Note: At Wikipedia (see the Sutcliff list of works) this is the 5th of 8 novels in the so-called Eagle of the Ninth series, ordered by the fictional chronology, and it the only one "officially for adults". There it is also the 2nd of several "Arthurian novels". Those first two, listed in both series, are distinguished from the other Arthurian novels by the "attempt to depict Arthur as an actual historical figure". "The important dominant theme throughout is found in the amazing recreation of the times. ... This will be a Literary Guild Selection for June which will provide a springboard for perhaps more of a popular market than this particular version of the Arthurian legend might spark on its own." --KirkusReviews.com (starred contemporary review)

Synopsis: Part of Sutcliff's interpretation of King Arthur, written in the first person, "the action follows the character of Artos (Arthur) as established in The Lantern Bearers" --"officially a children's book", in which Artos is a secondary character. --Wikipedia