Not just another Arthur book

Halsall, Guy.  Worlds of Arthur: Facts and Fictions of the Dark Ages.  Oxford: Oxford UP, 
      2013.  ISBN: 9780199658176

 Guy Halsall sets out to provide a cure-all for the books that purport to reveal "new" knowledge about King Arthur.  Since the medieval times, tales and stories of Arthur has grown until he is a cult figure starring in numerous books, movies and legends.  But what is actually know is minimal.  The sources from close to his time period provide little concrete information and, as Guy Halsall points out, are not the most credible of witness.

The book presents four worlds of Arthur.  Part I is the world of post-Roman Britain leading into Anglo-Saxon Britain looking at the medieval sources that form so much a part of "pseudo-histories" of Arthur.  Part II is a look at the present knowledge that scholars have of the medieval sources and archeological evidence of the period.  Part II is an examination of how the writers of the "pseudo-histories" seek to avoid the evidence of scholars.  Part IV is Guy Halsall using the evidence currently available to provide his take on Arthur.

Overall, Guy Halsall provides a scholarly, readable look at what is currently known about 5th century Britain.  The book is recommended for academic and public libraries as well as for all readers wanting more than the latest pseudo-history on Arthur.