King Arthur Saves America
One Knight Only by Peter David
Peter David, one of science fiction and fantasy's funniest serial writers, continues growing his twisted version of Twain's Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court with the amusing, but uneven One Knight Only.
The story is not simply a recasting of the fish-out-of-water tale like Michael Crichton's Timeline, but an actual reversal that brings Merlin, Arthur, Percival and a lady known as Gwen to modern America. David is a skilled enough writer to allow casual readers to drop in on the series without using a constant flow of background to bludgeon them. Along the way, he keeps tongue firmly planted in cheek with the same whimsy that he brings to his work regardless of genre.
As always, he writes well exploring the comedy in any character so picking this up in mid-series may not be a bad idea, but you will of course miss any potential conflict in the earlier stories. Guess what? Arthur lives. So the conflict is gone, but the humor alone is worth the read.
The Plot In Exactly One Hundred Words
King Arthur and his companions are living in modern America. A successful mayor of New York, he is credited with rallying the city after an unspecified attack. Arthur's leadership during this time catapults him into the White House. As President, he doesn't deal with budgets and foreign policy, but contends with an assassination attempt that mortally injures Gwen and the disappearance of Merlin. Without his two most trusted allies, Arthur alone deals with Percival's quest for The Grail and the presence of Gilgamesh. In true Arthurian fashion, he must reconcile all these issues while making difficult decisions throughout his adventure.What Works Well
Peter David has always displayed a fine flair for dialogue and does not disappoint in One Knight Only. From the banter and repartee between Arthur and his party to the Beltway clones accompanying them, this distinctive author captures each character's nuances.The use of Merlin as comic foil is a well-established tradition to which David faithfully adheres, but he injects even more crum into the curmudgeonly character. The banter won't make you stop reading to laugh out loud, but most readers should find a smile on their face. Likewise, Gilgamesh is treated with utter contempt. The most vain of heroes, his character comes across more narcissistic than the Apollo-god creature in the old Star Trek series.
Finally, the entire concept of reversing Connecticut Yankee, a plot often tinkered with, is worthy if only because of its unique nature.
What Doesn't Work As Well
For all the kudos David deserves for the concept, he does try to cram too much into this story. The parallels to a post 9/11 New York seem intrusive and contrived, but without knowledge of the first story, I can only say that this seems gratuitous. Again, this is worth reading for the humor alone. David has been never been Pratchett or Adams funny, but he writes some darn fine comedy.As for The Grail itself, yet another often abused literary device, David does a nice job with its introduction, but like many others before him, creates calamity to provide resolution for the holy relic.
The Bottom Line, Dog Earred Pages and All
Look, it's a popcorn book, but for all the butter and salt, reading One Knight Only is a pleasant experience. I suspect that starting at the beginning of the series would yield a different perspective, but one might also tire after two servings of a modern day Arthur. As a one-shot fantasy, this is fun, but I would not expect the series to continue long, if at all, without degenerating into decades-old comic book plots.Five Things To Remember From This Review
1. Fantasy readers will lap this one up.2. Most other people won't make it past the second chapter.
3. David is a fine comedy writer whose snappy dialogue won't disappoint fans.
4. The kitchen-sink approach to all things Arthur grows a bit wearying.
5. Following Knight Life, this is the second modern Arthur tale in the series.
