Set in Stone (Twisted Tales #15) by Mari Macusi

Title: Set in Stone (Twisted Tales #15)

Author: Mari Macusi

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Scholastic Australia

Published: 1^st July 2023

Format: Paperback

Pages: 368

Price: $17.99

Synopsis: What if Arthur wasn’t supposed to be king? Having pulled the sword from the stone, scrawny Arthur has gone from washing dishes to sitting on the throne at Camelot Castle. What he doesn’t know is that the scheming witch, Madam Mim, used her magic to help Arthur free the sword, believing the boy would be easy to control once he was made king. When Arthur proves more capable than she imagined, Mim sends her foster daughter, Guinevere, to put Arthur back in his right place washing dishes. But Arthur and Guinevere discover Mim’s manipulations and forge an unlikely friendship. As they search for a way to outwit Mim and unite the kingdom, they realise that no one’s fate is set in stone.

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The legend of King Arthur has been around for centuries and has had many interpretations and retellings over the years. One retelling appeared from Disney in 1963 as the animated movie, The Sword in the Stone. The latest in the Twisted Tales series uses the original plot of the Sword in the Stone, and picks up just after Wart, or Arthur, has become king. In his haste to find a sword for his foster brother, Kay, to use in a tournament to determine the new king following Uther Pendragon’s death, Arthur finds a sword in an anvil, and pulls it out – becoming the pre-destined King of England – but what if he was never meant to be king? This premise is where the book takes off as Merlin is stuck in Bermuda in 2023 after ping-ponging through time to get back to Arthur and help him defeat Madam Mim. As Arthur sits in Camelot, and helps smooth over a Saxon treaty, he has no idea that he is only there because Madam Mim wanted him there.

As the story moves on, the chapters alternate between Arthur, Madam Mim, and Guinevere – yes, that Guinevere. But this time, she is Madam Mim’s foster daughter, who has been taught to believe that Merlin is evil, and that murdered her parents. Mim decides to use her foster daughter to manipulate Arthur when her plans don’t work out as she had hoped. This twist gives depth to the original movie and plays on some of the aspects of shapeshifting and the way magic is used and manipulated. Whenever the perspective character changes, Mari states this at the top of the chapter and this is an instance where it has worked well to ensure the reader knows whose head we are in at a given time, and to allow us as readers to see how the story is being played out across different perspectives. It showed how different perceptions of people and events can colour our worldview and the role that manipulation and gaslighting can have in a relationship. I think the powerful thing in this story was the way Arthur helped Guinevere come to terms with the lies she was being told and helped her understand that Madam Mim did not have her best interests at heart.

I also like that a movie that is perhaps not as popular as some of the other movies has been used in this series – it was an interesting take on the original movie and the premise of how the tale was twisted and the outcome made sense, as it allowed for the legend to remain intact whilst also bringing some modern ideas into medieval times – although not too many to completely alter history. It suited the legend as well, because it involved a lot of the names we know from the other stories and played with the idea of destiny and democracy – and the idea of how becoming king works, such as being born into it or yanking a sword from a stone to fulfil a predetermined prophecy. I think my favourite aspect was Guin and Arthur’s friendship – we all know they are destined to be together, but as they are still children in this book, it makes sense for them to start out as friends during their quest to find the rightful king, bring Merlin home and defeat Madam Mim. Set in Stone sits wonderfully with the rest of the twisted tales, which have all so far, made sense within the world of the movies and any wider context, such as history, legends, or the original tales that they come from. I also liked that the story had higher stakes than the movie, but maintained the same tone, so there was a very nice connection there.

The Twisted Tales novels give more depth to the original stories, ad in this one, it picked up on tiny things that didn’t have much meaning in the movie, such as the scullery maid who thought Merlin was evil, and give them a significant role, so she became Guinevere. I think this is because the movie is quite short and possibly easy to find holes in where things are not explained. And the Twisted Tales series does this in interesting ways that suit the style of the movie and subsequent novel. I like that they do this, and stay true to the original movie, whilst adding a few things for the endings at times – which differs from novel to novel. It is also interesting to go back and watch the movies to see where you can slot in the extra details from the novel – this can be a lot of fun, and a good way to explore different ways of telling a story. And most importantly, this was a fun novel to read, and I hope fans of the Twisted Tales series enjoy it too.