 | Title: Legend of the King Author: Gerald Morris Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books Pages: 295 Synopsis: (from the publisher) Sir Terence has come a long way since he first left his guardian twenty years ago and joined the insolent Gawain as his squire. Dark Forces are at work in England, and Terence and Gawain had set off once more in service of King Arthur, but this time the two friends are sent on separate missions. At last, a true Knight of the Round Table, Terence has no time to rest on his laurels, but must continue his work to protect King Arthur and the peace that the king and his knights have created for England. Unfortunately, the king's enemies are at work as well. Morgause and Mordred had spies even at Camelot itself, and together mother and son attempt to divide the Fellowship of the Round Table, bring Camelot to ruin, and place Mordred on the throne. In this final installment of the Squire's Tales series, Terence and his fellow Knights of the Round Table must ready their swords, enchantments, and wit to come together in a last stand to save Camelot. The characters Gerald Morris has brought to life throughout his series--Terence and Gawain, Lynet and Gaheris, Luneta and Rhience, Dinadan and Palomides--each have an important role to play if they are to defeat their enemies. Only by maintaining their faith, selflessness, and honor, can Morgause and Mordred banish and defeat the dark magic from England forever. |
Legend of the King was published the year after I
graduated from college. I had been dreading it for a lot of reasons, since it
had been established since the previous book’s release that this was the last
of the Squire’s Tales and it was obvious a lot of beloved key characters would
die. In the end of this series, it was also a sort of final good-bye to my
teenagehood and an assertion that yes, indeed, I had entered the adult world
for good. I had outgrown these books and was ready for what came next, just as
the characters are all finally ready for what comes after their final adventure
for Camelot. An ending and a beginning.
In
this re-read I have been both eager to get this final book over with and fine
with putting it off. Some of the delay between the reviews for this book and Squire’s Quest were the two sessions of
Camp NaNoWriMo in which Story participated (that knocks out April and July for
both reading and writing reviews) but neither one of us has been particularly
inclined to prompt finishing the series. This re-read has stripped away a lot
of the nostalgia I feel for this series and revealed significant flaws in books
I once loved (though nothing can dampen my love for Savage Damsel) and I know there have been a lot of elements that
Story has been deeply unhappy with that have made the series overall less
enjoyable. But we agreed for the sake of other projects we must proceed with
the final review.
Spoilers,
etc… and warning for almost 4,000-word review.
