‘A gorgeous, rich retelling of the Arthurian tale’ The Times ________________ Rome is burning. In Britain, Uther Pendragon is dying. Enemies stalk his land. Into this uncertain world a boy is cast – an outsider, plagued by memories of those he’s lost. Under the watchful eye of Merlin, the boy begins his journey to manhood. He meets another outcast, Guinevere – wild, proud and beautiful. And he … journey to manhood. He meets another outcast, Guinevere – wild, proud and beautiful. And he is dazzled by Arthur – a warrior who carries the hopes of the people like a flaming torch in the dark.
But these are treacherous times, and the fate of Britain rests on a sword’s edge. This young man becomes a lord of war: loved, hated, admired and feared. He is a man forsaken but not forgotten.
He is Lancelot.
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Set in a 5th century Britain besieged by invading bands of Saxons and Franks, Irish and Picts, Giles Kristian’s epic new novel tells – in Lancelot’s own words – the story of the most revered yet reviled of all Arthur’s knights, the warrior who fought at his lord’s side – yet stole his wife. This is the story of one of the great figures of British myth and legend – a story ready to be re-imagined for our times.
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It’s hard to know how to begin. Breathtaking? Poignant, bloody, intense, tragic, touching… I could go on and on.
As a lover of all things Arthurian, I had wanted to acquire this book for over a year. For some reason, it’s not available in Kindle version, but that was my ONLY disappointment. Purchasing a print copy was worth the wait in its arrival, as this book was everything I’d hoped it would be and more.
Kristian is a phenomenal writer. His prose comes straight from the heart (for the romantic and touching parts) or from his gut (the battle scenes and violence of 5th century Britain!). I cannot even begin to describe how this book kept me enthralled. It is one of the top ten best reads I’ve ever encountered, and I’ll be looking for more Giles Kristian books to grace my shelves. The final two pages are now tear-stained, and I’m not an emotional person. It is RARE when I cry while reading.
And Kristian is correct in his author’s notes. The character of Lancelot has always been overshadowed by the grandeur of Arthur himself, Guinevere, or Merlin. Well, suffice it to say that Lancelot was always my favorite character in the legends, and now is elevated even higher in my book. This man’s suffering spirit, the injustice which is never overturned, the courage, honor, and yet human frailty–are all treated with dignity, resolve, and tenderness. This book BREATHES–sometimes quietly and sometimes in gasps as the story evolves. Readers are drawn into Lancelot’s character from the start to the finish, and I was breathless at every turn and nuance.
If you have not read this book, RUN to Amazon. Order it and indulge. It’s excellent literature and an adventure from beginning to end.
A great book and a novel twist on the Arthurian legend.
The story stretches from Lancelot’s torrid early childhood, through the relative safety of his early teens and a blossoming love that will shape his life, to his role as ‘lord of war’ and his part in both Arthur’s and Briton’s fate. Underlying the whole book is the unchanging devotion of a young boy.
There’s no need to summarise the plot more than that, you can read the book for that. So, what did I think?
• The prose is beautiful.
• The battles and duels are excruciatingly good.
• The ‘training montage’ of his childhood and his relationship with his mentor are very well done. (In particular what Lancelot does for the man at the end of Pelleas’s life.)
• The background, myths, history and omens are woven into the text exceedingly well.
• Similarly, the technical elements of the world are present but don’t dominate.
• There is a huge cast of well-rounded characters to love, hate and mourn.
• There is frustrated love and impotent rage; vengeance, sacrifice and betrayal.
• Some people get their comeuppance, others, maddeningly, do not. Still more remain devious and obtuse throughout.
All in all, I liked it a lot.
That said, there are a few minor issues.
The first is the pace. It ranges from blindingly fast in some section to slow in others. Some ebb and flow is good, but the contrast is occasionally too much.
One reason for this is the prose – as stunning as it is, it can take up too much space e.g. when describing nature. Up to a point, a tree is a tree. Move on.
Also relating to the pace is the sentence structure. On the whole, it is used well and varies considerably. From punchy fragments. To longer sentences that have minimum punctuation and stretch on and on and on but are difficult to follow until the next full stop heaves into sight.
One last gripe – the section just past the halfway mark. It felt as if people were being moved around for the final, relentless push to the last battle. Lancelot’s childhood is a little guilty of this prolonged scene setting, too. I didn’t mind this as much. Why? Because, it seethes with the bubbling emotions between the teenagers on an island which I’m not even going to attempt to spell.
(Shout out to the proofreader, by the way. Keeping track of the spellings of the names in the book cannot have been easy.)
I want to stress, though, that these gripes are minor. Once all the characters have been built and shuffled into place, when Lancelot’s old enemies unite with his new ones, and Guinevere reenters his life, the book builds relentlessly to one inescapable conclusion: ruin.
All in all, Lancelot is dauntingly good.
I’ve already pre-ordered the next in the series and have an eye on the rest of the author’s novels.
Not to mention all the books mentioned in the back matter…
*sigh*
Too many books, too little time.
#thestruggleisreal
Let me start this review with a resounding ‘Wow’. It has been a while since I have read any of the author’s previous books but am certainly glad I read Lancelot. It is a brilliant telling of that beautiful, and poignant tale. The man who betrayed Arthur is given a fresh start by Mr. Kristian as we follow Lancelot’s early life and, in this story, meets Guinevere (in a most startling fashion, but I won’t say anything about that- spoilers, you know). I will say this, the sheer agony, and turmoil that Lancelot experiences is exquisitely portrayed; the pain reaches through the pages and draws the reader in. In fact, the descriptive talent of the author is continually on display: examples –
‘Merlin remarked one day that from the flat land to the north, Camelot resembled a great dragon sleeping under the snow-veiled earth, its foul, smoky breath rising to the wintry sky as proof that it was alive and well and just waiting.’
‘Arthur would fight for Britain. I would fight for Arthur. And Guinevere would always own my soul. The gods are cruel.’
In addition to his descriptive talent, the author has also crafted an amazing set of characters, from the mysterious Merlin, the indomitable Bors, the charismatic Arthur, and of course, the beautiful, beguiling Guinevere. I felt a part of all of them, even the enmity and hatred that exudes from Mordred (though I still wanted to kill the bastard.) 🙂
Of course, this is also a tale of war and as such there are many battles, skirmishes, one on one combat, and the like as Arthur seeks to send the Saxons packing. Again I was in awe of the author’s prowess in bringing me into the action. The sound of Arthur’s armored cavalry while charging an enemy force; the sound of the horsemen as they sing their battle songs can be heard and then replaced by the sounds of screaming, the crunch of bones, the clang of weapons.
I was entranced by the whole re-working of the legend and while we may never know the truth of the Arthur story, this telling is certainly one we can really enjoy. 5 Stars
What an epic read! Far more delicate (although still containing plenty visceral action) than his previous work, Lancelot is more fantasy than historical fiction, but it does not suffer one jot from that departure. We follow the main character from childhood to manhood and come to understand something of this complicated person; his love for Guinevere, his guilt following the death of his family, his loyalty to Arthur, and a hundred other flaws and strengths that this woebegone would-be hero displays. Seriously top stuff.