Sunday 11 October 2020

The Grail - Simon Andrew Stirling

The Grail - Relic of an Ancient Religion by Simon Andrew Stirling is published by Moon Books paperback: £17.99 eBook: £6.99 351 pages including endnotes and key sources. Illustrations by Lloyd Canning. 
The Death-and-Rebirth Mysteries in Arthur's Britain!



First written in 12 monthly installments for the Moon Books blog, this is an odyssey, a tour de force, a dipping into people, places, times, beliefs, myths and traditions across the world; a collection of ideas, understanding and hypotheses, where words are examined and metaphors explained. At first, I wondered if the book had a lack of focus, but then it dawned! The search for the Grail involves all eras, all possibilities, with all wonders questioned, all metaphors explored and all words examined. One hint leads to another glimpse of the precious Grail, and 1001 questions about the Arthurian traditions are answered. A massive amount of online research was conducted, books read, advice sought; even for the die-hard Arthurian romancers, this book will reveal many new perspectives. A good, meaty read! 

Plenty here for everyone!  The author is a former actor trained at LAMDA, a radio and television writer. He also teaches scriptwriting, film studies, digital video production, drama and public speaking in a variety of educational settings. He scripted television and radio programmes, winning a Writers' Guild Award for his work on "Between the Lines" (BBC/Island World). His first major historical investigation was The King Arthur Conspiracy, this was followed by How a Scottish King Became a Mythical Hero, Who Killed William Shakespeare? and The Murderer, the Motive, the Means.  “Shakespeare's Son: The Life of Sir William Davenant" is due to be published by The History Press in February 2016.
Review: Wendy Stokes

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