Slow in progress, historical and full of action, Here Lies Arthur is a brilliantly written book on a sixth-century blood bath. Written authentically in first person, Reeve provides an exceptional insight into human psychology. It starts off with Gwyna, escaping from Arthur’s raid. She finds herself on the edge of a wood. The exhausted Gwyna is rescued by Myrddin, the magician of King Arthur, and he reveals to her the real secret behind the magic.

Gwyna soon finds herself in the company of King Arthur, with fantastic opportunities to fulfil her potential. She has the chance to be a squire to knights; all this is due to Myrddin’s subtle and interesting magic. But as time goes on things unravel; even Arthur is occupied in raiding nearby provinces. It will be up to Gwyna to restore the image of the magical Arthur and England’s growing division will do little to help her. This stirring and affecting challenge is surely too much for her.

Arthur is no noble, honourable King: Reeve portrays him as a brute of a man. He’s not cold-hearted but for Arthur murdering is almost instinctive. It is an original tale, different from any myth; Reeve’s writing is revolutionary, exciting and full of action. This novel, although aimed at children/young adults, is gritty, often gory, with smatterings of humour throughout.

Despite this, the progress of the novel is disastrously slow. Reeve takes huge risks in this novel’s characterisation. Although Gwyna is gutsy, relatable-to and able to portray the two different worlds, names like Clachvynydd and Ynys Wydryn rather break up the narrative. Reeve throws in many characters from the start and this has a significant negative impact on the book.  

Reeve is a brilliant writer, humorous, authentic and at times lyrical but Here Lies Arthur is a challenging read and the poor characterisation provided moments of disappointment and boredom.

I would recommend this only to readers 15+: 5/10.