The Mists of Avalon

by Marion Zimmer Bradley Book 1 in the Avalon series.

First published 1983

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Britain’s old order is failing as rival rulers, Saxon pressure and the spread of Christianity reshape the island. Morgaine, trained as a priestess of Avalon, is drawn into the dynastic plans surrounding her half-brother Arthur, while Gwenhwyfar’s marriage to him binds personal desire to the survival of his kingdom.

Told mainly through women marginalised in traditional Arthurian versions, the novel follows the rise and collapse of Camelot, the Grail quest and the conflict between Avalon and the Christian court. Morgaine, Gwenhwyfar, Viviane and Morgause pursue incompatible visions of power, faith and duty, culminating in betrayal and the final ruin associated with Camlann.