Tyler R. Tichelaar, who has a Ph.D. in literature, has been fascinated with King Arthur since a child. I understand that, as in 6th grade my class read a King Arthur story and then wrote a play about him that we later performed. I have great memories of all that went into the writing, the sets, the learning of lines and then performing the play not just two times for the elementary school but later at night presenting it to our parents and other people from the community. That started my own fascination with Arthurian legend. Did he really exist or on the other hand, is he just a legend? As an adult, I continued to read about Arthur in Stephen Lawhead’s five book series The Pendragon and then Avalon: The Return of King Arthur. Therefore, I was excited to read Tichelaar’s King Arthur’s Children and I was not disappointed.

King Arthur’s Children looks at the literature since the fifth century tracing every mention of the children of Arthur starting with the Welsh legends. Tichelaar also looks at the French romances and other references to the children during the Middle Ages. He then brings it up to modern times where authors continue to write about the king and his children, often making up new children. Lawhead’s series is just one of many modern novels he discusses.

This though is not a dry historical account but Tichelaar is a storyteller and in the midst of all the details of the children, storylines are shared that made me want to read more about Arthur. Why is it that even in the 21st century we are still interested in King Arthur, his adventures and his family? Maybe it is the fact that we do not know if he really did exist, or is it the classic issues his story brings up – family struggles, forbidden love, best friends in love with the same woman, or maybe our fascination is with all the adventures of King Arthur. I do not know but Tichelaar’s work has added something valuable to those who study the man or to those of us who still want to read more of the infamous king. I highly recommend King Arthur’s Children: A Study in Fiction and Tradition.

Tichelaar himself is going to add to the King Arthur books with his upcoming novel King Arthur’s Legacy. After reading this book, I am looking forward to reading his novel also. ( )