This is the best Arthurian saga series I have read (including The Mists of Avalon!). I first encountered it in the very early 1980's, as an ex-library second hand copy-which I treasure. If you love magic and myth and have any feeling for Arthur, trust me, you will love 'The Crystal Cave', and it's sequels, 'The Hollow Hills', 'The Last Enchantment' and 'The Wicked Day'