The Bright Sword, penned by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Magicians trilogy, Lev Grossman, returns with a triumphant reimagining of the King Arthur legend for the new millennium. A gifted young knight named Collum arrives at Camelot to compete for a spot on the Round Table, only to find that he's too late. The king has fallen, leaving no heir, and a mere handful of the knights of the Round Table remain.

These are not the heroes of legend, like Lancelot or Gawain. They are the oddballs of the Round Table, from the edges of the stories, such as Sir Palomides, the Saracen Knight, and Sir Dagonet, Arthur's fool, who was knighted as a joke. They are joined by Nimue, Merlin's former apprentice, who turned on him and buried him under a hill. This ragtag fellowship will set out to rebuild Camelot in a world that has lost its balance.

But with Arthur's death, Britain's fault lines are revealed. God has abandoned it, and the fairies, monsters, and old gods are returning, led by Arthur's half-sister Morgan le Fay. Kingdoms are turning on each other, warlords lay siege to Camelot, and rival factions form around the disgraced Lancelot and the fallen Queen Guinevere. It falls to Collum and his companions to reclaim Excalibur, solve the mysteries of this ruined world, and make it whole again. Yet, before they can restore Camelot, they must uncover the truth behind the lonely, brilliant King Arthur's fall, and lay to rest the ghosts of his troubled family and of Britain's dark past.

The Bright Sword is steeped in tradition, resplendent with duels and quests, battles and tournaments, and magic swords and Fisher Kings. It also casts a fresh light on Arthur's Britain, a diverse, complex nation grappling with its bloody history. This is a tale of imperfect men and women, full of strength and pain, searching for a way to reforge a broken land in spite of being broken themselves.