Welcome All- A Few Things to Know

Welcome All- A Few Things to Keep In Mind:

1. Hi all. I'm Storyteller Knight. You can find me on Fictionpress where I write novels about King Arthur, Superheroes and Vampires (but not at the same time) and at Pardon My Sarcasm where I rage about how the republicans are ruining all things.

2. Here is the Master List of books read, books owned and books needed to complete a series. Superscripts next to title links to reviews on this site. Or you can search using the lables.

3. I'm approaching this blog with the assumption that everyone reading already knows the ultimate spoiler of the King Arthur Legend: Everyone Dies. Those who read King Arthur books do so to see different interpretations of the characters and the stories. My goal here is to analyze the effectiveness of those interpretations. Thus, all my reviews will include spoilers.

4. This is not an Arthurian 101 blog. As I said above, I'm assuming that everyone reading already knows the legend and is looking for different interpretations of that legend. Therefore, I'm not going to take time to explain who the characters are and what roles they traditionally play. Links to Arthurian Encyclopedias at the bottom of the page.

5. These reviews are my opinions of the books. I may hate a book you love or I may love a book you hate. If you have a different opinion, write it up. I'd be more than happy to have some guest posts.

6. Please don't ask me (or any of the guest bloggers) to do your homework for you. As I said above, this is a blog dedicated at looking at these books from an Arthurian perspective. If you comment on posts asking us what the theme is or such, we're just going to screw with you.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The Last Enchantment Discussion

This is part 3 of 3 in SamoaPhoenix and my joint review/discussion of Mary Stewart's The Last Enchantment.  My review can be found here and SamoaPhoenix's review can be found here.



The first three books were over.  Merlin was no longer the narrator and the story was no longer his.  It was time to celebrate!

Warning for Spoilers

  Storyteller Knight  
    Okay, so where do you want to start?

 SamoaPhoenix 
    Glad to leave Merlin behind. He is an unreliable narrator about certain topics and after a while it was hard to trust what he was saying because he made so many assumptions about people

 Storyteller Knight
    
I agree very much with your thought that he was a bit of a sociopath
    
He just did not understand people at all

 SamoaPhoenix
    
Not to the point of killing people or having no emotions at all, of course.
    
There's just a gap between him and normal people.

 Storyteller Knight
    
I don't if I agree with that
    
Yes, he's not killing people, but he has that horrible moment after the May Day Massacre where he kinda projects his own not caring about all those dead babies onto everyone else by saying all the men totally get why Lot murdered all those kids.
    
I don't know-- I think he has it in his mind that he's not a killer.  Like, he's an academic and it's not his job to kill.  It's the job of other people.  It's his job just to move things in the right direction

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
That was weird. Like, we know Merlin keeps his head in a crisis, but he was really cold about all the babies. Everyone else in his party was freaking out about it.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
He was so horrible!

 SamoaPhoenix 
    And he's all "Que sera sera."
    
And he doesn't even believe it's going to work. He already knows Mordred is likely to escape.
    I think that's what grates on me the most to have Merlin as the narrator. He's so blah about stuff that could be really exciting or tragic, because he's already foreseen the outcome or at least has a "feeling" about it even if he thinks he doesn't have his powers.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
And even his moments of grief are kinda shallow and hard to swallow.  Like what happened to Ninian.  Like, that just kinda rang hollow.

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
He was just sorry he'd lost what he thought was his successor.
    
He'd been imagining all the great things they would do.

 Storyteller Knight 
    Yes, yes.  This.  Ninian never even had a line of dialogue in the book.
    
Merlin doesn't know this kid at all beyond the potential he sees

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
It was all in his head. They never actually had a relationship. He grieved, but he grieved the death of all his imaginings.
    
Not the actual person.

 Storyteller Knight
    
Like, it makes me wonder what Merlin would have done if Arthur had died.  Because there is a real sense of companionship between them and Merlin's not!death clearly devastated Arthur.  But I really don't know what Merlin's reaction would be.

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
It's hard to say, since Merlin is always so confident he knows major events. He never even considers that Arthur might die.
    
Not even when he's dueling Melwas/Meliagant.
    
I think if Arthur had died Merlin's whole faith would have been shaken to the core, since he believes so strongly he was lead from his own birth to create and support Arthur.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
It definitely would have made him question his god.  Which would have been nice to see and better than this meandering 'oh noes!  I lost my powers again!  Woe is me!'

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
I was really tired of that by the end. It happened way too often, as I mentioned at the end of my review.
    
And he never really lost them, since he could still see the future and light candles.
    
We never saw him doing other stuff, other than being led to find certain things or do certain things, and avoiding Morgause's magic. Other than that, he didn't perform any fantastic feats of magic.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
I like how in both the The Hollow Hills and this one when he loses his magic, he just gets it back when it's convenient.  He doesn't have to work at it to get it back.

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
I am not a fan of how magic works in this universe. It's too vague.
    
And apparently the Sight doesn't count as magic, even though that was all Merlin had in Crystal Cave.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
You know, it's weird how detailed some aspects of the book is.  Like the building of Camelot (I don't effing care) whereas things that you would assume to be important like magic or the names of characters are glossed over or changed without explanation

 SamoaPhoenix
    
I am convinced Mary Stewart did this on purpose, because stuff like building Stonehenge and Camelot is the stuff Merlin really cares about.  Other people? Pfff. Magic? It comes and goes, as the god wills.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
That's a pretty interesting theory and would explain why the name Morgian was never changed to Morgan in later editions.  I just there had been a few other examples in the text to make that more clear.

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
I don't know if she changed Morgan's name on purpose to reflect Merlin's lack of caring about her. It may have just been a mistake that was never corrected because the books are so revered.
    
Because of all the main characters, Merlin cares about Morgan the least.
   
She is so unimportant, he doesn't even get upset when he finds out she stole Caliburn.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
I have to say.  After reading these books, Mists of Avalon is suddenly the most feminist thing ever.

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
No wonder people thought so back then, if this was the other major Arthurian retelling (aside from T.H. White)

 Storyteller Knight 
    
I also understand why Persia Woolley's books were kinda glossed over and lost.  They are so far ahead of their time.  They may even be really far ahead of this time

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
Even if the women were terrible people, they were the main characters and the story is told through them. New stuff compared to Mary Stewart where half the women aren't even addressed by name.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
Rowena ::grumbles::

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
Ygraine was totally short changed in this series. She could have been awesome.
    
I kept waiting for her to do something cool and it never happened. She stayed stuck in the background.

 Storyteller Knight 
    I will say though that I think Merlin learned in this book.  And I do think his sexism lessened and he learned and grew a bit and if there was another May Day Massacre at the end of the book he might have been horrified
    
At the very least, he wouldn't have been so shitty or projecty about everyone else’s reactions

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
If she was trying to make us think Lot isn't a monster by having Merlin try to justify him, she was wasting her effort since Lot doesn't appear again and dies pretty quickly after that (book wise, in the story itself it takes another few years)

 Storyteller Knight 
    
Because Lot has proven himself to be such a cuddly teddy bear up to that point ::rolls eyes::

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
He certainly isn't a round character, and Merlin justifying him didn't make him any rounder
    
Maybe she thought she was softening the blow for the readers by having Merlin be all "It's OK. No one will blame him; he was within his rights as a husband and king."

 Storyteller Knight 
    
If that was it, it certainly didn't work because for me that was by far the worst moment of the entire book

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
Back then he probably would have been within his rights. As Arthur points out when he calls Merlin out on his sexism, noble men pretty much have all the power. Everyone else might not like it, but they have little choice.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
I'm not arguing that.  I'm arguing that I don't believe the men would be totally cool with it and not sad about their dead babies

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
If it gets too bad, of course, there could be a rebellion, as Merlin points out when the massacre occurs. Lot was pushing the line, and he, Morgause and Merlin all know it.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
Thus the lying about it so nobody really knows who to be mad at (if we acknowledge that they're going to get mad which Merlin doesn't)

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
In the back of his mind, Merlin does seem to know it's a danger since he goes to such pains to try to put the blame on himself. But yeah, he does seem to think since he's not too sad, no one else is either (even though Ralf, the serving maid and the mute slave are all really upset right in front of him)
    
or Ulfin or whichever servant happens to be there at the time--there's not much distinction

 Storyteller Knight 
    
It's Ulfin.  Ralf stays with Ector.

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
Right

 Storyteller Knight 
    
And the nice thing about Ulfin is that he actually didn't have blind loyalty to Merlin.  His loyalty was to Arthur and that did sorta shake up Merlin's plans

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
That is the major distinction. Ralf distrusted Merlin at first but after that pretty much does whatever he wants. Ulfin has trust issues since his slave master used him as a sex slave.
    
"Catamite" as Merlin so delicately puts it
    
Mary Stewart is weirdly prudish about some stuff and other stuff is right out there in the open, like men sleeping with boys

(Trigger Warning for Discussions of Rape and Rape Culture)

Storyteller Knight 
    
So, maybe it's time to move onto the plot point that took up a majority of both our reviews

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
You mean the rape and Arthur calling Merlin out on his total lack of empathy?

 Storyteller Knight 
    
I would term it Guinevere's abduction because as much as they lobby the word around in the book, rape actually doesn't occur

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
That is true. I was sort of leading up to that. Mary Stewart refuses to write an actual rape

 Storyteller Knight 
    
Well, if Guinevere and Melwas had had sex I would call it rape no matter how Merlin tried to spin it, but they didn't so I don't

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
You don't think they didn't?
    
I could have sworn they did. The mussed-up bed kinda points to that
   
And the fact that she's in her nightdress when Bedwyr shows up

 Storyteller Knight 
    
Merlin asks Arthur if Melwas had sex with Guinevere and he said no

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
And he lied about everything else that happened, so I didn't trust that.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
What?
    
No, Arthur was telling the truth as told to him by Guinevere

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
Oh, I thought you meant we were going off Melwas' version of events, which we know are not true.
    
Again, I thought that was Guinevere twisting the truth a little bit because she's afraid of Arthur's reaction.
    
She told him everything else truthfully.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
I don't think so.  I think we're supposed to see Arthur as kinda the guiding light to Merlin's unreliable narrator.  When Arthur speaks, it's the truth

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
But Merlin does always dream truly. His dream wouldn't have had that mussed bed in it if something hadn't happened
    
Merlin might not see everything in his dreams, but the stuff in them is always significant.
    
He doesn't see stuff because he believes he knows what's going on in the vision.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
I'm reading that section now and I don't see anything about a bed.  Merlin sees them playing chess.

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
What about when he and Bedwyr show up? I didn't just make up that there was a mussed bed in the background.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
No, I see it now. 
    
I mean, I take that as someone had been in the bed but not necessarily two

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
I assumed something happened between them, and Guinevere lied about that because even Arthur knows she's a little afraid of him. And Arthur might suspect, but he's willing to accept it because he knows she had zero choice but to pretend to be happy about it.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
I don't know.  Arthur says it didn't happen, Merlin believes him and I'm willing to take that at face value.

 SamoaPhoenix
   
There's so much lying going on in that whole fiasco, I'm inclined to trust nobody's version of what happened.
    
Merlin is unreliable, and both Guinevere and Melwas tell differing versions

 Storyteller Knight 
    
I... I believe Guinevere's version to Arthur.  And I pretty much staked out that position when Merlin began to get all suspicious of Guinevere having a consensual relationship with Melwas.  Like, I was not okay with that at all and how it was playing out because it was all the worst tropes of rape culture. 
    
So it was such a huge moment for me when Merlin believed the version of the tale as told to Arthur by Guinevere.  I mean, when Merlin realizes he believes her it’s with certainty.

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
I thought it was great that Arthur and Merlin chose to believe Guinevere's version and leave it at that, regardless of what actually happened. They just chose to trust, and that was it. Merlin gained a little empathy for women (not enough to feel sorry for the way he treated Morgause and Morgan, sadly), and when he found out from Nimue later about Gwen and Lance, did not jump to conclusions.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
I guess I just don't think how you could think that if they did have sex, it could be anything but rape

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
If they did have sex, then Guinevere at least pretended to be willing and played the seductress because she knew that's what was expected.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
Uh, because he was threatening to kill her otherwise
    
Like, if the first thought in your head is 'what do I need to do to stay alive' and not 'I want a piece of that', it's rape
    
Melwas has already kidnapped her at this point, he has power, he's turning violent...

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
In that case it seems I was fooled by Merlin's initial assumptions of Guinevere being complicit in the whole thing.
    
Since that was his first reaction, it seems to have stayed in the back of my head.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
Oh, good.  Cause I was kinda like 'um, what?' when I read your review

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
Like him, I assumed from the start that Gwen knew he was waiting to 'kidnap' her and was complicit in the whole thing, if only because she wanted a bit of adventure but then got in over her head.

 Storyteller Knight 
    There's a lot of misdirect in here since Merlin is a horribly sexist and unreliable narrator

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
Like I said, I trust no one's version. The result was that Arthur and Merlin chose to accept Guinevere's version no matter whether that was what really happened or not.
    
And that was the way things were.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
I trust her version but that's probably my own worldview coming in here.  I think, where we are with rape culture, the right thing to do is to believe people when they come forward and say they are raped and not say it didn't happen because they didn't act this or that way or there was this or that evidence.  And, Arthur's speech to Merlin is such a deliberate calling out of rape culture that, with everything else (Arthur as the speaker of truth, Merlin coming to believe Guinevere innocent through his talk with Arthur and his talk with her) I think Stewart wants us to believe her
    
I should probably change that to this or that circumstantial evidence, which is all Merlin has

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
I can't say whether she was deliberately calling out rape culture or not. It's definite that Arthur is calling Merlin out of his lack of empathy with women and that Merlin revises his opinion of them as a result.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
Merlin being less sexist was something that definitely made me happy

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
Yes. And it made me think that Mary Stewart did it on purpose rather than expounding her own beliefs about women's inferiority to men.
    
Which was a relief.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
It'll be interesting to see how the next two books go without Merlin.  Especially since Wicked Day is written in 3rd person

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
Whether the sexism will continue, outside of characters' spoken opinions.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
Yes.
    
One can only hope we're better without Merlin

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
Yes

 Storyteller Knight 
    
So, final thoughts?

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
We love Arthur
    
He is awesome

 Storyteller Knight 
    
Arthur is the best character ever
    I said this in my review, but I really want a book told from that Arthur's perspective

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
I wish

 Storyteller Knight 
    
I think it would be fascinating to tell a story from the perspective of someone that good.  I'm sure I'm alone in this.

 SamoaPhoenix
    
People would complain that he's too perfect.
    
I wish we at least saw Arthur more.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
I agree.  Although Nimue was pretty cool too

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
I did like her.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
I think those two play into why I ultimately liked this book

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
I didn't really. It went on too long.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
So I guess we move on to Wicked Day in our quest to try and agree as much as we did in Crystal Cave again

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
We were closer on this one.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
We were.  Maybe we'll get back to that as we move towards book five

 SamoaPhoenix 
    
We'll see. It's not important that we agree, we're reviewing the books and giving our own opinions.

 Storyteller Knight 
    
Yup.  So, we'll be back before the end of February with our thoughts on Wicked Day

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