The Circle Cast

October 15, 2011
Grades 9-12 Inspired by Arthurian lore and informed by research on medieval Britain and Ireland, this novel imagines the early years of Morgan le Fay. Anna is 11 when war leader Uter kills her father, storms the castle at Din Tagell, and impregnates her mother, Ygraine. Sent to Ireland to save her life, Anna takes a new name, Morgan, and vows revenge. Over the next few years she lives as a slave in an Irish village, escapes to a Christian community, and marries a tribal war leader. At 16, she returns to Britain, where she comforts her dying mother and sets off in search of her half brother, Arthur. In his first novel, Canadian screenwriter Epstein creates a strong protagonist within a brutal society, where she survives through her wits, her will, and her spiritual connection with the land, which is the source of her magical power. Never overwhelming the story itself, this spiritual dimension gives rise to the most vivid writing in this compelling novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)