Lev Grossman is best known for writing The Magicians trilogy, but the author has a new fantasy book hitting shelves — and The Bright Sword continues a great trend from his earlier series. The Bright Sword is one of the most-anticipated fantasy books of July 2024, and given Grossman’s impressive track record, the excitement surrounding this release isn’t surprising. Although The Bright Sword is a standalone fantasy story rather than a series, it weaves a compelling narrative that will keep readers invested in its fictional world and complex cast of characters.

A reimagining of Arthurian legend, The Bright Sword follows 17-year-old Callum as he pursues his dream of becoming a knight of the Round Table. However, King Arthur dies before Callum has the chance to meet his hero — and the other knights aren’t exactly what he envisioned. They’re flawed and even objectionable, but they’re the only ones who can save Camelot from the threats descending on it. Needless to say, The Bright Sword offers a unique perspective on the classic Arthurian stories. This is why it’s one of the most-anticipated books of 2024, and it’s also why it’s comparable to The Magicians.

The Bright Sword By Lev Grossman Continues The Best Trend From The Magicians Trilogy

It Subverts Expectations Of A Common Fantasy Narrative

The Bright Sword‘s premise is a major selling point of the book, and it continues the best trend from Grossman’s Magicians trilogy. Both works take a common fantasy narrative and subvert reader expectations, offering a more grounded — and at times, bleaker — approach to such stories. The Magicians delivers a more realistic take on magic school settings and fantastical worlds, making it feel like a darker version of Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia. The Bright Sword unravels Arthurian legend similarly, depicting what these tales of heroism would be like with more relatable characters.

It’s Grossman’s ability to upend expectations that keeps his stories fresh and exciting, and the readers aren’t the only ones left reeling from the results. Main characters like Callum and Quentin go on similar journeys to those reading their stories, as they start off with idealism and are thrown into more realistic and disappointing circumstances. In both The Magicians and The Bright Sword, Grossman masterfully answers the question of what would happen if the real world blended with the fantastical ones we so often read about.

How The Bright Sword Subverts The Typical Arthurian Legend Story

It Proves That Heroes Aren’t Always Valiant

The Bright Sword subverts the typical Arthurian legend in a few key ways, but the biggest point it makes is that heroes aren’t always as valiant as they’re made out to be. By taking legendary figures with upstanding reputations and humanizing them, The Bright Sword highlights that ordinary people are usually the ones making a difference — even if they’re later made out to be something “greater.” Grossman’s new fantasy book also modernizes the legends of King Arthur and makes them more relatable for the present day. This means exploring the darker elements of these tales that aren’t as commonly covered.