Book Review: Arthurian Romances by Chrétain de Troyes

Tags

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.

Advertisement

Fourteen Books I’m Excited About That Are Coming Out in 2016

Tags

B&H Kids, Bloomsbury USA Childrens, Concordia Publishing House, Disney-Hyperion, Feiwel & Friends, Gene A. Getz, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jamie Blosser, Jeffrey Hammer, Marissa Meyer, Michael Clary, Moody Publishers, Our Sunday Visitor, Penguin Books, Permuted Platinum, Priscilla Shirer, R. Southern, Revell, Rick Riordan, Roger Patterson, Sarah J. Maas, Tim Keller, Tim Tebow, Tony Evans, Tyndale House Publishers, Waterbrook

It is September already, and just because we’re on the tail end of the calendar year doesn’t mean that the great new books are already on the shelves. Here are some of the books I’m looking forward to reading that are coming out later this year:

• Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas, Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on September 6, 2016
  • Okay, so this book came out ten days ago. So what? This one deserves to make the list because the Throne of Glass series is a wonderful YA Fantasy series and I’m hooked on it. So is my wife, which a testament to how excellent this series is. The hardest thing will be choosing when to read this one, knowing it’ll be some time before the next book might come out…
• Positively Medieval: The Surprising, Dynamic, Heroic Church of the Middle Ages by Jamie Blosser, Published by Our Sunday Visitor, Releases on September 22, 2016
  • I love all things Medieval, and the history of the church in the Middle Ages is certainly something right up my alley for interest. The title really makes me want to find out what the church did that was so dynamic and heroic!
• The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan, Published by Disney-Hyperion, Releases on October 4, 2016
  • This is probably the #2 book that I am excited about on this list. I absolutely loved the first Magnus Chase book when I listened to it last year, and I have no doubt that Riordan will deliver once again with this book. Now that I am more familiar with the Norse mythology, I’ll be able to delightedly pick up on the many references steeped throughout the text.
• Camelot Rising by Michael Clary, Published by Permuted Platinum, Releases on October 4, 2016
  • Okay, so I didn’t even know this series existed and I have not read the first book yet. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be excited about the second book in a King Arthur series coming out, right? After all, I have a weakness for Arthurian fiction…

 

• Kingdom Prayer: Touching Heaven to Change Earth by Tony Evans, Published by Moody Publishers, Releases on October 4, 2016
  • I loved his book, Kingdom Man, and it is a book I plan to reread again in the near future. Prayer is an area where I need to improve, and I have a feeling that this book might be exactly what I need to spark an improved prayer life.

 

• 

  

  The Prince Warriors and the Unseen Invasion / Unseen: The Prince Warriors 365 Devotional by Priscilla Shirer, Published by B&H Kids, Releases on October 15, 2016

  • Last weekend I was in the local Family Christian store and saw the first book of this series. I was intrigued and made a mental note that I wanted to pick it up eventually and read it. Imagine my surprise when I was able to get a digital copy of the first book to read this week. While I haven’t started in on it yet, I feel confident placing the second book on this list. And a companion devotional for Middle Graders? I’ll be taking notes on how I could do the same thing with my own writing!
• Shaken by Tim Tebow, Published by Waterbrook, Releases on October 25, 2016
  • I still haven’t read Tebow’s first book, but I have it on good authority from a wonderful book blogger that it was an excellent read. I’ve been a fan of Tebow for a while now, and this book promises to deliver a very interesting read.

 

• The Penguin History of the Church: Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages by R. Southern, Published by Penguin, Releases on October 27, 2016
  • This is a Kindle release of a book that has been out in paperback for some time, but I am still excited about this one. Two books on the Medieval Church history? The Medievalist in me approves!

 

• The Measure of a Man: Twenty Attributes of a Godly Man by Gene A. Getz, Published by Revell, Releases on November 1, 2016
  • This is an updated rerelease of a bestselling book, and one that I didn’t know existed until now. You’ll see the pattern repeated with a few more books further down the list, but I love reading books relating to Biblical Manhood. It is a topic that just doesn’t get discussed enough yet is so critical to the future of this nation and the church.
• The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun by J.R.R Tolkien, Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, Releases on November 3, 2016
  • Two new Tolkien books in one year? While I still need to pick up a copy of Kullervo (I had won a copy on Twitter that never arrived…I’m not bitter at all about that…) this book has me interested enough to have it claim the top spot over the Magnus Chase book. They can keep on publishing anything and everything Tolkien and I will keep on buying
• Heartless by Marissa Meyer, Published by Feiwel & Friends, Releases on November 8, 2014
  • Confession: I haven’t read Meyer’s bestselling Lunar Chronicles series. Not a word of it. It is still on my exhaustive TBR list, but maybe I can redeem myself by keeping up with this new book which takes place in Wonderland. I’m a huge fan of Carroll’s books, so this one probably has a greater personal appeal than fairy tale retellings and I am eager to see how this turns out.
• Man Up!: The Quest for Masculinity by Jeffrey Hammer, Published by Concordia Publishing House, Releases on November 22, 2016
  • As mentioned above, I am a huge proponent for Biblical Manhood and so any Christian books written on manhood are going to be on my radar. I already love the book from some of the description on the blurb, such as describing manhood as being counter-cultural (which real manhood certainly is right now) and to gain the standard from manhood by looking at Jesus as an example. Words can’t describe my eagerness to dive into this one.
• Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller, Published by Penguin Books, Releases on December 6, 2016
  • I love Tim Keller’s work, and I’m guessing this book is a must-read for every Christian. Being able to explain your faith in a way that can reach the people of this world today is a critical thing to be able to do. And he should know how to do this effectively, having led a church in the heart of New York for many, many years.
• A Minute of Vision for Men: 365 Motivational Moments to Kick-Start Your Day by Roger Patterson, Published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Releases on December 6, 2016
  • I’ll be on the look-out for a new men’s devotional soon, and this one sounds like it might just be what I’m needing. I’ve had mixed success with devotionals for men, but this shows real promise. With this to start my day, I hope to finally fulfill the words in Tony Evans’ Kingdom Man: “A kingdom man is the kind of man that when his feet hit the floor each morning the devil says, ‘Oh crap, he’s up!’”

 

So there are the fourteen (well, fifteen if you count the Prince Warriors devotional) books that are coming out between now and the new year that I am excited about. What books are you looking forward to reading?