Le Morte D'Arthur

By: Sir Thomas Malory

Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell

To the modern eye, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table have many similarities to our own contemporary super-heroes. Equipped with magical powers, enchanted swords, super-strength, and countless villains to take on, they protect the weak and innocent and adhere to their own code of honor. Comparing Batman, Superman, and Captain America to Sir Launcelot, Sir Tristram, and Sir Galahad isn't a huge leap of the imagination.

Perhaps, for the 15th century reader, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table were the equivalent of our modern day Justice League or Avengers. This audiobook gets to the heart of the narrative, telling the exciting legends of the supernatural, magic, dragons, beasts, battles, and chivalry contained in Sir Thomas Malory's epic in a contemporary and unaffected style. First published by William Caxton in 1485, this version is a faithfully unabridged narration of the complete Malory text (excluding the introduction). It includes the chapter numbers and descriptions used in the original manuscript.

Public Domain (P)2016 Chris MacDonnell

vocabulary building

I should have known the language was going to be so archaic, but if you can get past that it is worth a listen. the repetition is iconic of oral tradition, but does take a while to get used to.

Medieval Avengers, basically

A series of many stories following many characters on as many adventures, some only tangentially related, concluding in an epic, tragic climax. The style may be archaic, but most of the content probably appeals most to the vigorous appetites of youth, (specifically starry-eyed little boys) with its near endless deeds of blind courage and dutiful lists of the smitten and the smote. It’s the kind of thing I would have listened to gladly at 7-12, while playing with legos or drawing pictures of battles on a cold or rainy afternoon.

Le Monte D’Arthur

I really like King Arthur books, but his book goes beyond. The narration is incredible, although the girl voices are kind of cartoonish. Overall, great book, great narration.

Most sections are good

The Tristram part was mediocre but other than that it was very good, Galahad and Arthur parts were best, it's a bit soft on Lancelot

Tradition Plus

This is an exceptional rendition of Le Mort D'Arthur well performed from a good translation. If you have not ventured into the true cornerstone of the Arthurian myth; this is a great book. It may, however, be a little dense. The text and the performance preserves many of the traditional usages, wordings, phrases, and vernacular and it's truly Wonderful and I have nothing but praise for this fine work.
Although if this is your first foray into "King Arthur Stuff" you may want to start with the more cinematic and YA-friendly "The once and future King" which is pleasing in its own right but is limited in its scope and is an ultra abridged treatment of the Arthurian Legend in much the same way Prince Valiant is a "lens" or introduction to mere elements of the canon. But if you want to be magically transported into the Legend and you're wanting to get a great feel for canon this is a fun and significant place to start.
If you're at the point in your Arthuriana were your collecting translations and comparing works in the canon, this is a must-have addition to that scholarship. Many of us "Arthrians" hold up "Le Morte D'Arthur By (author) Sir Thomas Malory, Edited by Janet Cowen in the Penguin edition as a strong modern translation. These 37 odd hours of the tail are an equally good treatment and come with the highest recommendation.