The Mordred of Stewart's novel is not really a villain but an ordinary, realistic man, trying to make sense of the world and to find his own way. In this, he is a very modern character, much more so than the rest of the Arthurian cast. Medieval man saw himself as an instrument of God. Right and wrong were clearly outlined through the teachings of the Faith and not relative decisions of the individual person. Not until the Renaissance did man emerge as the measure of all things, shouldering the relative burden of right and wrong. Any discussion of The Wicked Day would benefit from a reading of Malory and his retelling of the traditional Arthurian legends for comparison.

1. Much of Stewart's settings take on a symbolic quality. Her discussions of the Orkneys are of a real place, strongly contrasting with the more dreamlike setting of...