h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm curious about some of the comments made here about Cornwell's trilogy. I have not read some of the other contemporary retellings, so I cannot comment on them, but it seems this entry's comments on Cornwell are rather unfair.

It seems to me that you are looking for a straight re-telling of the classic stories, which you will not find. I see Cornwell's trilogy as a more plausible account of the myth, but still retaining that mythical quality. This is done simply by including Merlin, of whom we have no historical records. It is not intended to be yet another retelling.

As for the 'shallow and vague' Arthur, I'm not really sure about this. Cornwell's Arthur is a very complex character, and an intensely tragic one when one looks at his lifelong struggle for justice and the eventual undoing of all his achievements. He is not a straightforward heroic figure, and this makes him more vulnerable and his demise more tragic.