1993 Wizard Fan Award, a 1996 Haxtur Award, a 2007 Julie Award and a 2011 GLAAD Media Award.
Peter Allen David, often abbreviated PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games. His notable comic book work includes an award-winning 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk, as well as runs on Aquaman, Young Justice, SpyBoy, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Captain Marvel, and X-Factor.
His Star Trek work included comic books and novels such as the New Frontier book series. His other novels included film adaptations, media tie-ins, and original works, such as the Apropos of Nothing and Knight Life series. His television work includes series such as Babylon 5, Young Justice, Ben 10: Alien Force and Nickelodeon's Space Cases, which he co-created with Bill Mumy.
David often jokingly described his occupation as "Writer of Stuff", and he was noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real-world issues with humor and references to popular culture, as well as elements of metafiction and self-reference.
David earned multiple awards for his work, including a 1992 Eisner Award, a 1993 Wizard Fan Award, a 1996 Haxtur Award, a 2007 Julie Award and a 2011 GLAAD Media Award.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
April 13, 2022
King Arthur returns at the prophesied hour, runs for mayor... in New York. I'm pretty sure that's illegal. A thousand-year-old legendary king you may be, backed up by an equally old wizard in the shape of a nine-year-old, but you have to be born American to run for anything there! They could have made more of a fuss of that, I think.
To me it's the very definition of "It was okay" rating: nothing spectacular, nothing truly worthwhile, but nothing extraordinarily awful either. Passable. Decent enough to read when you have it, despite the pretty terrible prose, but nothing to stick in your mind afterwards.
You'll find better things out there. Possibly even better things with the exact same premise.
To me it's the very definition of "It was okay" rating: nothing spectacular, nothing truly worthwhile, but nothing extraordinarily awful either. Passable. Decent enough to read when you have it, despite the pretty terrible prose, but nothing to stick in your mind afterwards.
You'll find better things out there. Possibly even better things with the exact same premise.
May 1, 2013
As a medievalist and friend of several Arthurianists, it's hard to find a retelling of Arthur's court that isn't rather stilted or painfully saccharine. Peter David, fortunately, manages to find the middle ground, and without the harsh cynicism of some of his other works (specifically the Sir Apropos of Nothing series).
The premise is simple--Arthur (yes, that Arthur) has been resuscitated by Merlin to rejoin society and finds himself running for mayor of a late 90s New York City. The gags are obvious but still funny, and this re-imagining of the relationships of Arthur's fellow characters is actually pretty brilliant. David relies heavily on the dry wit of Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and the literary tropes of T.H. White's The Once and Future King via Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur to build his world, but also has a linguistic savvy for the political realm in which Arthur finds himself.
The explanation of how Gwen is that Gwen felt a bit stretched, but I really appreciated where David went with the rehabilitation of that character--Guinevere can be super simpering sometimes.
And the finale? Epic. As befitting Arthur, of course. I'll be hanging on to this one.
The premise is simple--Arthur (yes, that Arthur) has been resuscitated by Merlin to rejoin society and finds himself running for mayor of a late 90s New York City. The gags are obvious but still funny, and this re-imagining of the relationships of Arthur's fellow characters is actually pretty brilliant. David relies heavily on the dry wit of Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and the literary tropes of T.H. White's The Once and Future King via Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur to build his world, but also has a linguistic savvy for the political realm in which Arthur finds himself.
The explanation of how Gwen is that Gwen felt a bit stretched, but I really appreciated where David went with the rehabilitation of that character--Guinevere can be super simpering sometimes.
And the finale? Epic. As befitting Arthur, of course. I'll be hanging on to this one.
August 1, 2022
Fun extension of Arthurian lore. Peter David at his usual high standard of quality storytelling, engaging characters, interesting plot and plenty of good humour. 👍
January 2, 2016
A good depiction of Arthur within the context—-chivalrous, honest, brave, and honorable. I really liked some of his answers to questions posed by the press. It was a neat twist to make Percival both immortal and a Moor. Gwen turned out to be quite a decent character, and I liked the way the story turned out. And some of the pop culture references were priceless.
September 13, 2023
This was hilarious. I laughed several times and that doesn't happen often while I'm reading books.
Very enjoyable story and I'm happy it seems more serious than it actually is. For some reason, this feels like it could be a great comedy show. I'd watch it, probably with family. Just to have a good time.
Very enjoyable story and I'm happy it seems more serious than it actually is. For some reason, this feels like it could be a great comedy show. I'd watch it, probably with family. Just to have a good time.
September 1, 2023
I listened to the graphic audio adaptation.
Honestly pretty great. Funny and witty but still a solid story throughout the whole thing
Honestly pretty great. Funny and witty but still a solid story throughout the whole thing
January 27, 2018
I've read the original version of this story as well as the revised version. On the whole, I think that the new text is an improvement, and it was certainly necessary in order to set the story in "present day" (c. the year 2000) rather than the late 1980s. It also does a nice job of setting things up for the sequels. However, there are a couple of bits I miss from the original.
More generally, I've gone off the book a bit since I first read it, mainly due to real world politics. In the story, Arthur has a bold new approach to politics, e.g. "don't bother me with the facts". Looking at the Brexit campaign in 2016, Michael Gove claimed that the British people "have had enough of experts". Looking at the novel again, Arthur proposes an idea for capital punishment (let the bereaved relatives decide whether the murderer should be executed); another candidate (a former District Attorney) dismisses this as unworkable, because there are legal guidelines for which sentences are appropriate. Compare and contrast that with Donald Trump's claim that he would build a wall and get Mexico to pay for it... Sticking with the Trump comparison, Arthur doesn't have any political track record, but he has a fake history of success in business (courtesy of Merlin).
There's an important distinction between flawed characters and bad writing. I've read stories where the protagonist is more of an anti-hero or has a fall from grace. The problem here is that the whole premise of the book is about Arthur campaigning for election. If you take that away, what's left? Having said that, the politics are a bit of a McGuffin anyway.
On the positive side, I like Arthur's approach of strict honesty (refusing to outright lie), which sets him apart from several real-world politicians. I also enjoyed the debate where he gets frustrated with his opponents. ("They didn't answer the question!")
Aside from the politics, arguably the real focus of the book was resuming an old battle between medieval opponents, particularly Merlin and Morgan le Fay. However, I was a bit disappointed by the way that Modred was handled.
Speaking of Morgan, there's a scene where she sexually assaults (bordering on rape). I think that's valid, because she's the villain and she's doing a villainous act. Comparing this to other books I've read, it's closer to Mirror Dance than Fallen Angels, i.e. I don't think that the reader is supposed to endorse her actions. There's nothing too graphic, but consider this a content warning.
The writer does a good job of describing each character's physical appearance, so I could picture them in my mind while I was reading the story. I liked the idea that Arthur looks quite short by modern standards, since people have generally got taller over the centuries. However, there were repeated references to Gwen's "strawberry-blonde hair", which seemed excessive; I only needed to be told the colour once, not every time.
More generally, I've gone off the book a bit since I first read it, mainly due to real world politics. In the story, Arthur has a bold new approach to politics, e.g. "don't bother me with the facts". Looking at the Brexit campaign in 2016, Michael Gove claimed that the British people "have had enough of experts". Looking at the novel again, Arthur proposes an idea for capital punishment (let the bereaved relatives decide whether the murderer should be executed); another candidate (a former District Attorney) dismisses this as unworkable, because there are legal guidelines for which sentences are appropriate. Compare and contrast that with Donald Trump's claim that he would build a wall and get Mexico to pay for it... Sticking with the Trump comparison, Arthur doesn't have any political track record, but he has a fake history of success in business (courtesy of Merlin).
There's an important distinction between flawed characters and bad writing. I've read stories where the protagonist is more of an anti-hero or has a fall from grace. The problem here is that the whole premise of the book is about Arthur campaigning for election. If you take that away, what's left? Having said that, the politics are a bit of a McGuffin anyway.
On the positive side, I like Arthur's approach of strict honesty (refusing to outright lie), which sets him apart from several real-world politicians. I also enjoyed the debate where he gets frustrated with his opponents. ("They didn't answer the question!")
Aside from the politics, arguably the real focus of the book was resuming an old battle between medieval opponents, particularly Merlin and Morgan le Fay. However, I was a bit disappointed by the way that Modred was handled.
Speaking of Morgan, there's a scene where she sexually assaults (bordering on rape). I think that's valid, because she's the villain and she's doing a villainous act. Comparing this to other books I've read, it's closer to Mirror Dance than Fallen Angels, i.e. I don't think that the reader is supposed to endorse her actions. There's nothing too graphic, but consider this a content warning.
The writer does a good job of describing each character's physical appearance, so I could picture them in my mind while I was reading the story. I liked the idea that Arthur looks quite short by modern standards, since people have generally got taller over the centuries. However, there were repeated references to Gwen's "strawberry-blonde hair", which seemed excessive; I only needed to be told the colour once, not every time.
January 15, 2018
Peter David is such fun! Perceval appears at a public event with a joust wearing a Final Fantasy T-shirt, which he claims is appropriate attire for a special occasion.
Merlin and Arthur reappear in New York City
The intro says Peter decided to rewrite this novel before it was re-released. I did not read the first edition. I completely enjoyed this edition.
Mixing Camelot legend with modern slang leads to fascinating and amusing complications. It is interesting to observe how modern New Yorkers react to a politician preaching common sense. He suggests that the survivors when someone is murdered should decide on the punishment.
Merlin and Arthur reappear in New York City
The intro says Peter decided to rewrite this novel before it was re-released. I did not read the first edition. I completely enjoyed this edition.
Mixing Camelot legend with modern slang leads to fascinating and amusing complications. It is interesting to observe how modern New Yorkers react to a politician preaching common sense. He suggests that the survivors when someone is murdered should decide on the punishment.
September 29, 2019
This book was so much fun to read. Being introduced to Peter David, through his graphic novel portrayal of The Dark Tower, I was intrigued to read once of his books. Having previously never read anything related to King Arthur, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I have a new interest in anything having to do with King Arthur, Camelot, and Merlin. There was never a point while reading this, where I felt that the book was lagging, and I enjoyed the ending even more. I plan to read the other books when I get a chance, and recommend anyone that give this read a chance.
July 1, 2017
Another re-telling of the King Arthur legend, only this time it is a modern day Arthur Penn running for mayor of NYC and each of the characters from the original stories make their appearance, tho not as they once were. I had not read this book in either its 1987 or 2002 version, but I thought this 2017 version was a lot of fun. A very quick easy read, but it forced you to slow down to savor and enjoy all the little nods to the countless King Arthur, Merlin and Camelot books, movies and plays and even musicals out there. A King Arthur purist who wants a retelling of the olde days may not appreciate this book, but I found this to be really appropriate the way everyone seems to be remaking fairy tales, Oz, and the classics right now.
September 15, 2022
This review is for the original, un-updated version.
Knight Life is just a fun, modern take on King Arthur. It isn't particularly deep, but it gets the historic aspects of Arthur right, and it deftly combines comedy and drama without getting too Whedony, which is particularly important because the quip-heavy Whedon style, which was hugely influential but is now widely hated, was pioneered by Peter David.
There isn't much here to love - it ain't a generation-defining classic - but there's nothing to hate, and I can't imagine anyone actually disliking Knight Life. It's a fun romp. Just read it and enjoy yourself.
Knight Life is just a fun, modern take on King Arthur. It isn't particularly deep, but it gets the historic aspects of Arthur right, and it deftly combines comedy and drama without getting too Whedony, which is particularly important because the quip-heavy Whedon style, which was hugely influential but is now widely hated, was pioneered by Peter David.
There isn't much here to love - it ain't a generation-defining classic - but there's nothing to hate, and I can't imagine anyone actually disliking Knight Life. It's a fun romp. Just read it and enjoy yourself.
October 23, 2019
I've always enjoyed David's writing, but this book has more of a Terry Pratchett feel. That's not a bad thing. I love Pratchett. It's not pulled off as well as Sir Terry would have, but it was still immensely enjoyable. I like the re-imagining of how one might go about beginning to recreate the best aspects of Camelot in NYC. The revisioning of the character relationships was well done. The highlight for me is making Gwen so much stronger, quick-witted, and self-sufficient than in the original tales. The finale was epic and the book as a whole was very enjoyable to read.
June 27, 2017
Not what I expected. I thought it started out rather silly and I expected it to get better as the plot developed, but it was too sci-fi/strange for me. I did get into it, but it felt too cheesy and really lacked depth. I guess I don't know enough about the legend of King Arthur and reading this made me wish I knew more. Would knowing more make this book less of an eye roller? I'm not sure.
February 4, 2022
So, I've always wanted to reach a King Arthur book, this was not the one I wanted to try out first, but since GA did it, you know I'm in. It is well done and I'll keep reading. The story and acting have me and I'm curious as to what happens next. Good job GA. I still want to read an original King Arthur story, but not sure where to start.
August 7, 2017
Got this a loooong time ago as a Book Bub offer. Put it off and kept putting it off but finally sat down and read it. The story was ok and parts of it were funny but it did not hook me enough to keep going with the series.
January 14, 2019
Entertaining this is version 2.1 of the book revisioned from the original 80' story ported to the present time, I liked Merlin a lot and arthur does some cool speeches but overall everyone else saving the cool secretary are idiots' by the way arthur is a sanctimonious prick.
October 17, 2019
An interesting take on the Arthurian legend. What would happen if Arthur came to modern day America and ran for office. Interesting to read it with what is going on politically right now. Anyway, it was a good read. Curious to see where it goes.
April 22, 2020
I could take more of magic, honest politics, possibly reincarnated love, kiddies in burning building, Excalibur against demons. Wart, Gwen, Merlin, Morgan, Mordred, do the unexpected, put in unexpected situations.
Typos:c20 p16 RENT is KENT,
Ye Oade...his man is this man,
c16 p39 Marlin is Merlin
Typos:c20 p16 RENT is KENT,
Ye Oade...his man is this man,
c16 p39 Marlin is Merlin
Read
February 6, 2023King Arthur returns to present day New York. The best way to fulfill his destiny is to run for mayor. Along the way he encounters old friends and foes. Peter David has fun with the Avalon myth and at the same time takes a poke at the political system.
May 7, 2018
An interesting idea, which is usually handled pretty well.
July 16, 2018
What a hilarious book. King Arthur back but in the 21st century. Great stuff. Well done narration by Graphic Audio!
July 21, 2018
Three cheers for my scifi-fantasy book club. I never would have heard of this author, much less read this wonderful book, if not for that.
October 29, 2018
Loved it! A great jaunt through New York with medieval characters.
January 7, 2021
Peter David never fails to bring the funny, and this is no exception.
March 14, 2021
OMG this was such a fun book. I can’t tell you how many times I laughed out loud. If you want a light breezy urban fantasy, this is it.
July 13, 2021
Hilarious! Throughly enjoyed this modern Arthur novel. Wonderful narration!
July 21, 2021
This was fine.
September 20, 2021
A modern update on Arthurian legend written in a very humorous style.
April 16, 2023
… didn’t live up to my hopes. Too jokey and not king-arthury enough.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews