The Book of Gaheris: An Arthurian Tale

by Kari Sperring

No one remembers Gaheris when they talk about the Orkney clan, and he likes it that way. But then, without any intent on his part, that all changes. Against every expectation, Gaheris finds himself up to his neck in intrigue, deception, violence, murder, and old secrets. Clouds gather over Camelot, threatening to destroy all that Arthur and Guenever have built, and Gaheris may be all that stands between Arthur's noble kingdom and disaster.

Award-winning fantasy author and mediaeval historian Kari Sperring has woven a powerful tale of passion and intrigue featuring some of the lesser known members of King Arthur’s court. Opening with a new short story and following with four sequential novellas, two of them previously unpublished, The Book of Gaheris charts the life of one of the least recognised but most significant knights of the round table.

The book closes with an afterword by the author detailing the background and motivation that lies behind this portmanteau work.

“Astute, emotional, precise, steeped in lore, The Book of Gaheris is a splendid addition to the great Arthuriana storyworld as it compassionately and adeptly opens up a new angle on lesser known and equally compelling characters.” – Kate Elliott

“Gaheris is a neglected character in the Arthurian cycle, here triumphantly brought to life in these four linked novellas. This vividly rendered version of the Arthurian world of the high Middle Ages is interwoven with magic and mystery of the far past. The book’s freshness and originality will certainly ensure its permanent place in the canon of Arthurian fiction.” – Cherith Baldry

“Beautifully written, with characters I won't soon forget – The Book of Gaheris is a wonderful addition to the Arthurian canon.” – Judith Tarr

Genres: Fantasy, Arthurian

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 11, 2023

About the author

Dr Kari Maund lectures and writes on the medieval history of the Celtic countries. As Kari Sperring, she also writes fiction.

Reviews

[Samantha]

DNF

I was really looking forward to this as i I love Gaheris, my favorite of the Orkney boys. This books grammar and sentence structure are horrible! Bad punchy grammar, and the book reads awful. Could not finish. The story had no flow, and writing is very poor.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the characterization of everyone in this! Everyone is fleshed out and has great chemistry with each other. They truly feel like complex people with intertwined histories.

As always, Mordred (in this version, spelled Medraut [AND his brothers nicknamed him Mouse 🖤 which is so cute]) won my favor the most. But all of the Orkney brothers charmed me 😊

I adore Sperring's version of the whole Gaheris beheading his mother bit and the turmoil that Agravain and Medraut cause. It fits her interpretation of the characters very well, enhancing their depth, and is just as dramatic, if not more so, than the version I know from Le Morte d'Arthur.

I have just two complaints: 1) at times, the language used felt too modern and pulled me out of the time period and 2) it is evident that Sperring had no editor. There are a few grammar mistakes - mostly punctuation errors, but also some paragraph formating errors (not starting a new paragraph for a new speaker and non-indented paragraphs) and one spelling mistake that I recall ("I earn" with an uppercase i when it should have been "learn" with a lowercase L). Nothing that detracts from this fabulous tale, but again, something that pulls you out of it.

[Lina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kari Sperring is criminally underrated. I read The Grass King's Concubine as a teenager and it's stayed with me ever since. This collection of novellas about Gaheris is equally excellent, and Sperring's prose is as beautiful as ever.

I read The Serpent Rose several years ago and it made a considerable impression, so it was lovely to re-enter Sperring's Arthurian world and her version of the Orkney brothers. The afterword was an interesting glance into the composition behind the stories, and though it's clear from the stories themselves how grounded the author is in Arthurian literature, it was nice to learn a little more about how Sperring formed her take.

Only the most minor of criticisms really - whoever copyedited this didn't do a wonderful job but that's hardly the author's job. I definitely preferred the first two novellas - the third is my least favourite, as I'm afraid I was just not that taken by Thorn as a narrator, and felt it might have stood stronger on its own than as part of this cycle - but that was a matter of taste, not any quibble with the actual writing. Might also have been slightly stronger for more of Luned and Llinos's relationship. Gaheris remains fairly opaque, somebody 'with the trouble inside him' as Llinos says of him, and all the more fascinating for it.

All in all, The Serpent Rose is still probably my favourite of all these, but they were all excellent reads.

[James Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

With sharp and insightful prose, award winning author Kari Sperring relates three beguiling novellas in the life of a lesser known Arthurian knight in 'The Book of Gaheris'. There is magic, peril and adventure on a par with the best tales in the mythos, but the stories shine most with their vivid and authentic characterisations, letting the reader truly get to know the heroes in the legendary court of Camelot. The author clearly has a love of the source material and a worthy knowledge of all things medieval, presenting a grounded take on the eponymous knight, his (somewhat dysfunctional) family and the various intrigues that surround him.

As the author states in her afterword, the Matter of Britain has always invited all kinds of fresh perspectives and ideas, and 'The Book of Gaheris' rides out to do so with aplomb.

Recommended for all lovers of the milieu.

[Karen Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read other versions of the tales of these knights in King Arthur’s court: Gawain, Agravaine, Gareth, and Gaheris, but none that pulled me so strongly into the reality of these men’s lives, as strange and magical and difficult as they were. This story is told in four novellas, each focusing on a different aspect of the life of Gaheris, the youngest brother among the Orkneys (as they’re called, and where they’re from). Gaheris’ story involves love and honor, but pain and sorrow and magic. And family.

If you like tales of King Arthur’s knights, this is for you. And Gaheris was always my favorite of the brothers.

[R.F. Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, with winning, human characters and some utterly gut-wrenching twists delivered so subtly, this is a wonderful take on Arthurian tales. Heartbreaking and deeply moving.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing and characterisation is great as usual but I was disappointed to find two previously published novellas formed the bulk of this title. A lesson to read book blurbs before buying!

[Jacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book of four novellas, each narrated by a different character and each outlining an incident in the life of Gaheris, one of the five Princes of Orkney, sons of King Lot who rebelled against King Arthur. The Serpent Rose and The Rose Knot, the first two novellas have been previously published and I have read both, but I was glad to revisit them and then continue on to the final two. The Orkney boys are - in birth order - Gawain, Agravaine, Gareth, Gaheris and their half-brother Medraut. Gawain is the most famous, of course, and Gaheris seems unremarkable in comparison, but here Kari Sperring brings out his importance to Arthur, the Round Table and those around him. The Orkney brothers are hot-tempered and argumentative, and Agravaine, in particular, doesn't like Gaheris and takes every opportunity to make that plain. Gaheris, tall and powerful, has the Orkney temper, but we mostly see him overcoming it. Even Arthur remarks that he is a man made for peace in a time of war. Each novella is narrated by a different character, Gaheris himself, Llinos, his brother Gareth's wife, Thorn, a half-magical woman who recounts the first and second time she met Gaheris, and Gawain whose account is sad and self-recriminatory. The Sepent Rose recounts the story of Lamorak, his infatuation with Gaheris is a problem and Lamorak's eventual downfall. The Rose Knot tells of Ghaeris and Llinos's brief, illicit relationship, eventually resolved. In the third novella, the half-magical woman, Thorn recounts the first time she met Gaheris as his brother's squire, and the second time when he comes to her domain in rags and lifts an ancient curse. The final novella, ten years later, has Gawain blaming himself for the consequences of Agravain's rebellion against Arthur. It ends just as the battle of Camlann, Arthur's final battle, is about to begin. Kari Sperring's prose is fluid and elegant, her research into the original sounces (recounted at the end) is impeccable. I love this book.

[Tabby Shiflett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three Arthurian tales written by a historian, some expanded and some reinvented, that offer new twists on old concepts. At first, after reading most of the first tale, I was leaning toward a 3 Star rating because the flow of the writing was slowing the pace of the story; however, upon viewing another review that mentions the layout and the author's note at the end, I pushed on through and was pleasantly surprised. The rest of the first tale and the two remaining ones were much easier to navigate. I ended up loving the interpretations of the characters and thoroughly enjoyed the stories. Although at the end, I think the Afterward would help readers understand the author's intent if included near the beginning as an introduction instead. For history buffs and fans of Arthurian legends.

LibraryThing Early Reviewer

[Karen Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read other versions of the tales of these knights in King Arthur’s court: Gawain, Agravaine, Gareth, and Gaheris, but none that pulled me so strongly into the reality of these men’s lives, as strange and magical and difficult as they were. This story is told in four novellas, each focusing on a different aspect of the life of Gaheris, the youngest brother among the Orkneys (as they’re called, and where they’re from). Gaheris’ story involves love and honor, but pain and sorrow and magic. And family.

If you like tales of King Arthur’s knights, this is for you. And Gaheris was always my favorite of the brothers.