Book Review: After Avalon

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18th Wall Production, After Avalon, Anthology, Colin Fisher, david wiley, Fantasy, King Arthur, Nicole Petit, Short Stories, The May Hawk's Daughter

Title: After Avalon

Authors: Various, anthology of short stories curated by Nicole Petit

Published by: 18th Wall Productions (August 12, 2016)

Pages: 248 Pages (Paperback)

Blurb: King Arthur is dead. Camelot has fallen. Britain drowns in Saxons.

These are the stories of what came after.

Merlin’s prophecies begin such, in introduction:

“In the days when Arthur’s dream was dimmed, as grey embers under storm, actors from our reverie still acted. A boy ventures into decaying Broceliande with the May Hawk’s daughter, both in search of fathers. Sir Gawain, bereft of his nation, rides in search of my tomb—but finds a friend turned enemy. In the Britain’s hour of need, the round table will be restored to defend Logres in the sky, in the London Blitz.

“My tutor, Bleys, will take a fool’s horse, and two adventurers will trace my dying steps across the world. Sir Lionel’s remains will visit the remains of the Arthurian world, and the Victorians will strive to make a gentleman of Mordred. The Questing Beast will never cease to haunt Pellinore’s line, no matter how far north they trend. The old witch, Morgan, will seek forgiveness. The holy lance will appear once more. And a queen who is no longer a queen will meet a knight who is no longer a knight, and both will marvel at the grave of the greatest king who served his country.

“These may be read, in full, inside.

“But I am tired now, and Nimue calls for me…”

An all-new anthology from the award-winning curator Nicole Petit, featuring stories by Colin Fisher, Leigh Ann Cowan, Amy Wolf, Thomas Olivieri, Jon Black, Patricia S. Bowne, Claudia Quint, David Wiley, Christian Bone, Patrick S. Baker, and Elizabeth Zuckerman.

My Thoughts: This collection is among the greatest in any anthology I have ever picked up. It starts out by delivering a strong story with “The May Hawk’s Daughter” by Colin Fisher which is, arguably, itself worth the price of the anthology. There are many other gems within these pages, with some that will hold strong appeal for certain readers while others may fall flat. This is the problem with any anthology: even the best set of stories will have ones that fall flat for a reader. Yet the diversity in an anthology is one of the most exciting things about it.

The stories in this collection are all bound by a loose thread: they are taking some aspect of Arthurian lore and imagining what happened to it after Arthur’s death. In some stories it follows the characters from the story shortly after Arthur’s death. Others follow objects, such as the holy lance, as they travel into new places in history. They are as diverse in approach and subject matter as the authors themselves, making for a solid collection that will hold appeal to a multitude of readers.

If you are a fan of King Arthur, you will not be disappointed by the treatment of the material by these writers. If you are looking for modern writers to discover, this would be an excellent investment. I have already made note of a few from this collection that I will be following closely, looking back at what they have published and looking ahead to their future publications and contributions. All in all, this is a beautiful book for your shelf filled with a variety of wonderful stories that will whisk you along to various eras and follow along various characters that you are familiar with from the Arthurian legend. You will not regret purchasing a copy of this anthology.

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Book Review: Arthurian Romances by Chrétain de Troyes

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Arthurian Romances, Carleton W. Carroll, Chrétain de Troyes, Gawain, King Arthur, Lancelot, Medieval Literature, Penguin Books, Perceval, William W. Kibler

Title: Arthurian Romances

Author: Chrétien de Troyes

Translated by: William W. Kibler and Carleton W. Carroll

Published by: Penguin Books (1991)

Pages: 521 (paperback)

Blurb:

My Take: As an Arthurian fan, it was only a matter of time before I got around to reading these five stories written in the 12^th century. My only regret is not having read them sooner, as these were excellent and enjoyable in every way. The five stories follow different knights on their adventures and encounters with love, although many names are recurring across the various tales. It is clear as you read these stories that they heavily influenced Malory when it came time for him to write Le Morte D’Arthur in the 14^th century.

Of the five, there were two that I was most excited to read: “The Knight of the Cart” and “The Story of the Grail”. The first of those stories followed Lancelot on his many excellent adventures. His decision, early in the story, to ride along in a cart is a shameful act and there are several instances throughout the tale where that decision is thrown back in his face. This is the first tale, according to the book, to mention the adulterous relationship between Lancelot and Guinevere so that infamous love triangle can trace its roots back to 12^th century France. Even the reader who is only slightly interested in Arthurian literature should be able to read and enjoy this story by Chrétain de Troyes and it certainly would be considered the greatest of the five by many readers.

My own personal favorite, though, chronicled the Grail. It followed two knights on two very different paths: Percival and Gawain. After four stories hearing about how highly esteemed Gawain was, it was great to follow him on some of his adventures. But the real star of the story, the one whom we follow early on, is Percival who begins as an innocent who has never seen a knight before and immediately becomes enamored with the idea of being a knight. Sadly, this story was never finished and so it never reaches its grand conclusion. In fact, it seems to be a fairly long way away from an ending. Yet for what it contains, it is a great and enjoyable tale and the longest of the stories in the collection.

Overall this was an excellent read and certainly something that belongs in every Arthurian fan’s collection. The fingerprints of de Troyes are on many of the stories we know and are familiar with today, and many of the knights mentioned throughout will be familiar names to the reader.

Release for After Avalon

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18th Wall Production, After Avalon, Anthology, King Arthur, Questing Beast, The Saga of Freydis Beastsbane

It released on Friday, but here is the official announcement for the release of After Avalon. This anthology was put together by 18th Wall Productions and is one I am excited to read. You can get a copy on your Kindle now, and there is plans to have a paperback available in the near future.

Here is the synopsis for the anthology:

King Arthur is dead. Camelot has fallen. Britain drowns in Saxons.

These are the stories of what came after.

Merlin’s prophecies begin such, in introduction:

“In the days when Arthur’s dream was dimmed, as grey embers under storm, actors from our reverie still acted. A boy ventures into decaying Broceliande with the May Hawk’s daughter, both in search of fathers. Sir Gawain, bereft of his nation, rides in search of my tomb—but finds a friend turned enemy. In the Britain’s hour of need, the round table will be restored to defend Logres in the sky, in the London Blitz.

“My tutor, Bleys, will take a fool’s horse, and two adventurers will trace my dying steps across the world. Sir Lionel’s remains will visit the remains of the Arthurian world, and the Victorians will strive to make a gentleman of Mordred. The Questing Beast will never cease to haunt Pellinore’s line, no matter how far north they trend. The old witch, Morgan, will seek forgiveness. The holy lance will appear once more. And a queen who is no longer a queen will meet a knight who is no longer a knight, and both will marvel at the grave of the greatest king who served his country.

“These may be read, in full, inside.

“But I am tired now, and Nimue calls for me…”

An all-new anthology from the award-winning curator Nicole Petit, featuring stories by Colin Fisher, Leigh Ann Cowan, Amy Wolf, Thomas Olivieri, Jon Black, Patricia S. Bowne, Claudia Quint, David Wiley, Christian Bone, Patrick S. Baker, and Elizabeth Zuckerman.

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

Tags

Book Review, Holy Grail, King Arthur, Lancelot, Pellinore, Questing Beast, T.H. White, The Once and Future King

Given the buzz with King Arthur (if you haven’t seen the newly-released trailer for the upcoming movie, be sure to watch it today because it looks amazing) right now, paired with the fact that I finished reading a King Arthur book about a month ago, I thought it would be a good time to expound some thoughts on this book. I’ve read a fair number of pieces of Arthurian fiction, although I am a long ways from calling myself an expert or a scholar in Arthurian lore.

I was surprised, honestly, as the book progressed beyond the first part (Arthur growing up and eventually drawing the sword from the stone) to the last (Arthur’s final days). For a book on King Arthur, there was a lot more Lancelot and Guinevere than I had expected (part 3, being the largest, revolved around those two) and part two was mainly about the Orkney clan and Pellinore/Questing Beast. Certainly these things are all part of the Arthurian lore, and are equally important, but the title would have led me to expect a lot more about Arthur and his time as king and his conquests.

Speaking of Arthur, he is certainly put into a bad light in this one with the Lancelot/Guinevere affair, being in the know but never “actually” catching them in the act so able to keep from dealing justice on his friend and his wife. It plays him out as a willing accomplice to the whole ordeal, which happens fairly early in his marriage and continues on until they are all late in their lives. I couldn’t help but be disappointed in how White portrayed Arthur as an adult. Or how White made Pellinore a mockery with the Questing Beast, and how White had it so Arthur was telling a young Mallory, at the end, to write these stories down (and thus explaining the origins of Le Morte D’Arthur).

In spite of these things, there are two things that White did exceptionally well. The first was the dealings in the first part of the book. Arthur’s training with Merlin, and the shifting into various animals to gain experience in different traits he will need as a king. This is wonderful fun to read, and fans of the Disney cartoon Sword in the Stone will recognize some of the events along the way. I also was impressed by Lancelot. I know, I just complained about the lack of Arthur. But there were times when I found myself amazed that White, a self-proclaimed atheist, had so much Christianity rooted in Lancelot as well as the quest for the Holy Grail. And it was actually portrayed well, the sort of portrayal you would expect to find from a practicing Christian. The whole grail quest section was, perhaps, the area that stood out above the rest of the book and was worth reading the whole thing for that section alone. If I am ever graced with a chance at trying my hand at a Holy Grail retelling, this will be the first place I turn for inspiration.

So overall I did enjoy reading this book, and it is certainly deserving of a place on my bookshelf and in any Arthurian collection. It was a long read at a slow clip, but well-worth the time invested. It might not make a top 5 appearance on the best Arthurian fiction that I’ve read, but it was a fun experience that has me eager to dive back into Malory and Tennyson again, and into de Troyes for the first time.

What is your favorite Arthurian story? Favorite Arthurian author?

**For today only (7/25/2016) you can get a copy of King of Ages: A King Arthur Anthology on your Kindle for free. Be sure to grab a copy and leave a review!

A King Arthur Reading Guide

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A.A. Attanasio, Alfred Tennyson, Arthurian Romances, Chretien de Troyes, Idylls of the King, King Arthur, King of Ages, Le Morte D'Arthur, Medievalist Monday, Nancy McKenzie, Queen of Camelot, Sir Thomas Malory, T.H. White, The Dragon and the Unicorn, The Once and Future King

I have been enamored with the legend of King Arthur since I was a child, a fascination that continues still to this day. Over the years I have read the stories in many iterations and seen a handful of movies and television shows. As I have been working my way back through T.H. White’s The Once and Future King, I thought it would be a good time to cover some of the Medieval source material for the legend, as well as some more modern telling that I have enjoyed.

Before we begin, here are a few of the Medieval sources I will not be discussing in depth since I have not read them personally, nor do I know much beyond that they contain references, or pieces of, the Arthurian legend. The three I’ll mention are Geoffrey of Monmouth’s The History of the Kings of Britain, Layamon’s Brut, and the Welsh telling found in the Mabinogion.

1. Le Morte D’Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory. This here is the source of all major source material for the King Arthur legends. It is truly epic in its scope and material, but the method of storytelling back then was more episodic in nature than the novels we are used to reading today. This makes it both difficult for a modern reader to sit and enjoy, yet also makes it easy to pick up and read in short spurts. If you crave lengthy details and a straightforward, continuous narrative without seeming plot holes (such as a person who died in Book II reappearing in a later book) than this one might be a struggle. But oh how wonderful this book is to read! I cannot wait to dive in a second time, this time being the Norton Critical Edition.
2. Arthurian Romances by Chretien de Troyes. This is composed of five tales, Erec and Enide, Cligés, The Knight of the Cart, The Knight with the Lion, and The Story of the Grail. These were all written by the French author, de Troyes, who is said to have been the first to write about the Holy Grail quest. That just so happens to be one of my favorite tales, and is one of the best-known Arthurian stories out there. He wrote these in the 12th century, which predates Mallory by a few centuries and I understand there are some clear inspirations for Mallory in here. It is the next book I plan to read as soon as I finish The Once and Future King and cannot wait to find out how this stacks up to the others on this list.
3. Idylls of the King by Alfred Tennyson. I find that I can relate a lot to Tennyson, as he was also a life-long fan of the Arthurian legend. He spent twenty years working on the composition of these twelve epic poems, which are lyrical and elegant and absolutely enjoyable to read. He hits upon many of the major stories in the Arthurian legend, though he clearly could hit upon them all in twelve poems. In many ways he embodied King Arthur with the virtues valued by his Victorian time period. Overall this is a fantastic read worth having in any collection.
4. The Once and Future King by T.H. White. Of course this also would need to be considered a required reading for King Arthur. Drawing much inspiration from Mallory, even at times directly referencing Mallory’s works and pointing the reader there for a full, better description of the events that transpire. The first part of this book is clearly where Disney pulled inspiration for parts of their Sword in the Stone cartoon adaptation, which should be a comfortable and comforting beginning. Part one follows Arthur as a young child being raised in King Ector’s court and ends around the time that Arthur becomes the king. Part two focuses primarily on the Orkney children and King Pellinore/the Questing Beast. Part three is heavily about Sir Lancelot, including his relations with Guinevere and Elaine, and also includes the Grail quest. The last part concerns the final weeks of Arthur’s reign as king. This one is a great one and a solid place to begin because it has a foot in the Medieval inspiration and one in the modern tellings.

And then for those interested in modern retellings that stray from the usual approach seen in the four works above, these are two of the best and most unique I have encountered so far.

1. Queen of Camelot by Nancy McKenzie. This book takes the approach of following Guinevere from her birth on through the entire series of events. While I know many look to Bradley’s Mists of Avalon for a female-led Arthurian story I found that I simply couldn’t get into Bradley’s tale. I pushed on for half the book before finally setting it aside. Which makes me appreciate McKenzie’s telling even more, as I found this one nearly ten years ago and have loved it since. It was, for a long time, the first book I would recommend to everyone and I am yet to have someone read it and be disappointed. Which means that you should read it, too.
2. The Dragon and the Unicorn by A.A. Attanasio. This one is interesting. Perhaps the most unique King Arthur telling I have ever read so far, this one captured my imagination years ago. I suppose I can do no better at selling this than the blurb, apart from emphasizing that this one was ridiculously good, and that there are four books in the series and it’ll be memorable!

This epic retells Arthurian legend with a cosmic spin. Old as the Big Bang, the demon Lailoken assumes human form in Roman Britain as Celts battle Saxons for mastery. The witch-queen he serves calls him Merlinus and sends him to find her true love. Led by a unicorn and hunted by a dragon vast as the planet, Merlinus matches wits with gods and elves as he weaves the destiny of the most famous king.

3. King of Ages: A King Arthur Anthology. Yes, I had to include this one here. If you haven’t picked up a copy yet of this anthology of stories, you are missing out on an interesting collection. Merlin lives backwards through time (something that is also present in The Once and Future King) and each story places Merlin and Arthur at some point in time together. My own story, “The Saga of Artur Uthersson”, is in here along with many other excellent stories. If you haven’t picked up a copy yet, this is going to be FREE tomorrow through Thursday (6/21/16-6/23/16) on the Kindle, so be sure to snag it while you can!

 

What are your favorite Arthurian stories? Have you read any of the ones on this list? Are there ones I missed that you would recommend?

Scholarly Saturday: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

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King Arthur, poem, Poetry Month, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Thomas Percy

Because April is Poetry Month, each Saturday I am going to discuss one of my favorite poetic works as well as a shorter poem to read and discuss here on the blog and/or Facebook and Twitter. So jump in on the conversation and discuss what you thought of the poem, as well as if you have read the longer one being featured.

It is no surprise to many that I am a huge King Arthur fan. After all, I wrote a short story that was published in the King of Ages: A King Arthur Anthology. One of my favorite poems was written by an anonymous poet in the 14th century, known as either the Pearl-Poet or the Gawain-Poet (depending on who you ask). There are four poems typically credited to this poet, the two most popular being Pearl as well as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. These two poems were both translated by J.R.R. Tolkien during his career, and I highly recommend his translation of them both if you can get your hands on it!

As you can guess by the title, this poem follows Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur’s court, and his dealings with the mysterious Green Knight. The poem begins with a Christmas feast at Arthur’s court when this tall Green Knight barges in and throws open a challenge to any man present. The terms: they may strike him once on the neck with an axe and, the following year, they must allow the Green Knight to do the same to them. When no man rushes forward to take up the challenge, Sir Gawain accepts and his journey begins. What transpires in King Arthur’s court is nothing more than the opening scene to a sweeping adventure where judgment and morals will be questioned and things are not always quite what they appear to be. It is a tale with a great moral message, and perhaps my favorite Arthurian story out there.

Given the age of the poem, there are many free translations available to read online, although I still recommend investing in the Tolkien translation. Here are links to both options:

Free online translation
Amazon link to Tolkien’s translation

There is a set of excellent poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson, The Idylls of the King, which all pertain to parts of the King Arthur legend and this is well-worth reading for any King Arthur fan. Tolkien composed a fragment of an Arthurian poem as well, which was published only a few years ago: The Fall of Arthur.

For a shorter Arthurian poem to read and discuss, I present you with “The Legend of King Arthur” by Thomas Percy. It was written back in the 17th/18th century, so the spelling is, at times, archaic, but it all should be understandable with reasonable effort.

Read the poem here and then come back with your initial thoughts. What did you like about the poem? What didn’t you like about it?  Any comments in general?

Also, have you read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?

Book Review – King of Ages: A King Arthur Anthology

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Anthology, Book Review, david wiley, King Arthur, King of Ages, Merlin, short story, Uffda Press

King of Ages: A King Arthur Anthology

 

Containing the following Short Stories:

“Unto His Final Breath” by Mike Morgan

“The Siege of Battle-Station Camelot” by Patrick S. Baker

“Arturia” by David W. Landrum

“Twilight’s First Dreaming” by Paola K. Amaras

“Arthurus Rex Tempus, Rex Eternae” by Alex Ness

“The Trek” by Philip Kuan

“If this Grail Be Holy” by P. Andrew Miller

“She Who Makes Us Free” by Joanna Michal Hoyt

“Lord of the Plains” by Doug Goodman

“The Challenge” by C.A. Rowland

“Pirate King” by Josh Brown

“The Saga of Artur Uthersson” by David Wiley

“The Breaking Dawn” by Dale W. Glaser

 

Published by Uffda Press on 8/2/2015

334 Pages (Paperback)

Blurb: A fresh take on a legendary tale, this anthology of thirteen short stories is a testament to just how eternal and timeless the story of King Arthur truly is.

One recurring aspect of Arthurian literature is the notion that he will one day return as a messiah to save his people. Another hallmark of the King Arthur legend is that Merlin—wizard, prophet, and Arthur’s most trusted advisor—lives backwards through time. What if Merlin was actually advising multiple reincarnations of King Arthur during various points, and places, in time and history? And what if this all began at the end of time?

King of Ages is an anthology like no other, showcasing stories that re-imagine King Arthur at several points in history, from the end of days all the way to the beginning of mankind.

My Take: All bias aside, this is an excellent collection of stories that re-imagine King Arthur through various time periods and acting in various situations. Some of the tales take on a traditional feel, while others are extremely innovative in their approach. Arthur and Merlin are the constants in every tale, although not always with those exact names, and many other gems of Arthurian legend are scattered throughout the thirteen stories in this anthology. It was almost as much fun picking out those references as it was reading the stories themselves, but that is my own love of Arthurian legend talking.

I absolutely love the concept behind this anthology, as it poses the idea of Merlin travelling backwards through time, with the first story coming at the end of the universe and working its way back to ancient times. There are a solid set of futuristic tales to begin the anthology and, honestly, I wished there had been more historical fiction tales in this anthology. I loved the pirate tale and, of course, my own, but the possibility of Ancient Rome, late-Renaissance or even Victorian-era tales are a glaring omission. Of course the publisher can only accept the stories that get pitched so that is no fault toward this anthology. It just would have been nice to see more tales taking place more than a century removed from our own.

As with any set of tales, there are ones I enjoyed more than others. There are some absolutely fantastic stories on display here, and I will state that even the stories that didn’t really appeal to my tastes at least had excellent writing. The collection of authors who are pooled together in this book are truly amazing and talented and I am honored to have my own story stand alongside theirs.

If you love Sci-Fi, if you love Fantasy, or if you love all things King Arthur than do yourself a favor and get a copy of this book. By the end you will agree that it was well worth the time invested to explore this interesting and fresh approach on the Arthurian legend.