Knight Life
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| Knight Life | |
| Author | Peter David |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Comedy novel |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Publication date | 1987 and special edition in 2002 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 343 pp (paperback special edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-441-01077-6 (paperback special edition) |
| Followed by | One Knight Only |
Knight Life (ISBN 0-441-01077-6), is an Arthurian fantasy novel by Peter David. The book was first published in 1987, and an expanded, updated edition of the book was published by Ace Books in 2002.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
In both versions of the story, King Arthur returns to the world in the modern age and promptly decides to run for Mayor of New York City. After Merlin (who has aged backwards in time, and now possesses the physical form of an eight-year-old), mentors Arthur, using his magic to bring him up to date on world history and helps in his campaign.
During his rather unconventional campaign, Arthur encounters people from his past, including Percival, Morgan Le Fey, Modred and Guinevere.
[edit] Two versions
The original version of the book sold decently, but was not a runaway best seller.[citation needed] During his efforts to bring the book to the big screen, Peter David grew more and more dissatisfied with what he considered to be an amateur novel. He was also concerned with how dated the story seemed, with anachronisms such as an office filled with clattering typewriters and an almost non-existent Republican presence in New York City mayoral politics. Because he had updated and expanded the story when writing a screenplay version of it during one of the numerous times it was optioned to be adapted into a film, he decided to rewrite the novel, incorporating aspects from the screenplay version, and bringing it more into line with how his writing style developed over the years. Whereas the original edition contained 65,000 words, the 2002 edition contains 95,000.[1]
[edit] Influences
Knight Life is influenced by numerous Arthurian literary works, including the following:
- Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory
- The Once and Future King by T.H. White
- The Book of Merlin by T.H. White
- The Last Enchantment (and other assorted titles) by Mary Stewart
- Tales of King Arthur by John Steinbeck
- Arthur Rex by Thomas Berger[1]
[edit] Film
The novel was optioned to be adapted into a film several times, for which Peter David wrote a screenplay version of the story, but to date it has never been brought forward into production.[1]
[edit] Sequels
The 2002 edition of the book was followed by two sequels, One Knight Only in 2003, and Fall of Knight in 2006.
[edit] References
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