SamoaPhoenix Guest Review: Endings (King Arthur and Her Knights, Part III)

Title: Endings Author: K.M. Shea Publisher: Take Out the Trash Synopsis: (from Goodreads) The thrilling conclusion to the King Arthurs and Her Knights series! Britt has finally settled into her life as King Arthur. Her knights know who she really is, her lands are peaceful, and she has friends and family who she loves. But all of this is threatened when Rome, led by Emperor Lucius, invades. In order to repel the Romans and ascertain Camelot's survival, Britt must achieve Merlin's greatest dream: to unite all of Britain.

The Twist: See my earlier review of the first five books in this series. A young woman is pulled back from the 21^st century to take the place of a vanished King Arthur and begins to build a unique, and ultimately legendary, kingdom.

Spoilers, etc…

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review: King Arthur and Her Knights, Part I

Title: King Arthur and Her Knights Series (Enthroned, Enchanted, Embittered, Embark, and Enlighten) Author: K.M. Shea Publisher: Take Out the Trash Pages: ~600 for all five Synopsis: (from Goodreads) After posing with a rusty sword for a photo in a British graveyard, Britt Arthurs is pulled through time all the way back to the age of King Arthur where the shockingly young and handsome Merlin is waiting for her. The wizard has some bad news: the real Arthur has run off with a shepherdess, and whoever pulls the sword from the stone is to become the King of England. Unfortunately for Britt, the sword slides out like butter when she pulls it after fighting with Merlin. Long Live King Arthurs!

King Arthur and Her Knights Series

--Enthroned

--Enchanted

--Embittered

--Embark

--Enlighten

There are five fairly short ebook-only novellas in this series already and more planned. Due to their length, I will review the first five all together. The next book, Endeavor, will be released in late 2015 so I will try to review it in a timely manner. When it comes time to discuss plots and characters, I will do the plots of each book, the characters that appear in more than one book (most of the important ones do), and then characters that are unique to one book.

Spoilers, etc…

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review/Reread: The Squire's Quest

Title: Squire's Quest Author: Gerald Morris Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Pages: 275 Synopsis: (from the publisher) Why is it, Terence wondered, that the things you know most surely are always the things you can't demonstrate to anyone else? And why is it, after all these years, that Terence is still just a squire, offering advice on how best to scrub rust spots from armor?  But Squire Terence has more to worry about that his place on the social scale.  For all the peace and prosperity that have made England famous across Europe, Terence is uneasy.  After nearly six months without contact with the World of the Faires--not even from his old friend the mischievous sprite Robin--Terence is sure something is rotten in King Arthur's court.  And while the squire is always on the watch for the latest plot of the enchantress Morgause, he now also has suspicions about Mordred, King Arthur's misbegotten son, who has appeared at court.  Is Mordred after Arthur's throne? In this ninth rollicking adventure in the Squire's Tales series, Terence's efforts to defend the Fellowship of the Round Table lead him on his farthest, and most fantastic, journey yet--a quest that ultimately brings Terence rewards he never imagined or expected.

This is the first book in the series to be released with only the new, more serious, cover designs. In these final two books I feel this is appropriate as the mood shifts towards the twilight years of Camelot. There is still plenty of humor to be had but it is tempered with the revelation that this golden age must come to an end—likely sooner than anyone wants or expects.

The timeline is still completely messed up and none of the time periods the characters give in this story match up with anything logical, but at this point I’ve just decided to ignore it and stop trying to figure out how old everyone is. It will just give me a nosebleed. Sarah alone is anywhere from sixteen to twenty-six and it just gets worse from there.

Spoilers, etc…

Review: Squire's Quest

Title: Squire's Quest Author: Gerald Morris Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Pages: 275 Synopsis: (from the publisher) Why is it, Terence wondered, that the things you know most surely are always the things you can't demonstrate to anyone else? And why is it, after all these years, that Terence is still just a squire, offering advice on how best to scrub rust spots from armor?  But Squire Terence has more to worry about that his place on the social scale.  For all the peace and prosperity that have made England famous across Europe, Terence is uneasy.  After nearly six months without contact with the World of the Faires--not even from his old friend the mischievous sprite Robin--Terence is sure something is rotten in King Arthur's court.  And while the squire is always on the watch for the latest plot of the enchantress Morgause, he now also has suspicions about Mordred, King Arthur's misbegotten son, who has appeared at court.  Is Mordred after Arthur's throne? In this ninth rollicking adventure in the Squire's Tales series, Terence's efforts to defend the Fellowship of the Round Table lead him on his farthest, and most fantastic, journey yet--a quest that ultimately brings Terence rewards he never imagined or expected.

So, a couple years ago, when Samoaphoenix gave me this book for Christmas, I did start reading it.  And it was awesome because ~*Sarah!*~.  But then Sarah's part of the book became really uncomfortable and Mordred showed up and his part was like nails on a chalkboard.  I got about a quarter of the way through and stopped.  That means technically I'm done with the rereads and this is my first impression of the book instead of second+.

Warning for Spoilers

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review/Reread: The Princess, the Crone, and the Dung-Cart Knight

Title: The Princess, the Crone, and the Dung-Cart Knight Author: Gerald Morris Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company Pages: 310 Synopsis: (from the publisher) Ever since that tragic night when her mother and guardian were murdered, thirteen-year-old Sarah has been living on her own and searching for the knight who was responsible.  Her quest for revenge leads to an even greater adventure when she witnesses Queen Guinevere being kidnapped.  Soon Sarah finds herself accompanying Sir Gawain and Squire Terence on a remarkable journey to rescue the Queen.  In their travels they meet, among others, a mystery knight traveling incognito in a dung cart, a faery who becomes Sarah's first friend in a long time, a reclusive monk who plans to spend the rest of his life building a tomb for Sir Lancelot, and a princess who might have a little more gumption than she appears to. As the plot thickens, Sarah finds out more about the people she's met and befriended, as well as about herself.  She begins to learn the true consequences of vengeance and what it really means to be a princess. In this funny and unforgettable sixth novel, Gerald Morris creates yet another tangled web of magic spells, enchanted castles, mystery knights, revenge, and heart-pounding adventure.

I have nothing much to say about the covers, or commentary about the first time I read this book (which was in high school). Let’s get this party started!

Spoilers, etc…

Reread: The Princess, the Crone, and the Dung-Cart Knight

Title: The Princess, the Crone, and the Dung-Cart Knight Author: Gerald Morris Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company Pages: 310 Synopsis: (from the publisher) Ever since that tragic night when her mother and guardian were murdered, thirteen-year-old Sarah has been living on her own and searching for the knight who was responsible.  Her quest for revenge leads to an even greater adventure when she witnesses Queen Guinevere being kidnapped.  Soon Sarah finds herself accompanying Sir Gawain and Squire Terence on a remarkable journey to rescue the Queen.  In their travels they meet, among others, a mystery knight traveling incognito in a dung cart, a faery who becomes Sarah's first friend in a long time, a reclusive monk who plans to spend the rest of his life building a tomb for Sir Lancelot, and a princess who might have a little more gumption than she appears to. As the plot thickens, Sarah finds out more about the people she's met and befriended, as well as about herself.  She begins to learn the true consequences of vengeance and what it really means to be a princess. In this funny and unforgettable sixth novel, Gerald Morris creates yet another tangled web of magic spells, enchanted castles, mystery knights, revenge, and heart-pounding adventure.

SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Warning for Spoilers (this got really long...)

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review/Reread: The Ballad of Sir Dinadan

Title: The Ballad of Sir Dinadan Author: Gerald Morris Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Pages: 242 Synopsis: (from the publisher) Young Dinadan has no wish to joust or quest or save damsels in distress or do any of the knightly things expected of him. He’d rather be a minstrel, playing his rebec and writing ballads. But he was born to be a knight, and knights, of course, have adventures. So after his father forces his knighthood upon him, he wanders towards King Arthur’s court, in the company of a misguided Welsh lad named Culloch. There Dinadan meets Sir Kai and Bedivere, and the three find themselves accompanying Culloch on the worst sort of quest. Along the way, Dinadan writes his own ballads, singing of honor, bravery, loyalty, and courtly love—and becomes a player in the pathetic love story of Tristam and Iseult. He meets the Moorish knight Palomides, the clever but often exasperating Lady Brangienne, and an elven musician named Sylvanus, along with the usual collection of recreant knights and dimwitted defenders of chivalry. He learns that while minstrels sing of spectacular, heroic deeds, honor is often found in simpler, quieter ways.

It should be said that when I was initially reading through this series, this was my least favorite by far. But I was determined to do this reread with an open mind. I enjoyed it far more this time around, until I got to the end and remembered why my overall impression was one of dislike.

I actually don’t mind the old cover on this one, and the new cover is surprisingly similar.

Spoilers, etc…

Reread: The Ballad of Sir Dinadan

Title: The Ballad of Sir Dinadan Author: Gerald Morris Publisher: Sandpiper (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) Pages: 245 Synopsis: (from the publisher) Dinadan rode out the front gate of his father's home, promising himself that he would never again enter those walls. Young Dinadan has no wish to do any of the knightly things expected of him.  But he was born to be a knight, and knights, of course, have adventures.  So after his father forces knighthood upon him, he wanders toward King Arthur's court in the company of a misguided young lad named Culloch.  There Dinadan meets Sir Kai and Sir Bedivere, and the three find themselves accompanying Culloch on the worst sort of quest.  Along the way, Dinadan learns that though minstrels sing of spectacular heroic deeds, honor is often found in simpler, quieter ways.

Okay, so regardless of what the blurb on the back of the book says, anyone who knows their Arthurian lore knows by the name of the main character that this is Gerald Morris' taken on the timeless love story of Tristan and Isolde (I don't even know what's going on with you, book blurb.  You're missing half the plot!).

Warning for Spoilers

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review/Reread: Parsifal's Page

Title: Parsifal's Page Author: Gerald Morris Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company Pages: 232 Synopsis: (from the publisher) Piers (or Pierre, as he wants to be called) is desperate to become a page to escape the dirty, tedious labor of his father;s black-smith shop.  So when a knight shows up and says he's on "the quest," Piers begs to go along.  Surprisingly his father lets him, and soon he is off on a series of adventures he never dreamed possible.  However, Piers's knight quickly runs into some difficulties and is slain by an odd character named Parsifal, who is on his own quest to become a knight.  Piers has no other choice but to throw his lot in with Parsifal. Parsifal is unlike anyone Piers has ever met and doesn't behave "knightly" at all, but slowly Piers begins to realize that being a knight has nothing to do with shining armor and winning jousts.  As their journey continues, Piers and Parsifal are drawn into the Quest for the elusive Holy Grail.  They find that to achieve this quest they must learn more than knighthood: they most learn about themselves. No knight's story has been told more often than Parsifal's, but no one else has ever told his story quite like Gerald Morris does in his fourth Arthurian novel, another tour de force of humor, action, magic and, as always, true love.

After the high of Savage Damsel, for me it would be difficult for the next book in the series to top or meet my expectations. This may account for the somewhat ambiguous way I feel about Parsifal’s Page. For me, it has its ups and downs. There are parts I like a lot, and parts I’m kind of “meh” on; there’s nothing that I outright dislike about it but it doesn't sparkle for me the way Squire, Knight, Lady and Savage Damsel do.

Spoilers, etc…

Reread: Parsifal's Page

This has been our 50th Post!!!

Title: Parsifal's Page Author: Gerald Morris Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company Pages: 232 Synopsis: (from the publisher) Piers (or Pierre, as he wants to be called) is desperate to become a page to escape the dirty, tedious labor of his father;s black-smith shop.  So when a knight shows up and says he's on "the quest," Piers begs to go along.  Surprisingly his father lets him, and soon he is off on a series of adventures he never dreamed possible.  However, Piers's knight quickly runs into some difficulties and is slain by an odd character named Parsifal, who is on his own quest to become a knight.  Piers has no other choice but to throw his lot in with Parsifal. Parsifal is unlike anyone Piers has ever met and doesn't behave "knightly" at all, but slowly Piers begins to realize that being a knight has nothing to do with shining armor and winning jousts.  As their journey continues, Piers and Parsifal are drawn into the Quest for the elusive Holy Grail.  They find that to achieve this quest they must learn more than knighthood: they most learn about themselves. No knight's story has been told more often than Parsifal's, but no one else has ever told his story quite like Gerald Morris does in his fourth Arthurian novel, another tour de force of humor, action, magic and, as always, true love.

Unlike Samoaphoenix, I actually enjoy the original covers for these books.  I think, while they may not necessarily reflect anything that happens in the book, they perfectly reflect the tongue-in-cheek tone of the story.  I find the new covers to be far too serious for these books and think they go against one of the big themes in the plot.  The new covers show the epic tale the audience wants to hear while the original covers show the ridiculousness of what actually goes on in the story.

Despite my feelings, my jaw actually dropped when I saw the new cover for Parsifal's Page:

Damn that's a beautiful cover.  And since this is actually a fairly downer book compared to the others, it captures the tone of this story in a way that the original cover really didn't.

Warning for Spoilers

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review/Reread: The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf

Title: The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf Author: Gerald Morris Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company Pages: 213 Synopsis: (from the publisher) Her castle under siege by an evil knight who keeps beheading all her would-be rescuers, Lady Lynet realizes that the only way to get help is to get it herself.  So one night she slips away and strikes out for King Arthur's court, where she hopes to find a gallant knight to vanquish the Knight of the Red Lands and free her castle.  Instead, she finds an odd dwarf named Roger and a scruffy kitchen hand named Beaumains. As the three unlikely companions return to Lynet's castle, they face suprising adventures, including encounters with the uncanny Squire Terence, his master, Sir Gawain, and the majestic sorceress Morgan.  And somewhere along the way, Lynet discovers that people can be much more than they seem.  .

It should be said first off that this is one of my all-time favorite books ever. I’ve read it so much my hardcover edition is falling apart. My first wobbly try at screenplay writing was adapting this book. So you probably shouldn’t pay attention to anything I have to say about it. Just go read it for yourself. Preferably in the much better cover of the newer editions.

Spoilers, etc…

Reread: The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf

Title: The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf Author: Gerald Morris Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company Pages: 213 Synopsis: (from the publisher) Her castle under siege by an evil knight who keeps beheading all her would-be rescuers, Lady Lynet realizes that the only way to get help is to get it herself.  So one night she slips away and strikes out for King Arthur's court, where she hopes to find a gallant knight to vanquish the Knight of the Red Lands and free her castle.  Instead, she finds an odd dwarf named Roger and a scruffy kitchen hand named Beaumains. As the three unlikely companions return to Lynet's castle, they face suprising adventures, including encounters with the uncanny Squire Terence, his master, Sir Gawain, and the majestic sorceress Morgan.  And somewhere along the way, Lynet discovers that people can be much more than they seem.

Or, In Gerald Morris' words:

"In this story a skilled knight called Beaumains conceals his real name and takes a menial job as a kitchen servant-- curious behavior that would normally call for some explanation, but Malory never explains.  Then, when Beaumains rides off on his quest, he is sometimes accompanied by an unnamed dwarf who knows his true identity, but Malory never bothers to tell who this dwarf is or how he knows Beaumains or why he cares to ride with him.  After Beaumains arrives at Lynoness's castle, a knight with no name appears from nowhere and fights Beaumains for no apparent reason.  The nameless knight is defeated, but luckily for him, Lady Lynet appears on the scene and magically cures him, although Malory had not mentioned until this moment that Lynet was an enchantress.  Indeed, the modern reader's response to Malory's tale will often be, "Huh?""

--Gerald Morris, pg 211-212 of the Savage Damsel and the Dwarf 

Warning for Spoilers

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review/Reread: The Squire, His Knight, & His Lady

Title: The Squire, His Knight, & His Lady Author: Gerald Morris Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company Pages: 232 Synopsis: (from the publisher) Squire Terence and Sir Gawain are off questing again, but this time their journey is overshadowed by their ultimate destination-- Gawain is to meet up with the Green Knight in a contest that could easily lead to Gawain's death. Along the way the two have a slew of hair-raising adventures and encounter the usual odd assortment of characters: the dreaded Huntsman of Anglesey; the eccentric Parsifal; and the evil Marquis of Alva, from whom they rescue the plucky Lady Eileen.  Sparks instantly fly between Terence and Eileen as she joins the squire and his knight on their travels As they weave their way between the world of men and the Other World, both Gawain and Terence discover much about themselves-- Terence learns more about his past and about what the future holds for him, and Gawain is forced to confront the true nature of courage and honor.

I have no idea what the summary on this book is blabbering about. That first sentence doesn't even make sense. It makes it sound like Gawain and Terence were already out adventuring when they met the Green Knight, but…well, never mind.

I would complain about just about every cover of the old editions of these books (these are the covers that I own) but I will refrain so I don’t repeat myself every time. I will say it only once: I find the weird cut-and-paste-heads-onto-bodies thing that the cover designers did for the first eight books disturbing. Terence looks like a dwarf on this cover, which he clearly is not. View the superior reprint version below (courtesy of goodreads):

The only old cover that I don’t mind is the one for Parsifal’s Page. It is bright and attractive, does not have someone’s head pasted onto someone else’s body, and is still a scene out of the book. There. I have complained once and will say no more about the old covers unless I really like something about one of the new covers and feel compelled to comment.

Back to the review.

Spoilers, etc…

Reread: The Squire, His Knight, & His Lady

Title: The Squire, His Knight, & His Lady Author: Gerald Morris Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company Pages: 232 Synopsis: (from the publisher) Squire Terence and Sir Gawain are off questing again, but this time their journey is overshadowed by their ultimate destination-- Gawain is to meet up with the Green Knight in a contest that could easily lead to Gawain's death. Along the way the two have a slew of hair-raising adventures and encounter the usual odd assortment of characters: the dreaded Huntsman of Anglesey; the eccentric Parsifal; and the evil Marquis of Alva, from whom they rescue the plucky Lady Eileen.  Sparks instantly fly between Terence and Eileen as she joins the squire and his knight on their travels As they weave their way between the world of men and the Other World, both Gawain and Terence discover much about themselves-- Terence learns more about his past and about what the future holds for him, and Gawain is forced to confront the true nature of courage and honor.

Also known as 'The Continuing Adventures of the Sir Wozzells' (look, you can never have too many, alright?).

Warning for Spoilers

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review/Reread: The Squire's Tale

So, a couple days ago I received an angry e-mail from SamoaPhoenix demanding to know why I hadn't told her I was reviewing the Squire's Tales... to which I promptly responded with a screencap of the e-mail I had sent her with a link to my review of the Squire's Tale ;)  How we got here isn't what's important.  What's important is that SamoaPhoenix wanted in on the action.  This isn't a joint review and we probably aren't going to be posting our discussions (that was a lot of work and there are almost double the books in this series).  But you will be getting back-to-back reread reviews from us which hopefully won't be too similar as we both enjoy these books and SamoaPhoenix and I can be scarily in step with each other sometimes (see the Crystal Cave Reviews).

~Storyteller Knight

Title: The Squire's Tale Author: Gerald Morris Publisher: Dell Laurel-Leaf (Random House) Pages: 212 Synopsis: (from the publisher) Life for the young orphan Terence is peaceful, spent with the old hermit Trevisant in a quiet wood.  That is, until the day a strange green sprite leads Terence to Gawain, King Arthur's nephew, who is on his way to Camelot in the hope of being knighted.  Trevisant can see the future and knows that Terence must leave to serve as Gawain's squire.  From that moment on, Terence's days are filled with heartstopping adventure as he helps save damsels in distress, battle devious men, and protect Arthur from his many enemies.  Along the way, Terence is amazed at his skills and newfound magical abilities.  Were these a gift from his unknown parents? As Gawain continues his quest for knighthood, Terence knows he won't rest until he solves the riddle of his own past.

So a bit of background before my review begins. I was one of the ones who lobbied hard for Story to read this series back when we were in college and I am eager to join her on her read-through. I discovered these books at my local library back when I was fourteen. Only the first two books were published then, The Squire’s Tale and The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady. I was a casual YA fantasy reader, and Arthurian fantasy was as good as any other. It was also about this time that I discovered and read T.A. Barron’s Lost Years of Merlin series, Jane Yolen’s Sword of the Rightful King, and a few other Arthurian titles. I even gave The Once and Future King a try, and gave up in disgust after reading Book 1. If all Arthurian readers had back in the mid twentieth century were that and Mary Stewart’s Merlin series, well…let’s just say I’m glad I wasn’t alive then.

But I digress. Anyway, long story short I fell in love with this series. I eagerly waited for each new installment to be published all the way through high school, college, and beyond until the series wrapped up with Legend of the King in 2010. Gerald Morris has had a profound impact on my worldview in general. Along with J.K. Rowling, Tamora Pierce and Diane Duane, he was one of the most important authors to me during my formative high school years. He views life with such wisdom and humor. He made my journey through classic medieval works like The Canterbury Tales (from which the series takes its title) and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight enjoyable, because I felt like I knew secrets about the characters my bored classmates could never guess at. Just so you’re aware, I might be a bit biased in my reviews of some of my favorite Squire’s Tales, as they rank among my all-time favorite books. I don’t like all of them, and I will try to be as honest as possible and not just view them through my nostalgic rose-colored glasses.

On to the review!

Wait, one last thing: I have always wondered what was up with this cover. Having read the book, the scenario on the cover never comes close to occurring so I’m not sure what the heck the publishers were thinking on this one. I guess they wanted to indicate this is a humorous tale full of misadventure and folly…who knows. The reprint cover that is currently available through Amazon is way better in every aspect.

Warning for Spoilers 

Reread: The Squire's Tale

Title: The Squire's Tale Author: Gerald Morris Publisher: Dell Laurel-Leaf (Random House) Pages: 212 Synopsis: (from the publisher) Life for the young orphan Terence is peaceful, spent with the old hermit Trevisant in a quiet wood.  That is, until the day a strange green sprite leads Terence to Gawain, King Arthur's nephew, who is on his way to Camelot in the hope of being knighted.  Trevisant can see the future and knows that Terence must leave to serve as Gawain's squire.  From that moment on, Terence's days are filled with heartstopping adventure as he helps save damsels in distress, battle devious men, and protect Arthur from his many enemies.  Along the way, Terence is amazed at his skills and newfound magical abilities.  Were these a gift from his unknown parents? As Gawain continues his quest for knighthood, Terence knows he won't rest until he solves the riddle of his own past.

It's the Squire's Tales!  Here we are at the beginning of a ten book series by Gerald Morris that chronicles King Arthur's reign through the adventures of his knights.  These are some of my absolute favorite Arthurian retellings, but they're also fast reads.  So reviews should be coming pretty fast for a while is all I'm saying.

Warning for Spoilers

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review: By Camelot's Blood

Title: By Camelot's Blood Author: Sarah Zettel Publisher: Prologue Books Pages: 339 Synopsis: (from the publisher) An evocative and highly engaging romantic fantasy set in the evocative time of King Arthur. Laurel Carnbrea, Queen of Cambryn, arrives at Camelot to marry a man she has never met - Sir Agravain, the brother of the renowned Sir Gawain.  Laurel has heard that Agravain is a reserved and cold man, but marriage to King Arthur's nephew will give vital protection to her own lands.  However, before the marriage can be consummated, Laurel's new husband receives news that his father, King Lot, is dying, and he must return to his homeland of Gododdin in the north. King Lot has been mad for many years - tormented by the sorceress Morgaine, Arthur's half-sister and deadliest enemy.  Agravain and Laurel arrived to find the land of Gododdin in disarray and under threat of invasion from the Picts - led by Morgain. Laurel has powers of her own, inherited from her grandmother, the Sea, and is prepared to use them to save the land of the new husband she is learning to love.  By pitting herself against Morgaine she will face the gravest danger; and Agravain risks losing the woman who has finally managed to reach his heart.

Hooray for e-books! On a whim I was poking around Amazon and happened to come across the entire quartet for only $3 each. I own the first three in the series so I eagerly bought the last one so that I could continue my reviews. I will get around to For Camelot’s Honor eventually.

There seems to be some discrepancy about the names of the books in this series. One set of editions are simply titled ‘Camelot’s ---’, another set with slightly longer titles. Hence, this book is either titled By Camelot’s Blood or just Camelot’s Blood. Likewise this series is alternately known as “Paths to Camelot” or the “Two Ravens Saga”. Why this is, I can’t tell.

Warning for Spoilers

Gabbiebii Guest Review: Idylls of the Queen

Hello!  I'd like to welcome the newest member of the Guest Review Team, the fabulous Gabbiebii!  Gabbiebii answered the call I put out a few weeks ago asking for guest reviews.  She is a great lover of the Arthurian mythos and a Galahad super-fan (often finding herself disappointed with the lack of care authors give him).  We have sparred often over the deep and profound question of whether or not Lancelot adds anything of merit to the legends ( :-P), but as far as I'm concerned, she's A-Class and I love our debates.

Gabbiebii begins her time here reviewing one of my favorite retellings, Phyllis Ann Karr's The Idylls of the Queen.  Please give her a warm welcome and enjoy her review!

~Storyteller Knight

Title: The Idylls of the Queen Author: Phyllis Ann Karr Publisher: Wildside Press Pages: 341 Synopsis: (from the goodreads) The arrangements for the dinner party were overseen by Queen Guenever herself. She selected the apples with her own hands. And before the evening ended, a young knight lay dead ... and Arthur's beloved, unfaithful queen stood branded as a murderess and condemned to death! Phyllis Ann Karr has taken Celtic legendry and given it a fresh new twist in this magical murder mystery of knights and sorcery, romantic entanglements and courtly intrigues. This is a tale that explores the passions and motivations of the men and women who stride through the pages of Mallory's romance: Sir Kay, the sharp-tongued seneschal; Nimue, the elusive Lady of the Lake; Morgon le Fay, Merlin's complex nemesis; the tormented sons of Lot and Morgawse; and Mordred, Arthur's own bitter, terrified son.

I started reading this book because an internet friend suggested it to me. She said it was one of her favourite books, and one of the best Arthurian retellings so far. I was curious, so I bought it. While it has been a pretty slow read (English is not my mother-tongue and so it took twice the amount of time I’d have put in if I had read it in my mother-tongue) it has definitely been a really pleasant one. I have to agree with my internet friend, it is one of the best retellings so far. 

The cover is not so appealing, though.  It has nothing to do with the plot at all. I’ve seen that there’s a better cover, featuring the poisoned apple but…unfortunately, I got the edition with the bad cover. I’m sad for this.

No Spoilers Here.  Read without Fear.

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review: Kingdom of Summer

Title: Kingdom of Summer Author: Gillian Bradshaw Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark Pages: 347 Synopsis: (from Goodreads) On the path toward greatness, even a hero makes mistakes. Armed with his magical sword and otherworldly horse, Gwalchmai proves himself the most feared and faithful warrior of Arthur's noble followers. But while defending the kingdom, he commits a grave offense against the woman he loves, leading her to disappear from his life and haunt his memories. With his trusted servant, Rhys, a commonsense peasant, Gwalchmai tries to find her in the Kingdom of Summer, where Arthur has sent him. But an unexpected and most malevolent force of evil and darkness is loose-that of his mother, the witch-queen Morgawse-and Gwalchmai finds that the secrets of his past may deny him peace... In the second book of Gillian Bradshaw's critically acclaimed trilogy, Sir Gawain comes to life as Gwalchmai, startlingly human yet fantastically heroic. .

Continuing on with my habit of reading Gawain stories...for some reason I am uninspired to read For Camelot's Honor. I'll get to it eventually. Maybe it's because what I really want to know is how Agravain and Laurel get together. I already know them from Camelot's Banner and Camelot's Shadow and they seem an unlikely couple, but of Sarah Zettel's Paths to Camelot quartet, Camelot's Blood is the one book I don't own and can't seem to get my hands on. To make it up to you, here instead is the second book in Gillian Bradshaw's Down the Long Wind trilogy. I reviewed the first book, Hawk of May, several months ago. Whether I will get around to reading the third book, In Winter's Shadow, is a difficult question because it's the tale of Camelot's downfall told from Guinevere's perspective rather than anyone connected with Gawain, and from what I understand doesn't really focus on him. In short, I seem to be unable to complete the reviews of a series...for now. Stay tuned!

SamoaPhoenix

Warning for Spoilers

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review: Knights of the Round Table: Gawain

SamoaPhoenix sent me this review way back in April but due to personal things happening at the time, I had to put care and maintenance of Camelot's Library on hold while I got my head on straight.  That took a lot longer than I thought it would, but with the Muppet King Arthur review, this guest reivew and hopefully another review this weekend of a truly awful book, I think I'm back!

~Storyteller Knight

Title: Knights of the Round Table: Gawain Author: Gwen Rowley Publisher: Jove Pages: 320 Synopsis: (from the publisher) Sir Gawain is a knight as good as his word. Fiercely loyal to Arthur, he will do anything to serve his king. So when a hideous crone promises to give Arthur the answer to a riddle that will save his life in exchange for Gawain’s pledge to marry her, the knight does not hesitate. But the loathly lady is not who she appears to be. In truth, she is the lovely Aislyn, former apprentice to a sorceress. She was once desperately in love with Gawain, who rejected her because of her magic—or so she believes. Now she has transformed herself so she may exact her revenge. Yet Gawain’s gallantry and courteous treatment soften Aislyn’s bitter heart, and she is horrified to discover she has actually been enchanted. Only a kiss given with love can break the spell and restore her to the beautiful maiden she truly is…

I interrupted myself in the Paths to Camelot series to read yet another Gawain book. This one seemed like a good Spring Break choice as it is a bit more lighthearted than Paths to Camelot and lighter physically as well. The cover is, well…it’s a romance cover, let’s be honest. At least it’s obvious the cover designer read the book—they got that Gawain is really tall and the hair colors of Aislyn and Gawain are just about right. I don’t plan to read the other two books in the series.

Warning for Spoilers