Posts by A.T. Gomes:
Dragon’s Child – The King Arthur’s Trilogy
By M. K. Hume
I fell in love with Arthurian tales when I first read The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I was a teenager then and the magical spells that poured from the pages enveloped me.
Back in Brazil British history isn’t a big part of the academic curriculum, much less its legends. Surprisingly though the legends reach us more efficiently through historical fiction and fantasy books. The fascination over worthy heroes and their adventures is worldly, and what young reader wouldn’t dream about a time of great fits of strength done by characters of honorable hearts, everything is so grand.
Even though I still enjoy fantasy, I do prefer my heroes with a certain dose of realism, and M. K. Hume offers us an insightful new fictional version of the Arthurian legends inspired by a stone tablet found at Glastonbury monastery within a grave during a period of civil strife in medieval times.
Here lies Arthur, King of the Britons,
And Guinevere, his second wife.
A first wife then, who knew, right? Apart from scholars and historians, of course. All right, let me assume my ignorance on the matter, I didn’t know and thought it was quite intriguing.
Artorex is a foster child raised by a Roman family in their beautiful villa right after the legions have left the isles of the Britons. Treated with contempt as a young lad his attitude is distant and disengaging, but everything changes when three prominent strangers arrive at Villa Poppinidii. The powerful men urge Artorex’s foster parents to make sure he’s trained for battle of arms and wits. So Artorex grows into a wise young man, he becomes the Villa’s steward; falls in love and marries little Galia, the daughter of a Roman trader, the end.
Oh no, Myrddion Merlinus, advisor to Uther Pendragon, High King of the Britons, and two princes cared about and provided for Artorex’s education. We readers know who he is and what awaits him in the future, but M. K. Hume created a myriad of rich characters that helped Artorex become Arthur. There are no magic tricks in Arthur’s journey, only hard work and smart characters, masters of manipulation and politics. She does describe terrible rituals, but only fear and superstition turn them into magic on the course of time. M. K. Hume steers away from fantasy and offers us a believable, and extraordinary story where the maneuvers of a smart group of men help shape the future of a nation.
Dragon’s Son encompasses Arthur’s formative years and his coming into power. It also offers us a group of engaging secondary characters that show us how the powerful and the humble coexisted, and they make us care. Despite the limitations women suffered during the Dark Ages M. K. Hume’s female characters are strong and enrich the story as active coadjutants. And her mastery of history shines on every page adding a realism that grounds the story. I’ll definitely read more from M. K. Hume.
The Lavender Garden
A Novel by Lucinda Riley 1998 – Emilie de La Martinières grew up alone. A poor rich girl ignored by her socialite mother all her life. Having lost her beloved father when she was only fourteen, Emilie feels distant from her family’s history and her inheritance. 1944 – Constance Carruthers is a strong smart woman […]
My Life in France and Valentine’s Day
As Valentine’s Day approaches I’m busy with red and pink related chores: – Helping my daughters make valentines for their teachers and school friends (check); – Decorating boxes to hold the charming notes they will certainly receive (check); – Planning our family dinner and purchasing one of the, tempting looking, heart shaped desserts from the […]
My best moment of 2012 was outweighed by the worst one, by far.
The year is coming to an end, and lists of 2012 “best” and “worst” everything dominate news papers and magazine covers in most countries of the world. Retrospectives of the nearly finished year share the lists of topics of TV variety shows with resolutions for the new year. To me, the best thing that happened […]
Cooking for The Holidays is a Family Affair
One of the traditions I enjoy every Christmas is cooking with my family. Usually on December 23rd we spend hours in the kitchen prepping for the next two days. We make all the desserts, and everything else that can be done in advance. This year I baked a pumpkin pie and my daughters made red […]
Children Grow and Traditions Change, But in our Home the Christmas Spirit Remains Very Much Alive
In Brazil the night of December 24th is celebrated widely. It’s on Christmas Eve that Brazilians gather to share a beautiful meal with their families and exchange gifts. And we wait until midnight to toast the birth of Jesus. Some families without small children only dine after midnight. And many families dine and go to […]
Mommy isn’t my name. Or is it?
“Mommy Toribio Gomes!” Claire said. “Excuse me, what?” I answered. “Mommy Toribio Gomes, I called and called, and you didn’t answer because of whatever you’re reading. So I did like you do. And. It. Worked.” she said triumphantly. “What do I do?” I asked. “You know, like when I don’t listen to you, and you […]
The Spies by Luis Fernando Verissimo
Review by Flavio Luiz Gomes In “The Spies” by Luiz Fernando Verissimo, an editor receives a manuscript that intrigues him to the point of becoming an obsession. He shares the story with his friends, and little by little the obsession is generalized and a mismatched group of “spies” is formed with the purpose […]
Chicken and Cream Cheese Double Crust Pie
When I’m not writing or reading, or taking care of my family, you may find me cooking. I learned to love the kitchen with my grandmother. She was the granddaughter of Italian immigrants and grew up in a rural “Italian’s only” community in Brazil. When I was five years old she gave me my first […]