For the King: A Novel

The first installment of a comprehensive retelling of King Arthur’s legend that breathes new life into the classic tale, from cohost of the Myths and Legends podcast, Carissa Weiser.

Logris is a land torn asunder, plagued by invasions, assassinations, and anarchy. Rulers rise and fall, and so the tide turns. The land lies in wait for one strong enough to truly bear the crown, one who will pull a sword from a rock.

But there is another being, rumored to be half-demon and half-man, who braids together these threads of destiny. He goes by the name of Merlin, and he shapes kingdoms like clay, only to destroy them between his fingers. And so fate proceeds…

Morgan is a princess unlike her sisters. Intent on learning the mystic arts, she flees her comfortable yet predictable life to find Merlin’s fabled cave, a place of knowledge where she longs to become an apprentice. She is not the only one with such a dream, and what she discovers inside the workroom is beyond anything she could have imagined.

And then there is Arthur, the boy king remembered throughout time. Perhaps he can prove his worth and bury his past before those closest to him understand the extent of his rise to power, as he rules with a sword in his hand and Merlin in his ear.

Meanwhile, the currents of Avalon, and of the Ladies of the Lake, swirl beneath them all.

A story of loyalties tested and lives lost, of characters both familiar and fresh, For the King is the first installment of a tale that knits the scramble of Arthurian legend into a kaleidoscopic journey through time, perspective, and the trappings of one’s own destiny. The adventure awaits—if you so choose.