Subject: Review of "The Forever King" by Molly Cochran and Warren Murphy

From: [email-masked] ("Hurt not the Earth, neither the sea, nor the trees. 27-Jan-1993 1016", Revelations 7:3)
Date: 27 Jan 93 15:16:38 GMT

Review of "The Forever King"
A novel by Molly Cochran and Warren Murphy
ISBN 0-312-85227-4
Published: June 1992, a TOR book

This fantasy  thriller  novel  is  well-written,  has  plenty  of action and
unexpected turns, and is not as gorey as some thriller fiction. 

Plot summary:

When a  boy named Arthur finds a mysterious object in the snow on a New York
City  street,  he has no way of knowing its powers and its past. But when he
brings  it  home  to  his  Aunt  Emily (a distracted spinster and successful
physicist),  he  draws  the  attention  of some very nasty Arab fellows, who
follow  him  there  and  shoot  Emily.  Quite  by accident, Arthur drops the
strange object and it touches Emily, who revives and is healed without a scar.
Clearly, this object is unique and valuable; Emily's examination of it shows
that  it  has properties unlike any earthly metal. "It cleaves in a curve,"
she says.  Old  Mr. Goldberg, Arthur's neighbor and friend, however, says it 
looks like an ashtray.

Arthur has  just  recently  learned that some propery in England has come to
him  by inheritance. Emily and Arthur, sure that the Arab guys are after the
mysterious  object,  decide to go to England to see the property rather than
wait around for the next attack on their lives.

In the  meantime,  a  burnt-out  boozing ex-FBI agent named Hal is chosen to
participate  in a TV game show. Coincidences pile up when he wins the prize,
a  two-week  vacation  in England, by answer five "random" trivia questions.
To  the  consternation  and disappointment of the game show audience and its
host, all five  randomly-chosen questions pertain to the land and history of
King  Arthur  of  England: questions that Hal answers easily
because of his childhood fascination with the legends of King Arthur and his
knights.

On a bus tour in England, the baddies attack Arthur and Emily again, but Hal
is on the same bus tour and helps them escape. Hal, Arthur, and Emily meet an
old  man  who  reminds  Arthur of Mr. Goldberg in a non-specific way, at the
site of an old castle on the property willed to Arthur.

The mysterious object is, of course, the fabulous Holy Grail, which Jesus is
supposed  to have used at His last supper with his apostles. The baddies are
working for Saladin, a former owner of the Grail, who is most anxious
to  regain possession of it. The Grail, which grants eternal life as well as
healing  powers, has become Saladin's sole reason for existence; without it,
he will age and die like any normal man.

"The Forever  King"  tells  how  Hal  discovers the meaning of his life when
Arthur  is  captured  (without  the Grail) and ransomed for the return of the
Grail.  Hal must rescue Arthur from the evil stranger despite lack of support
from  local authorities. The fast-paced plot develops to an exciting climax.
Despite  the  fantastic  events  that  befall our protagonists, the ultimate
resolution  of  the  story depends on the strength of will and spirit of
the boy Arthur and his protector, Hal.

Critique:

Readers who love the stories of King Arthur, his knights, Merlin, and the
Holy Grail, will find much to amuse them in this novel. While the historical
and geographical references are contemporary, the sites and characterization
have  the  ambience  of  an Arthurian legend. This novel does not attempt to
proselytize,  but  assumes  that the reader is familiar with the motivations
and goals of the characters in the legend.  

I particularly  enjoyed  the  interactions  among  Emily, Hal, and Arthur. I
immediately  felt  trust  and  security with Hal even though he did not feel
trustworthy.  Similarly,  Emily is not all ice and science as she would have
others believe. Her basic kindness and her need to protect Arthur are
apparent from the beginning.

The boy,   Arthur,  is  intelligent  and  demonstrative;  by  no  means  a
precocious  or  willful  child,  but  reasonable  and thoughtful. When he is
captured by the evil Arab, Saladin, I was afraid that this was one of those
horror tales where kids get cut, and worse.  It is no spoiler to tell you that
the  authors of this novel control the violence. Indeed, the danger is quite
real,  and  some  nasty  things  do  happen in the story, but the authors
wisely chose not to rub the reader's face in it.

I recommend  this  novel  to  anyone  who  likes  contemporary settings with
fantasy,  a  little  magic, and a lot of realistic characters and places.
It is a good action tale, with some mystery and some humor, with a great
ending that is neither too neat nor incomplete.