The High Kings

by Joy Chant

An imaginative recreation of the Arthurian world, a retelling of some of the stories from Geoffrey of Monmouth.

Genres: Fantasy, Arthurian, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Mythology, Speculative Fiction

237 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1983

About the author

Joy Chant is the pen name of Eileen Joyce Rutter. She is a British fantasy writer, best known for the three House of Kendreth novels, published 1970 to 1983. Born in London, she started writing in her early teens. She began publishing her writing while working as a Schools Librarian in London. She attended college in Wales, where her father had been stationed during World War II. Later, she lived with her husband and children in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.

Red Moon and Black Mountain won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award in 1972. The Grey Mane of Morning was a runner for the same award in 1981, with tenth place in the Locus Poll Award the same year. When Voiha Wakes won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award in 1984. The High Kings, which took second place in the Locus Poll Award, won the 1984 World Fantasy Special Award for Professional Work. lieutenant was also a nominee of the Hugo Award for Best Non-Fiction Book.

Reviews

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have referenced this book in talks, pored over the illustrations, marveled at the complexities of the age of Bards (who kept cultural history alive in an illiterate age) and generally enjoyed this compilation and historical title.

[SmokingMirror · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celtic mythology, much of it based on Geoffrey of Monmouth, but framed by an Arthur as Romano-British war leader story which has only an implied ending. The last sequence is an original take on the legend of Arthur in a more mythological recounting.

I enjoyed reading it so much that I lingered over it for several days. The paintings add to the enjoyment, and not only do not detract from the words but contribute to the storytelling, not always a given with books in the fantasy genre.

Maybe it is not the classic that five stars implies, but it evokes a lovely sense of Celtic longing.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look at the high kings of Britain. It helps understand the connection to the Romans and what the designation "high king" denotes. It isn't strictly history, but then that period of history depended a lot on oral history

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful retelling of many Celtic myths as well as the 'High Kings'. The language is beautiful although the style can be heavy going.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chance to read & review this unusual book

[Neil · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

This was just not what I was expecting.
I found the way it was written very heavy and just could not get into the story.

[Dwayne Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was all right, but not as good as Castles. It's all serviceable, and it filled in some gaps in my knowledge of the legends of Britain before Arthur.

Castles had a neutral non-fiction editorial tone, with the main artistic expression coming from Alan Lee's pencil. The art in The High Kings is a downgrade but still serviceable fantasy illustration.

The writing is the bigger problem.

It's a mix of short non-fiction essays interspersed with longer re-tellings of pre-Arthurian legends of the Britons and Celts that inhabited "The Island of the Mighty" before the Saxons. These fictional re-tellings are based on the fragmentary remains of Celtic legend and myth, framed by small scenes of Arthur and his knights (rendered as more period-appropriate Celtic warlord and his warband, instead of the familiar but anachronistic Medieval take).

The downside is that in this format, the book very much takes on the authorial voice and style of Joy Chant which is...pretty middling and forgettable. She wrote three fantasy novels in the 70s which were fairly well regarded in their time but today she comes off as dry. I also suspect she's injecting a fair bit of 20th century mindset into this.

I assume most people come to this as "I want to know about pre-Arthurian legends" and not "I want to hear Joy Chant's take on pre-Arthurian legends". I don't think her filter is adding much value.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good heavens, this is a gorgeous book. Admittedly that cover mustache originally put me off.

The George Sharp illustrations elevate it even beyond the deep and considered legend-derived stories and brief essays into Celtic culture. With the full-page artwork and glossy pages you have a full-on artifact worthy of any art library.

Chant strips the late Medieval / Norman (?) trappings from the Arthurian cycle and returns it to the late Roman / post-Roman era, with all the culture conflicts and era-straddling concepts. Foreshadowing is woven through the framing device, of Arthur's warband trading stories of earlier heroes until Arthur himself and the battle of Camlann brings about the apocalyptic end. The tale is subtly different, plumbing new themes but the same betrayals and human failures that are all baked into the design.

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories that I had never heard before (except the ones about Arthur at the end, and those were different from the various versions I was familiar with), giving me more background on Arthurian stories, which I have long enjoyed. I can't say I enjoyed reading them as much as some other retellings of legends connected with Arthur, because the writing style didn't really engage me, but I learned quite a bit from the book.

[Jonathan Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chant offers several bits of insight about the Celts and some good background stories about the kings before Arthur. It is broken up into sections, so it is not really a continuous narrative.

[Reuben · Rating 4 out of 5]

RIYL classical heroic tales like the Iliad

Well written collection of tales that captures the spirit of old stories like the Iliad or the funeral of Sigfried

[Reuben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well told collection of folk tales in the spirit of the Funeral of Sigfried.

[Ryan Ricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book and splendid illustrations

[Peat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mix of Brythonic myth, Arthurian retelling vignettes, and notes on ancient Celtic culture. The first are the best, but an interesting read all in all.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging retellings of British mythology - modern language versions of Geoffrey of Monmouth that don't lose the stories' essential weirdness. The illustrations are gorgeous and worth the book even if you don't read a thing.

[Brenda Clough · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of retellings of Celtic myths and legends. Very well done, and with the most gorgeous illustrations.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the illustrations.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got to the end of the book and started reading it again. It was wonderful

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of Celtic tales. Loved the visual and magnificent story telling!

**I received a copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a review**

[Walter Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent reference for High kings of Great Britain that draws on, but diparages Ireland's his story.