Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated The Buried Giant in Books
Jan 3, 2018
Ishiguro ventures in the Tolkien-world of medieval fantasy in which an elderly couple, who seem to be suffering a fog of memory loss, attempt to reconnect with their son by journeying across the lands. On their way, they face dangers from opposing forces, that try to hinder their progress.
This is a powerful treatment of memories, the passage of time and the enduring love of a couple living many years together. Nothing is over-stated, even the moments of high drama. A strange collection of characters but all of them wholly believable. Overall, this book rewards patience and reflection, a devastating portrayal of love in old age and it's a fantastic metaphor for the way nations forget/remember traumatic events.
Knights of the Round Table Puzzle Quest
Book
The legend of King Arthur the Knights of the Round Table - there is no more evocative source for...
Edward Burne-Jones
Penelope Fitzgerald and Frances Spalding
Book
Penelope Fitzgerald, the Booker Prize-winning author of 'Offshore' and 'The Blue Flower', turns her...
Born of No Man (Once and Future Hearts Book 1)
Book
A LEGEND BEGINS… Can love triumph despite duty? Lynette, companion to Princess Vivian, has...
series fiction Britain historical fiction historical romance romantic fantasy
The Table of Less Valued Knights
Book
This book is longlisted for the 2015 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction. Sir Humphrey du Val of the...
"Camelot!"
"It's only a model"
"Shhh"
…
"On second thoughts, let's not go there. 'Tis a silly place"
With that out of the way, this is a sequel - or, as the author (Giles Kristian) himself puts it - more of a companion piece to his earlier (and originally conceived as being standalone) novel Lancelot, although I feel that he REALLY should have stuck with his original name for the novel: Galahad.
Calling it Camelot, to me, does the novel a bit of a disservice, with that location not really a key factor in the story. What is, however, is the central character (and first person narrator) of Galahad himself: Lancelot's son, raised by Christian monks following his fathers death in the climax of the previous, who (here) is not as pure and devout and, well, 'holy' as he is otherwise sometimes depicted, and who is still haunted by his legacy.
Various other characters from Arthurian legend themselves make an appearance, most notably (on the character front) Gawain, Merlin and Iselle whilst (on the 'Quest'/story front) we have a reimagining of The Green Knight, and the Search for The Holy Grail.
Like "Lancelot" before it, this is well worth a read.
War Duke of Britain (Once And Future Hearts Book 4)
Book
He is not the enemy she came to fight. Idris the Slayer is the champion of the northern kings....
adult fiction series War Duke of Britain romance historical
ClareR (5711 KP) rated Morgan is my Name in Books
Jul 5, 2023
Morgan le Fey is the daughter of the Lord that King Uther Pendragon vanquished. Uther then goes on to claim her mother, the Lady Igraine - and in the most underhand way possible with the help of the equally unpleasant Merlin.
Actually, the men don’t do well out of this retelling. Even the lover that a young Morgan takes, abandons her when she is found out and sent to a convent.
This book had me in its grip within minutes of pressing ‘play’. Vanessa Kirby’s narration was wonderful, and she made a convincing Morgan. She built on the book, making the reader/ listener really believe in the duality of Morgan. Not the evil woman we’ve been led to believe in (not in this first instalment, anyway!), but a young woman with a thirst for knowledge, who wants the freedom to pursue it. But it’s always the men who put a stop to her ambitions: whether it’s Uther, Merlin or her feckless husband (whatever happens to him, he deserves it!).
Oh, and the magic! Just the icing on the cake!
I can’t wait for the next book in this trilogy to come out!
Le Morte Darthur: Selections
Thomas Malory and Maureen Okun
Book
Arguably no medieval English literary work has had as far and wide a reach as Sir Thomas Malory's Le...
The Chosen One
Book
Fort and his friends face more perilous ancient magic as they race towards the final battle to save...