Mists of Avalon
Cover of the American first edition
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| Author | Marion Zimmer Bradley |
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| Audio read by | Davina Porter |
| Cover artist | Braldt Bralds |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Avalon |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
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Publication date
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January 1983 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) and audio-CD |
| Pages | 876 |
| Award | Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (1984) |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 8473972 |
| 813/.54 19 | |
| LC Class | PS3552.R228 M5 1982 |
| Preceded by | Priestess of Avalon |
The Mists of Avalon is a 1983 fantasy novel by American writer Marion Zimmer Bradley, in which she relates the Arthurian legends from the perspective of the female characters. The book follows the trajectory of Morgaine (often called Morgan le Fay in other works), a priestess fighting to save her Celtic culture in a country where Christianity threatens to destroy the pagan way of life. The epic is focused on the lives of Gwenhwyfar, Viviane, Morgause, Igraine and other women of the Arthurian legend.
The Mists of Avalon is in stark contrast to most other retellings of the Arthurian tales, which consistently cast Morgan le Fay as a distant, one-dimensional evil sorceress, with little or no explanation given for her antagonism to the Round Table. In this case Morgaine is presented as a woman with unique gifts and responsibilities at a time of enormous political and spiritual upheaval who is called upon to defend her indigenous heritage against impossible odds.
The story is told in four large parts: "Book One: Mistress of Magic", "Book Two: The High Queen", "Book Three: The King Stag", and "Book Four: The Prisoner in the Oak". The novel was a best-seller upon its publication and remains popular to this day. Bradley and Diana L. Paxson later expanded the book into the Avalon series.
The Mists of Avalon is a generations-spanning retelling of the Arthurian legend that brings it back to its Brythonic Celtic roots (see Matter of Britain). The plot tells the story of the women who influence King Arthur, High King of Britain, and those around him.
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