To tell the truth I started this book before 2025, but seeing as the copy I read is over 1,000 pages, I’m counting it as my first of the year. I picked this for 2 reasons, the first being that I’m going through a bit of a (mostly high to late) middle ages/renaissance obsession at the moment, and the second being that for about a year I’ve been wanting to revisit some of my favorite fairytales and folklore from childhood. I was (am) obsessed with fables and when I was a kid I read every one I could get my hands on. However they were, of course, mostly children’s editions. That being the case, I decided that 2025 should be my year of rediscovering the stories that sparked my adoration of the fantastical. 

As for this book, I was very surprised when I began reading this mammoth by the lack of prose. This isn’t my first time reading stories written in antiquity, however for some reason it was something I wasn’t expecting. Though seeing as modern prose didn’t really come around until the 17th century, it makes sense. Initially this made it difficult to follow the story, as it’s extremely repetitive, but once I got into it, I mostly forgot my gripe and became fascinated by the wonderful world of Arthurian legend. I love consuming media that is the originator of so many tropes and stories we know and love, and this one is certainly an example of such. 

I had a lot of fun spending the last few weeks with kings, knights, witches, wizards, and so many more. This was really a great way to kick off what I’m hoping is a magical year.