Books by A. A. Attanasio

by A. A. Attanasio
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4 books
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The Dragon and the Unicorn

The Perilous Order of Camelot, Volume One
A. A. Attanasio, 2011
Old as the Big Bang, the demon Lailoken assumes human form in Roman Britain as Celts battle Saxons for mastery. The Druid queen he serves calls him Myrddin and sends him to find her true love—to fulfill for her people an ancient prophecy at the frontier of life and death. Led by a unicorn and hunted by a dragon as huge as the planet, Myrddin becomes Merlinus on his quest for the queen’s mate among her remorseless enemies, the Romans. And finally, as Merlin, he matches wits with gods and elves to unite the Celtic queen and Roman warlord and weave the destiny of the most famous king.

The Eagle and the Sword

A. A. Attanasio, 1997
The story of young Arthur on his journey to Camelot. When Merlin discovers that Arthur's only joy is killing, he vows to turn the youth around with a magical sword. Merlinus has fostered the future king of Britain with Kyner, a Celtic chieftain, protected by obscurity from the jealous hatred of the sorceress Morgeu. As Arthur grows to manhood, though, he becomes a twisted creature, loving violence and hating himself. What kind of king will he be? A chance journey leading to woodland encounters shapes his character and settles his destiny. Arthur's story is a single thread in an immense, complex web of gods, demons, angels, a sorceress, a unicorn, a carpenter with a wish, a dragon, Saxons, an impoverished Aquitanian lady with a secret weapon, battle-hardened Celtic chieftains and treacherous Roman nobles, knights, warring religions—and fairies.

The Wolf and the Crown

A. A. Attanasio, 1999
Adolescent King Arthur's first year on the throne portrayed in chapters composed as 'flash fiction:' short, swift, emotionally percussive episodes reflect the intensity of the boy king's struggle to consolidate power against brigands and invading pagan tribes. Though he possesses the legendary sword Excalibur, the boy-king discovers that he must earn the respect of the warring lords of Britain before he can truly claim his place as their leader. Gods old and new, ghosts, witches, demons, angels, vampires, dwarves, a monkey, elves, stolen and misplaced souls, the hell that is our present day, the fabulous world tree that is the magnetic field surrounding the Earth, the hollow hills above the dragon at the heart of the planet, heroic adventure, and selfless sacrifice, weave a tapestry of magic and enchanted historical realism.

The Serpent and the Grail

A. A. Attanasio, 2000
The narrator is Rna, a clan woman 90,000 years old. She is eldest of the Nine Queens of Avalon. The place is Roman Britain, A.D. 491, on an alternate Earth, where Camelot is a monumental quantum gate to other worlds. The boy-king Arthur has beaten back the berserker wolf warriors of the Saxon god, uniting his island kingdom—but at a terrible cost. The Grail, the chalice of the Last Supper, and the magical shield of Britain have been stolen. Without the Grail's protection, Britain lies parched and barren, a demon-haunted landscape. To find the Grail, Arthur's mother, Ygrane, must strike a dark bargain with Bright Night, elf-prince of the "pale people," in the hollow hills. Merlin alone can show the way. But it is Arthur who must confront the Serpent, sword in hand, to fulfill the ancient blood rite of kings—and transform himself into the legendary King Arthur.