Sleepless Knights

by Mark H. Williams

It's not easy being the man behind the myth.Sir Lucas is butler to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table - the person who managed every quest from behind the scenes. He's a man whose average working day involved defeating witches and banishing werewolves, while ensuring the Royal pot of tea never crossed the thin line separating 'brewed' from 'stewed.' What's more, 1,500 years after that golden age, he's still doing it - here in the modern world, right under our noses.When King Arthur and six of his knights are exposed as living among us, Merlin is unleashed and a grim apocalypse unfolds, uncovering secrets from the past that King Arthur would rather stay buried. When Lucas is forced to confront his own peculiar destiny, will he choose to sacrifice his true love and lay down his life in the service of his master? Sleepless Knights  is a tale of high adventure and warm humor, with a spring in its step, a twinkle in its eye and, at its heart, the ultimate butler."I suggest you find something to hold on to," I said. "I fancy this will be somewhat unorthodox."I edged the car onto the embankment at the side of the road, which got progressively steeper the closer we got to the tanker. Realising that I was not about to stop for him, or indeed his vehicle, the driver ran for the safety of the surrounding fields. Between the cab of the tanker and the side of the road there was a gap exactly half the width of the Jaguar. I took the last few metres of the embankment at top speed.The car swung up onto its right side. The wheels left the ground, and we shot up and clear through the gap. The weight of the Grail on the roof turned us upside down in mid-air, and the momentum of the jump flipped us back round again in a perfect side roll. We landed upright on the road, on the other side of the tanker, just as its engine caught fire.The world exploded.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mythology, Arthurian, Adventure, Humor

410 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

About the author

I’m a freelance writer of scripts, books and plays.

Forthcoming productions include Here Be Monsters (Theatr Iolo, touring Wales, July – August 2013) and a stage adaptation of Jason & The Argonauts (Courtyard Hereford, touring England, September – autumn 2013).

My debut novel Sleepless Knights, a fantasy novel about King Arthur’s butler, is published in August 2013 by Atomic Fez books.

I’ve written two UK-touring stage adaptations for The Birmingham Stage Company. Horrible Histories: The Frightful First World War (2009; nominated for a Manchester Evening News award for Best Family Show) and Horrible Science (2010). Both plays were based on the best-selling books published by Scholastic. Horrible Science is re-touring the UK in the autumn of 2013.

Past theatre projects include The Theatre Of Doom! for the Courtyard Hereford, Zufall for Cwmni Theatr 3D, Young Merlin for the Sherman Theatre Company, Everything Gets Eaten with the Desperate Men Theatre Company, Use It Or Lose It for Dirty Protest and Opera Max: 9 Stories High for Welsh National Opera.

I’ve written extensively for radio, including My Dog’s Got No Nose, Weekend Film Matinee and My Kind Of Wales for BBC Wales, and The Bethan & Huw Show for BBC Radio One. Television work includes the sketch show Lucky Bag, and I was a sitcom finalist in the inaugural BBC Talent scheme.

I’m currently developing new projects with National Theatre Wales, and a main-stage play for a family audience based on Arthurian legend with the Torch Theatre.

Reviews

[Heidi Wiechert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arthur and his knights have lived on in a real, not metaphorical, way and are continuing the quest Arthur began when he founded Camelot. Sir Lucas, Arthur's butler, is still performing the services he gave in ages past. Cooking food, cleaning clothes, sharpening swords, hiding bodies... you know, usual butler stuff.

"Get rid of the body. Like you did last time." "Last time, Sir Kay, was just over a hundred years ago." "So?" "Such matters are not as... straightforward as they once were." pg 10

And, as time passes, his life has gotten much more complicated. However, Lucas, and the others, continue on, because they have bound their eternal lives to the quest.

"I, Knight of the Round Table, swear loyalty to my fellow Knights, and to uphold the code of our glorious and Eternal Quest. An eye for unrest. A sword to the tyrant. A shield for the weak. To never lack in courage, mercy, generosity and grace. In the name of Almighty God and the King." pg 44

This tale, a twist on the Arthurian legends, has humor and heart. I enjoyed it a lot.

"Behold - Excalibur," she said. As she did not immediately offer it to me, I beheld it for what I hoped was an appropriate interval. pg 103

Sleepless Knights would probably be most appreciated by readers who know, at least a bit, of the mythology of King Arthur and his knights. But I don't think it's absolutely necessary to enjoy the story.

I think this book is appropriate for ages spanning from young adults to the young in spirit.

[Mark Flowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

SLJ review to come.

[Arthurianmaiden · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story follows Lucas, Lancelot, Gawain, Pellinore, Percival and Arthur living in the modern England and following the Eternal Quest, mixing the tales in modern times to flashbacks that explain what happened to them to reach that point.
If I could describe this book in simple words it would be: Good start but really disappointing by the end. Yes, I was VERY disappointed by it.
I decided to divide this review in pros and cons so there will be spoilers especially in the second part of the CONS reasons (under the html spoiler), I'll just say that I am glad I've read it even if I was disappointed by it because it had some really good parts and the idea was generally good.

PROS:
- Lucan, Lancelot, Beaumanis, Guinevere and Kay are actually well written characters. In particular I loved the idea of Guinevere fighting at Camlann and how her character was written. Lancelot even if he doesn't appear too much seems quite a likable character too.
- The idea of Kay as the one who, living eternally with the others, wrote the arthurian legends we know, with the corrections and censorship, is wonderful.
- Some parts were extremely fun, especially the ones in modern time at the beginning and some of the parts at Guinevere's party.
- The Grail was a splendid idea. The object can cook and heal every wound and so Excalibur and its scabbard were nice addition. The curse of the scabbard was very satisfying.
- I loved the structure of the narration, how it went back and forward again to slowly unravel and develop the reasons behind the story.
- The end and Lucas's role was surprising and I loved it.
- Kay was the best. Kay is one of my favourite characters and it was great to see him among the protagonists.

CONS:
- The main plot in modern times was weak. The reason why the knights decided to wake/call Merlin (accidentally calling the Apocalypse too) was... weak. It felt more like a random idea put there just to let the plot progress.
- Many scenes felt useless. There just for the humor. Yes, they were funny sometimes but- what was the point?
- Morgana was a flat villain who wasn't even really there. There was mostly no conflict in the book. The knights wander at the beginning, with no real reason they call the Apocalypse and fight dragons? Okay, seem cool but what's the point? I definitely preferred the story in the past.
- Many of the characters were extremely flat. Arthur in primis. Arthur was the worst character of the book. He is arrogante, crude, rude, distasteful. I simply hated him and all his angst. Gosh. It really did NOT make me sympathize for him at all. I don't know if this was the purpose of the author but what sense to avoid having Mordred King if the alternative is Arthur?
- The antidramatic susprise. Okay. This is the main reason why this book disappointed so much. The blurb says "[...]uncovering secrets from the past that King Arthur would rather stay unburied.". Great! I'll really go into details for this part.
We are in the middle of the book and we are at a banquet/tournamente for Guinevere's birthday, in Camelot times. Lucas and Beaumanis exchange their stories about that day and we find out that there is a mysteryous knight called Knight X who always win at tournaments, we also find out that everyone think Guinevere and Lancelot are lovers but both Beaumanis and some others think that's only gossip, Arthur is very lovely with Guinevere but she doesn't seem particularly taken with him, Mordred gave to Guinevere the Cup of Shame as gift. The Cup of Shame is a cup in legends that spill the wine of unfaithful lovers.
Alright. The first thing I tought among these events was the most obvious one: Knight X is Lancelot, Lancelot and Guinevere are really lovers. Which is the most common and ordinary explanation. But then I looked at the blurb and the book promised me secrets to uncover. This is arthurian legends. Everyone knows that Lancelot wins at tournamente and that Lancelot and Guinevere are lovers, so I truly expected something different also because the book really seemed to do anything possible to look original.
I imagined everything: Is Knight X actually Guinevere? Maybe Knight X is Lucan? Maybe Arthur and Lancelot are lovers?
I was wrong. The explanation was the anti dramatic, banal one. The great secret: Lancelot is Knight X and he is Guinevere's lover. Surprise. Yes, surprise indeed.
- Another thing I disliked is the reason why the knights are in this Eternal Quest. The Eternal Quest means living forever, keeping alive legends of arthuriana and keeping the Grail safe from wrong people. The fact is that Arthur made the choice to not go help Camelot while Camelot was under Mordred's reign and people try to rebel because he wanted to keep Lancelot away from Guinevere. And because of this pathetic sad manpain, Arthur decided to leave Camelot in ruin and live the Eternal Quest.
- Arthur. Have I already said this? This is the worst Arthur I have ever read along with Hume's one.
- Mysteries are discovered and so are secrets (yes, I am talking about Lucas's role) but without giving the reader the clues to try to guess them or manage to say "ahhh, so that's what was it!" when the reader reads what happens so the end comes out as a bit out of the blue and out of what seemed the direction of the novel but not in a good way.
- The Lancelot-Guinevere-Arthur thing becomes a thing between Arthur and Lancelot. Arthur is angry at Lancelot and we don't know much what he feels for Guinevere, as if Guinevere doesn't even exist in the triangle because she is not a bro and doesn't follow the bros before hoes code.


To conclude this, yes, I am disappointed in many things, but I also liked some parts and definitely some characters so I am glad I've read this book.

[Rusty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine if you can that King Arthur and six of his knights are living today. Not only that they live just down the street from you. If your imagination takes you this far you will enjoy this humorous read. Its scenario is just as described, not just down the street from you, but living today. And, they have a butler named Lucas! What’s more Lucas is telling this delightful tale.

Lucas managed the knight quests, behind the scenes, of course. His day includes dispensing of witches and getting rid of any nosy, mischievous werewolves. Plus he always brews, never stews, the Royal pot of tea. So, cooking food, cleaning clothing, sharpening swords, and hiding bodies were all part of his life. Did I say hiding bodies? Yes, responds Arthur to Sir Lucas, “Like you did last time.” Which was a bit beyond a hundred years ago.

Imagine, too, what happens when King Arthur and the knights are discovered as alive today. The media frenzy! Then Merlin comes forth and secrets that Arthur would never reveal are uncovered. Lucas must come to the rescue but will he give up his true love NS his life for the king?

This is a wonderful imagining about how Arthur and his knights might or might not fare in our own world. It’s crazy funny and quite enjoyable, particularly if you have read book after book about Arthur and his world as I have. In short, have fun with this read! I did.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Sleepless Knights" has quite a few things in common with medieval Arthurian romances: it's fantastical, full of strange characters and magic, it mixes several time periods, the events and motivations described don't always make sense and most of the characters are rather flat and stereotyped. But it is also an engrossing read that I couldn't put down (and finished within 24 hours). The story has many unexpected twists and turns; until the last few pages I really had no idea how it was going to end. Whereas I don't think the tale can withstand much scrutiny, it was definitely entertaining.

In a way that is turning out to be typical of comic treatments of the Arthurian legend, "Sleepless Knights" combines silly humour (of the good kind) with an undercurrent of deep melancholy. I am especially fond of its depiction of Sir Kay, who gets just that bit more in terms of characterisation than the other knights (besides Lucas) do.

All in all, a worthy addition to any Arthurian library.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts out as a fun farce with Arthur and the Round Table Knights continuing the Eternal Quest in modern day, with a little help from the grail an the world's most loyal butler. Ends up as a twisting of the Merlin in legend, a fun mash-up. Feels a little like two books.
Unfortunately, neither one is a big success. Both parts are overlong and hard to follow. Characters are flat. The second half speeds up, but it's a bit of an endurance test to get there.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Echoes of Jeeves and Wooster with non-stop, ridiculous action as Sir Lucas, King Arthur's butler, holds it all together for King Arthur and his 6 knights in the modern world.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a random coffee shop book shelf find, and I'm happy I picked it up. It's clever, creative, fun, and full of all the magic and fantasy and "otherworldliness" we've come to imagine when considering the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

Though the order of things in the book can be confusing (there are multiple Days One and Two and Yesterdays), it all comes together in the end. The down side is that the whole story, overall, is dragged on about 100 pages longer than it needs to be. I won't lie: I skimmed a few pages in the final 50 or so. The story needed to end--it had ended--but Williams kept writing.

A reader who knows more about King Arthur legends than I do will likely enjoy this book even more, as many elements within the story play off of common threads within said legends. However, I will say that for all its cleverness, I'm still not completely sure why there were seemingly multiple versions of the same days were included. I don't feel he tied those together as tightly as he could or perhaps should have.

The characters are amusing, their banter entertaining, and I especially enjoyed reading Sir Kay's version of events. Save for the unnecessary length of the book, I did very much enjoy it, and feel Williams did justice to a modern retelling of the tale(s).

[Elle Hartford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lucas! One of the reviews printed in the book called this "the arthurian legend Wodehouse never got around to writing," and I feel like that sums it up very well. The plot is a wild ride, so you have to hang in there at certain points, but the ending wraps everything up quite neatly. My two criticisms -- mild spoilers!! -- are that, despite the plethora of knights running around, there are precisely three women in the story (one inactive queen, one understated love interest, and one evil villain, aside from a very minor character or two); and that Arthur doesn't come across at his best, or even as very likable. But, to be fair, all of those issues are in the original legends too. If you're familiar with the Arthurian legends, you can see the references the author makes, and it will help you keep track of the knights' drama.

Bottom line is, I enjoyed the book and I liked seeing things from Lucas' point of view. This is a very fun, funny adventure through a variety of old legends and one I will definitely reread in the future. :)

[Kathy KS · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read quite a bit in the King Arthur and the Round Table canon; plus I've watched the movie, Camelot many times over the last over 55 years (plus other related movies). This novel gives another take on everything, with a touch of Monty Python-flavor. The difference here is that the story is told through the eyes of King Arthur's butler.

King Arthur, the butler, and several of the most well-known knights must meet once a year to drink from the Grail, so that they may continue living and pursuing their Eternal Quest. It is amusing seeing how each has adapted to life over the millennia since the original Round Table days. Some have adapted to modern life much easier than others.

When things begin to go wrong, our group sets out to find Merlin. And things go south from there...
There's fighting, dragons, romance, insults, the underworld, and much more here. Told in alternating time periods, modern or older, fans of the genre may enjoy another look at "getting the band back together"! A light-hearted diversion; I can imagine a movie of it...

[Jordan Wong · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of Arthurian knights in modern times and a valiant butler who saves the day seemed like a recipe for a great adventure. However, the storytelling was so confusing and the characters were so unlikable that I felt annoyed and frustrated for most of the book. I almost gave up a couple of times but persevered on the Eternal Quest really hoping that there would be an amazingly satisfying payoff at the end. It did have a finale that brought things together but it was less satisfying and more… weird. Maybe if I had more familiarity with Arthurian Legend I would have been able to enjoy this more. As it was, I did find some of the absurd action scenes entertaining and Lucas’s droll sense of humor endearing. There were some good moments but not enough for me to recommend it. Onward!

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Williams takes an interesting look at the Arthurian legend through Camelot's butler, Sir Lucas. While I personally prefer the more serious takes (The Once and Future King/Le Morte d'Arthur), this was a lighthearted and entertaining take. I wouldn't go out of your way for it, but if you need a book to read, this one is well worth checking out.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.0 for (in my experience at least) originality in a fairly crowded field.

[Linda Copeland · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a witty, funny, but generally okay book. Another tale of King Arthur and his wonderfully dysfunctional knights, Williams brings an archaic, colorful cast into the modern world while giving us glimpses of their past. Well, Lucas the Butler's past at least. I enjoyed this book for the most part, but zoned out between the fun bits. It was, at times, hard to get through it, but there were moments when I just could NOT put it down. So, yeah, it was okay.

[Ann Hein · Rating 4 out of 5]

A crazy tale featuring King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable. The author cleverly tries to help one follow the story by giving us a Table of Contents listing Day One, Day Two and then Yesterday One to note we've gone back in time. There were times I had to laugh out loud, one time I pictured the knights surfboarding. The story is narrated by the Masters butler.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a fantastic book. A really fun read. I look forward to reading more of his work.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars. Loved the ideas in this book but think it would have been better as a duology. There was a lot going on and sometimes was hard to follow.

[Christopher Teague · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tremendously entertaining - what isn't to love about reading the story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table in the modern world?

Especially when Mark Williams fills much of the narrative with a thrilling battle between a dragon and the army, centred around the Millennium Stadium?

Well worth your time.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sleepless Knights" is a laugh out loud, fantastical, mish-mash of a novel. Picture "Monty Python" meets P.G. Wodehouse, meets Arthurian fantasy, and you'll have a close approximation. Sir Lucas is a butler who takes his job seriously....and what a job he has! King Arthur, along with 5 of his closest knights (and Sir Lucas), have found the holy grail--which has allowed them to become immortal. So here they are in modern day Wales still carrying on their eternal quest...even if Sir Pellinore doesn't exactly trust modern vehicles, and suspects they may be eating their occupants. Also, Sir Kay believes the eternal quest gives him license to kill pesky burglars who are bothering old ladies in the neighborhood (of course Sir Lucas will dispose of the body like a good butler). Also, Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawain (when they aren't competing with each other), are wont to get in trouble at local bars. This modern tale is interspersed with chapters from the time of Camelot's heyday, and are perhaps some of my favorite parts. Throw in a less than helpful Merlin, and an opened portal between modern Wales and the Otherworld (currently tainted by Morgan Le Fay), and Williams has treated us to a rollicking good read. Turns out butlers are good for more than organizing feasts. Highly recommended for a rainy day or vacation read as it is a can't put down/quick read. Given 4 stars or "Excellent".

[Zack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book. Started a little slow, but that may have been book hangover from trilogy above. Just enough characters to make it interesting, but not too many (for the main parts of the story). Only Sir Perceval seemed not fully fleshed out, but other than that the the main 7 (plus semi-major characters) were well explained and given plenty of page time. All the characters had their quirks and were funny and exciting. The plot line was good, not great, but conveyed the story it wanted to tell. I really enjoyed the flashbacks a lot, as they were a re-telling of the classic Arthurian stories, but fresher and funnier. The ending was a little hard to follow for awhile, but after a quick re-read I was able to understand it. Good twist ending, and a good resolution. It was a great idea to have Arthur be a controversial figure, and I liked the quarrels between him and Lancelot (plus the quarrels the other knights had). Satisfactory ending, and overall good read. Funny, engrossing, and unique.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're a fan of the Arthurian Tradition, but are perhaps looking for more than a simple re-hash of the old stories, this book is for you. The story centers, not around Arthur, but Sir Lucas the Butler, who is not merely the glue that holds the Seven Knights (Lancelot, Gawain, Kay, Perceval, Pellinore, Arthur, and Lucas) of the Round Table together, but becomes the unlikely hero by the end. The plot was zanier and more fantastical than I was expecting, but ultimately was enjoyable. The characters were a bit one-note, but the flashbacks and inventive denouement more than made up for the characterization. All in all, an enjoyment to read if you like Arthurian Romance and modern fantasy.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this 2.5 stars, because I was mostly pretty confused through the whole thing. It switches back and forth in time which is only mildly confusing, but I think that a reader probably has to be versed in Aurthurian lore to really understand what was happening. I kept reading, because I could understand it in chunks, but not how some of the episodes related to the overall plot, and kept hoping it would all resolve and the pieces would all fall into place. Nope. That didn't happen for me.

Still, I was entertained in parts, especially at the beginning, when the knights all together were reminding me of the Wizards of Discworld.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea for this novel - King Arthur and Camelot's finest knights living in today's world, made immortal by the achievement of their Grail quest - is irresistibly clever. Unfortunately, it's not brought to much fruition. The story follows Lucas the Butler, himself an immortal of Arthur's band, through a dizzying mish-mash of legendary references: creatures, foes, places. Reading this is like jumping into a blender with the basics of Arthurian legend and spinning until it's murky, confused soup.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpected and interesting throughout, good pace throughout the story, and a unique take on a legend. With my limited knowledge of Arthurian legend [mostly through Hollywood and the children's book Sword in the Stone], the book has definitely inspired me to look into it a little more.

My biggest complaint is that the first half is so much lighter as an adventurous romp than the second half, which takes on a decidedly dark tone.

[Claire Fayers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read, packed with humour, romance, action and battles set in most unusual locations. What really makes the book, though, is the character of Lucas, butler to King Arthur, whose duties cross the centuries and stretch him to the limits of human endurance. When the Knights of the Round Table are discovered in modern Britain and chaos ensues, can Lucas rise to the challenge one last time? Thoroughly recommended.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, can a steal a review from another review - "Quite simply, a cracking good read" (from Toby Whithouse, author for Doctor Who/Being Human). What can I say, but I agree. This is quite a fun read, and worth the time. It's entertainment, but good stuff. Not ifilled in with junk scenes, but all the while moving along and leaving wondering 'whats next?'. Well done!

[Geo Gosling · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really like this book, but I'm not really into the type of book it was. I didn't like really having King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table traveling through time and even watching TV. It was entertaining and is certainly original; unlike anything else I've read about King Arthur. I found it a tad confusing, but that may just be me - no one ever accused me of being a genius.

[Amanda S · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd book that was sometimes difficult to pick up as it was to put down. Short sub-chapters moved the story quickly. I found the parts jumping between past and present was when it was difficult to pick up the book again. However, in retrospect and completion, it was effective and necessary for storytelling.
Overall I did enjoy this book!

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic novel with a unique protagonist. A lover of British humor will find themselves unable to put it down.

[Jay Palat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad, but not quite my bag.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun action of Knights and butlers. It took a while to get to the payoff. Lite and fun read.