A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Mark Twain
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Cover

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

kcarlson1152
11/10/2015
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I know that some people love Mark Twain but he just doesn't capture my attention the way some of his contemporaries do. I found this novel to wind here and there without providing a consistent plot and could have been rendered in a much tighter page count.

I enjoyed the Boss bringing ridiculous aspects of the 19th century to King Arthur's court - especially the knights on bicycle. On the other hand I could have gone without his and Sandy's knight-errant adventure since it was just one big rant without substance.

I've been reading the early works of science fiction which means I've been reading a lot of British authors so it was nice to have an American voice to read and compare. Twain's push towards a free market democracy (though he does acknowledge the problem with the very wealthy in the system) contrasts radically with Wells' views of the entrenched (to the point of evolutionary divergence) caste system resulting from free-market economies.

Overall, a nice read for those interested in the genre but watch a movie adaptation and read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn if you just want a taste of Twain.