One of the most romantic stories of all time is that of the legendary King Arthur and his Queen, Guinevere. In Dawnflight, Kim Headlee resurrects this romanticized legend, and christens it with new insights and imagination, as well as a new title and name for Guinevere--Chieftainess Gyanhumanara nic Hymar "Gyan."
Although betrothed to a rival clan chief Urien in an attempt to pursue peace for her own people, Gyan meets and falls in love with Brytoni leader Arthur the Pendragon. Though her loyalty to her clan and people stops her from pursuing her true love and desire, Arthur is someone she can never forget. When captured by a Scotti (Irish) tribe and displayed on a stake, Arthur comes quickly to her rescue, and it appears that she may not have to.
The romantic tale of King Arthur and his lady has been told in many ways, but usually does not stray far from commonly held and popular beliefs about the King and his life. In Dawnflight, Headlee often strays far from the story we have come to know and love, (as portrayed in films like Camelot, Excaliber, First Knight, Merlin, The Sword in the Stone, and fictionalized versions of "Arthur" penned in books by Sir Thomas Mallory, Chretian de Troyes, Geoffrey of Monmouth, to name a few, as well as the one supported by interpretations of certain historic findings as in A & E Home Video's Ancient Mysteries' "Camelot," for example) and her inventiveness only distances us from the beloved characters, scenes and setting.
In this version of the epic, many of the original characters are present, but with the exclusion of Arthur and Merlin, their names have been changed. Lancelot, Morgan le Fay and Leodegrance (Guinevere's father) are all present and accounted for, although the absence of others is duly-noted. In this version, Angusel ("Lancelot") and the "contemporary woman" Gyan ("Guinevere") do not adhere to the fabled love affair in which they betray Arthur, but choose a different path. Unfamiliar names and characteristics make it sometimes difficult to discern the players here.
Dawnflight is a well written, some-what heady novel which may have been heavily researched at to actual time period, but its fiction is a little dry. Perhaps it is a book better suited to someone who can fully appreciate the historic significance and references of the era, if any. Since I love the story of King Arthur and Guinevere in any of its *true* forms and am highly
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