Progress Update: Knight Life, by Peter David

After about a week of reading I'm currently on page 82 of Knight Life, by Peter David.  Usually when I read I'm further into a book or finished by this point, so the question must be raised as to why it's taking me so long.  The book isn't a bad one, so I'm not sure why I'm hesitating with this story.  The plot's a fun one: Arthur's returned (although it doesn't seem like the time of England's greatest need, as per the legends) and has decided to run for Mayor of New York City, Merlin's de-aged to the point of looking like an eight-year-old, there's a woman there who may or may not be the reincarnation of Guinevere, the Lady of the Lake's stuck in a pond in central park, and Morgan LeFay is planning something nasty.  David's writing is solid as well; he's a good story teller and the plotline moves smoothly.

Yet I find myself having trouble getting into it.  Maybe it's because out of all of the characters in Arthurian Legend, something that I'm fairly familiar with (to a point where I once did what I called the bargain basement Arthurian Legends tour of England), I despise the character of Guinevere.  Partly because she cheats on the king, and I suspect also because of a book I read many years ago, one of my first ventures into Arthuriana as a young teenager, that had an interesting spin on the character of Morgan LeFay.  I don't remember the title, but I know it had something about the number three in there.  Third Magic?  Third Circle?  Something along those lines...whatever the title was, the twist was interesting enough that I still remember the essence of that book over fifteen years later.

And maybe that's why I'm having a bit of trouble with this book.  For all of the updates in setting, having Arthur in the middle of NYC in the early 21st Century, I feel that all of the characters are still in the same old roles that they play in legend.  Morgan's still evil, and Merlin's still fighting with her.  I guess I'm looking for more of a twist, something to really turn around my perceptions of the old stories.  But I'm going to finish the story.  I'm having enough fun that I want to see where it goes, and I'm hoping that I don't regret putting my trust in the author to tell me the story that I want to see.  Who knows, maybe Guinevere will redeem herself in this incarnation.  Now that would be a great twist!