But then, in One Knight Only (2003), Arthur pursued his destiny to higher levels, becoming president of the United States. He resigned when an assassin's bullet struck down Gwen, leaving her in a permanent coma, and embarked with Percival on a search for the one thing that could cure her: the Holy Grail. Finding it in the jealous possession of an immortal Gilgamesh, he battled and won, restoring Gwen.

As the third—and quite possibly the final—installment opens, Gwen and Arthur are private citizens, leading a life of seclusion, permanently afloat in a fine yacht. Forced into this retirement for fear of otherwise having to answer impossible questions, the pair are growing bored. But they should be wary of change. The world's nosy media are suddenly provided with satellite photos of a miraculously restored former first lady enjoying herself at sea, and Arthur's secret is out in the open. Journeying to Washington, D.C., with Percival (who holds the Grail as caretaker), Arthur decides to make a clean breast of his exotic heritage. Global madness descends, as millions clamor for the healing power of the Grail. A new quasi-religion of "Arthurians" springs up, forcing Arthur and company into hiding in New York at their old secret lair inside Central Park's Belvedere Castle. Merlin joins them as well.

Enter an entrepreneur named Barry Seltzer, ironically the owner of a springwater-bottling firm. He proposes bottling and selling diluted Grail water as a panacea for the world's ills. Arthur reluctantly consents, over objections of his friends. For a time, all seems to be going well.

But a hidden enemy in possession of the Christ-touched Spear of Destiny (a relic as potent as the Grail) wants to see Arthur's plans derailed and the once and future king brought low—as preparation for Ragnarok!

Some potent theological musings

As David explains in his preface to Knight Life, the existence of that novel stems from his decision to rework a 15-year-old version of the book, long out of print. The result was a rollicking urban fantasy in the manner of Neil Gaiman or Christopher Moore. Lots of humorous incongruities, as Arthur's old-fashioned ways meet contemporary absurdities such as politics and television. And although Morgan le Fey and Mordred represented murderous forces, the dangers herein were never really scary or threatening. One can imagine that the original book was a pretty lightweight affair.

But in the rewriting, David plainly began to see deeper implications of Arthur's existence in the modern world. Small seeds are apparent in the first book, and they sprout fully in the second, which, from Gwen's injury onward, is rather grim. Oh, yes, the dialogue is still often laugh-out-loud funny as the characters bicker among themselves and face danger with quips and taunts. But the tragic nature of Gilgamesh as a king perverted by his desires, someone not wholly evil, an all-too-human opponent, makes his battle with Arthur a morally problematic affair and Arthur's victory necessary yet sad.

And now with the third book, Arthur's life has reached a crisis. Possessed of miraculous powers and superhuman strength, Arthur is stymied by the world. Everything he tries goes wrong, playing into the hands of his secret enemy, who wishes to expunge humanity from the face of the earth as a stain on creation. Merlin likewise is outfoxed by his own hubris. There will be death and tragedy amid the badinage this time. David shows boldness in this series by charting an evolution for Arthur and his friends that moves down a path of moral exploration.

David's prose is easy on the mind. He has a knack for writing fluid action scenes, perhaps derived from his years of comics scripting. (In fact, one can easily envision the graphic novel of this tale, especially in the supernatural scenes where bolts of power and magical swords clash.) His characters stay authentic and true to themselves. His musings on the nature of spirituality are heartfelt and involving. And the novel's coda is both ironic and apt, as well as seemingly conclusive of Arthur's journey.

One suspects that this is a novel and series of which T.H. White himself would have approved.