Tristan, son of Meliodas, takes center stage in McKenzie's moving fantasy, the fourth in her well-received Arthurian series (Queen of Camelot
, etc.). Despite his being a great warrior and a man of enormous passions, a twist of fate has kept Tristan from the High Kingship of Britain. It is Markion, Tristan's uncle, who rules as High King, and it is Markion to whom Essylte, the daughter of Welsh prince Percival, is promised to ensure peace with Wales. After Tristan accompanies Essylte to her new home at Tintagel, where she's to begin her new life as High Queen, the pair fall in love. Their tragic story unfolds with all the panoply of the legend and comes to a heart-wrenching end. In its depth and emotional impact, McKenzie's series approaches Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon
. Her characters live and breathe the ways of King Arthur. Fans of historical romances will also be happy. (Jan.)
