The Table of Less Valued Knights

by Marie Phillips

'Know that there were three tables there. The first was the Round Table, with King Arthur as companion and lord. The second, the Table of Errant Companions, were those who went seeking adventure and waited to become companions of the Round Table. Those of the third table never left court and did not go on quests or in search of adventures, either because of illness or because they lacked courage. These knights were called the Less Valued Knights.'

Sir Humphrey du Val of the Table of Less Valued Knights - Camelot's least prestigious table, boringly rectangular in shape and with one leg shorter than the other so that it always has to be propped up with a folded napkin to stop it from rocking - has been banned by King Arthur from going on quests, and hasn't left the castle in fifteen years. He's tempted out of his imposed retirement by Elaine, who is looking for her kidnapped fiancé. She appears to be the classic damsel in distress, but turns out to have a big secret to hide.

Across the border in Puddock, the new young queen, Martha, is appalled to be married off against her will to the odious Prince Edwin of Tuft. She disguises herself as a boy and runs away, but doesn't get very far before the Locum of the Lake - standing in for the full-time Lady - intercepts her with some startling news: Martha's brother, the true heir to the throne of Puddock, is not dead as she has always thought, and Martha must go on her own quest to find him.

The two quests collide, entangling Humphrey, Elaine and Martha's lives, and introducing a host of Arthurian misfits, including a twelve-year-old crone, a magic sword with a mind of her own, a freakishly short giant, and not one but three men in iron masks.

With Gods Behaving Badly Marie Phillips showed that she has a rare gift for comedy, taking familiar characters from legend and giving them an ingenious contemporary twist. In The Table of Less Valued Knights it's Thomas Malory's turn, and I'm afraid you'll never read him in quite the same way again.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor, Arthurian, Historical, Book Club

320 pages, Hardcover

First published August 7, 2014

About the author

My novels are 'Gods Behaving Badly', 'The Table of Less Valued Knights' and 'Oh, I Do Like TO Be...' I also co-wrote the BBC Radio 4 series and book 'Warhorses of Letters', the BBC Radio 4 series 'Some Hay in a Manger', and was one of the contributors to the collection of spoof erotic essays, 'Fifty Shelves of Grey' (as Vanessa Parody). My most recent book is a choose your own adventure called Create Your Own Midlife Crisis. There's another author with the same name as me who writes books about cats. She isn't me, although I do like cats.

Reviews

[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't remember the last time I had this much fun with a book. 😊

👉 Check out my Best books of 2024 on BookTube. 👈



This book also features in my BookTube deep dive on the weirdest Women's Prize nominees . 👀



This comedic Arthurian romance opens with Sir Humphrey du Val. He's a knight of Camelot, but does he sit at King Arthur's prestigious Round Table? Nope! He holds a spot at the lowly Table of Less Valued Knights.

Humphrey hasn't left the castle in 15 years because he's been banned by King Arthur from going on quests. But when a damsel named Elaine asks for his help in finding her kidnapped fiancé, Humphrey sees his chance reclaim to his place at the Round Table. He secretly embarks on a quest to help Elaine (who has a few secrets of her own).

Meanwhile, a young queen named Martha is poised to marry a hideous man. While fleeing from her unwanted marriage, she learns some news about her brother that drops a sword into her hands and alters her course.

Their quests collide, entangling Humphry and Martha with bumbling knights, brave damsels, and some royal scallywags you’ll love to hate.

It's been a long time since I couldn't put a book down, but I gobbled up this book in two days. It's well plotted and the characters are all highly entertaining, so the pages flew by.

Highly recommend if you're looking for an amusing romp through a medieval adventure.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic, Funny, and Unforgettable. I highly recommend this comedic tale to fans of Monty Python and The Princess Bride.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this one when I requested it. On the one hand, I love Arthuriana and I have enjoyed several loose interpretations of it, even humorous/light-hearted ones. On the other hand, I'm not very good at humour myself, and can be a bit snooty about anything that messes too much with my views on Arthuriana.

It turns out, I really enjoyed it, and read it in pretty much one go. I love that while there is humour, it's pretty gentle: it doesn't single out any character as a laughing stock, and the characters aren't there just to be laughed at. They're still people, with goals of their own, and they're likeable people at that I somewhat feared Sir Humphrey would just be a laughable oaf, but he turns out to be a good guy even if he doesn't subscribe to the kind of honour culture the Round Table stands for.

It is all very modern and anachronistic: there's customs officials between the kingdoms, for example, for the sake of absurdity. There's also pretty liberal views on LGBT people, including a knight who prefers to be called Gwendoline, and a gay relationship driving part of the plot.

All in all, it's fun, and I'm really glad I read it. The tone is maybe reminiscent of Gerald Morris, albeit for adults, but otherwise it's quite a fresh take on the idea of Camelot.

[lucky little cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute, ultra-fluffy homage to Monty Python's Arthurian knights,



with an emphasis on inclusion that shouldn't work but largely does.* Alas, no killer rabbits.

*Because I guess it's still progress if the author manages to exchange an older set of stereotypes for a newer set. Here, ethnic minorities and gay characters emerge as uniformly saintly. Ya wanna grab the author and say "People! Write everyone as *people* already."

[Katy Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

A very pleasant surprise. Not quite Arthurian, not quite Monty Python, but elements of both.

Modern language (sometimes quite ripe!) make this an easy read, and the dual story of knights, princesses and quests is plundered fully for comic potential, is also well-characterised and lots of fun.

You know about Arthur's famous Round Table of course? Bet you've never heard of "the other table, to be found in the draughtiest corner furthest away from the fire... (which) had one leg shorter than the other so that it always had to be propped up with a folded napkin to stop it from rocking." Thought not.

On Camelot's 'bottom table' (see title), Sir Humphrey du Val is content enough to live with his demotion until the chance comes to prove himself by volunteering for a quest to find a stolen groom for a beautiful and desperate lady. With his trusty squire (a small giant) and elephant in tow, he sets of to find the missing groom and win back his place at Arthur's table. In a completely unrelated story and kingdom, Queen Martha of Puddock finds herself holder of the crown, and betrothed to a man she has never met, the fantastically proud, cocky and loathsome Prince Edwin of Tuft. In escaping, she meets a Lady of the Lake (well, sort of) and learns her mourned brother may not be dead after all.

All the Arthurian conventions are there - honour, duels, magic, enchantment - as well as a few modern spins on this Camelot-set histori-comedy. It's a real pleasure to read, and full of wonderful lines, lots of amusing cameo characters and very likeable leads.

Edwin is a fantastic creation, absolutely vile. The ladies get a lot of 'screen time' and witty lines between them, get to show their mettle (in more ways than one). Humphrey starts off as the main character, but soon lets Martha and Edwin trump him in the lead role, but he plays his part admirably (straight man role really). He does get a few good lines in:
"This.. is why I don't travel in armour. A knight's work is never done. Rescuing damsels, fighting sorceresses, getting cats out of trees, opening tight jars. And all for honour, God's least fungible reward."

I enjoyed the Lady of the Lake character, playing with convention for a modern audience. And the plot twists. Didn't see them all coming, and enjoyed the lot.

It's a read that you'll probably skip through in a short number of sessions. Lots of short chapters and switching between storylines give it a quick feel. It's a fun novel if you're familiar with the Arthurian legend or courtly traditions and tales. And with the modern element, it will probably have even wider appeal than that.

Lots of fun, very witty, and it seems from the end, the first in a series. A great little find.

Review of a Netgalley advance copy.

[Gaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is set in the world of Arthurian England. One of the main characters, Sir Humphrey, is simply going through the motions after being demoted from the Round Table to The Table of Less Valued Knights. By sheer happenstance, he finds himself on a quest at the request of a damsel in distress.

Elaine, however, is no ordinary damsel, she is quite literally carrying a secret while searching for her missing fiancé.

'It's that or the convent,' said Eliane, 'or being burned as a witch.'

Meanwhile, poor Martha finds herself a powerless queen, trapped in a frustrating and despicable engagement with a horrible man. Determined to change her fate, she concocts a wildly absurd plan with the help of a Crone’s apprentice.

The frustration that she had felt as a girl her entire life - that nobody believed her to be competent at anything - was replaced by the terror that her competence was now assumed. Either way, her actual abilities didn't seem to come into it

At first, these stories develop separately, but they intertwine in a very fun and original way in the third part of the book, bringing resolution to the main mystery and establishing profound relationships among the characters.

The book is a delightful mix of humour and sarcasm, balanced with tender and inspiring moments.

And thus began the adventures of Queen Martha and the Table of Equally Valued Knights.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very amusing parody set in the time of Camelot and King Arthur. The ‘hero’ Sir Humphrey du Val has been, after an unfortunate incident involving his wife, demoted to the Table of Less Valued Knights.

On this night, he is reminiscing about better days and has lingered too long after dinner when all the other knights have left, he finds himself presented, quite by accident, with a ‘quest’ that rightly should be brought to the attention of Arthur, but Sir Humphrey sees an opportunity to perhaps get himself back into the good graces of Arthur and be allowed to sit again at the table with the real Knights. However, not all ‘quests’ are quite what they seem.

There is magic and sorcerers; there are Damsels in Distress and The Lady of the Lake, Crone of the Castle, giants, and an elephant.

I found Sir Humphrey to be a most likable fellow and as long as you can get past the fact that the dialogue has nothing whatsoever to do with the time period, don’t take it too seriously or expect it to be a historical novel, it really is quite funny.

[Alissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hilarious and entertaining, this is a quick and satirical story featuring the common tropes of the classic quest formula and chivalry.

A half-sized giant, a deformed horse, a knight of The Table of Less Valued Knights, a damsel in distress and a missing fiancée. Throw in the Pentecost Quest, a King Prince Consort with a brother complex, men in iron masks, a stand-in for the Lady of the Lake, a customs officer dwarf, some delicate Knights, a she-magical-sword with a penchant for Spin the Bottle, a bearded Queen....did I mention a maiden-thirsty unicorn?

What could possibly go wrong?

This book was a pleasant surprise indeed, the misadventures of the mismatched group of heroes and the intertwining quests are comical, but also clever. The plot is well-structured, not banal, and offers many homages to classic Arthurian stories, a clear monty python-esque atmosphere, steady rhythm and unpredictability. The ending was a bit abrupt, but apt.

Truly a jaunty ribald romp.

[Elentarri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mildly amusing adventure tale involving two quests and a semi-disgraced knight of Camelot. An entertaining diversion.

[Kara Babcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always down for some historical/mythological fiction in a comedic style, so The Table of Less Valued Knights seemed like a good proposition. Marie Phillips delivers an Arthurian quest beset with archetypes, allusions, and anachronisms. Her characters quip like they're in a Christopher Moore novel (albeit slightly less self-aware) and her vision of Knights of Camelot is every bit as decadently absurd as Monty Python's.

There. Have I name-dropped enough comparisons yet? Good. Let's get on with it.

The story starts a little slow, actually, and for the first part I was somewhat skeptical as to how much I would end up enjoying it. This type of humour is easy to get wrong (as evidenced by how inconsistently I've enjoyed Moore's work). While there's nothing wrong with Sir Humphrey and the idea of a "Less Valued Table of Knights" who have been demoted from the Round Table over the years, none of it particularly grabbed my attention. Indeed, it isn't until Martha shows up and steals the show that this story gets going.

Queen Martha of Tuft has a tough time of it, especially after she kinda-sorta becomes a man, in that classic "gender swap/mistaken identity" trope. Phillips creates an interesting character here: in many ways, Martha is naïve. She knows little of life outside a castle (has no idea of the value of money, for instance). Yet she also has many skills she once perceived as pointless, such as the ability to speak many foreign languages. Her observations of Humphrey and Conrad and attempts to fit in and emulate maleness are funny, sure, but they're also part of a larger commentary on gender that Phillips weaves throughout the book.

Stories like this, stories that poke fun at the tropes and shorthand we've constructed of medieval worlds and legends like Arthuriana, are valuable. It's one thing to strive for "historically accurate" fiction and another to just take a can-opener to history and tear the top off to find out what lies beneath. The Table of Less Valued Knights starts as a light-hearted, humorous story. Yet the deeper I went, the more plot I found.

Martha's a wonderful protagonist, and her reviled husband, Edwin, is an equally wonderful antagonist. He starts off as a stock, stereotypical villain type: a lascivious lout with no respect, for women or for men, and far too big an opinion of his own cunning. But Phillips soon lends substance to his pomp, showing that Edwin has some teeth. The moment he goes from comical thorn in the side to actual villain is pretty shocking, in the sense that I'm surprised the author lets him get away with it.

This sense—that the characters are more two-dimensional actors in the author's drama—does run throughout the story, and it's possible this could be a bigger problem for you than it was for me. Phillips never quite breaks the fourth wall like other authors do (and I love me some fourth-wall breaking), but the narrative structure is both absurd and serendipitous at points. You kind of just have to go with it, and want to enjoy this type of book. Wishing it's something more complex is only going to get you disappointment.

I was ambivalent about The Table of Less Valued Knights when I began, but by the end I had a smile on my face. Surprises like that are always welcome; here I was starting a book I thought I'd like at best, and I ended up having a much better time. It's not even the over-arching plot or the characters so much as all the little bits Phillips throws in—like the dwarf manning the customs post at the border of Tuft showing up again at the border of Grint, much to Edwin's irritation and surprise. It's these little things that show how much fun Phillips must have had inhabiting this universe, and when the fun an author has shines through, the experience is that much better for a reader.

[Michael Emond · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book wins the prize for one of the worst of the year and I will do a little analysis to explain why. First off, it is readable. It has words on a page – characters a plot and a satisfying end. It is possible to follow the convoluted story and make sense of what is happening. So its fault does not lie in the readability. Before I go further – this book further enforces my belief that writing a novel length comedic book is one of the most impossible tasks in the arts. The few books that have at least made me laugh out loud (rare enough) are ones with short humour essays (Pure Drivel, Mind over Matters, Without Feathers) or autobiographies (Bossypants) or are parodies (Doon, Bored of the Rings). I just can’t recall a full length novel with a story that did the job…even for ONE laugh. I am struggling through Death Rat by Michael Nelson and that is a perfect example how hard it is – his essay book is one of my favorites but this fiction novel…not one laugh so far after a third of the book. The quotes endorsing this book are all from unknowns and aren’t that supportive regardless “the story and the writing are enchanting” says one of the only two people who could be paid enough to lie. Hardly a ringing endorsement – more like the review a mother or third grade teacher would write for their 8 year old.
Okay back to the critique. Let me try to organize this:
1) Great premise – which is immediately abandoned. The idea that there are tables of knights not good enough to make it to the round table (or ones who made it there and fell out of favour) and have to take the scraps of quests that remain is a solid idea. That is another reason I hoped this book had promise. Marie has some good ideas for comedy. A lot of directions you can go with this premise. Mostly you can have bungling knights (ala Monty Python and the Holy Grail) getting in and out of problems. You can even counter balance it with chapters of the good knights going it right. Contrast = humour. The problem is…Marie screws the pooch on the premise right out of the gate because she loves her main character Humphrey too much. Throughout the book he is an awesome knight and great guy who adopted his cheating wife’s half giant son and raised him as his own. The only reason he is a less valued knight is because he killed his wife when she tried to kill him (it was an accident she jumped form the shadows and he killed her by reflex – see! Even his screw up isn’t because he was a bad guy but because his reflexes are so great).
2) Forced comedy that is immediately ignored or not consistent with character. Every little comic bit is so forced it is painful to read. Edwin is a sad sack who has to watch his Knight shag women. He is portrayed as an evil over sexed loser but he doesn’t try to have sex and near the end of the novel (the last 15 pages when everything happens) he is suddenly the best swordsman ever. It is so contrived I hate it. Marie does this time and time again to set up a stupid plot point or some supposed humour. Like when Humphries decides to teach Marcus (Martha in stupid woman/man disguise) to shoot arrows all to set up a horrible comic bit of her having to kill a Unicorn. Does her skill come in handy later? No. It is only used for a comedic bit (an unfunny one) and nothing to do with the plot or the logic of the story or characters. Horrible.
3) Comedy is about tone and this novel has none. One thing I believe is a truth in good comedy is “Comedy is about setting a tone and staying true to the tone”. The Simpsons is over the top cartoonish comedy but it stays true to that. Naked Gun is absurdist humour and stays true to that. Spy (one I watched lately) while not as consistent does keep things in the realm of life and stays true-ish to it. Watch the characters in that one – the boss remains who she is – the main character remains true to who she is – the main spy remains the straight man and true to himself. Yes each character has a different tone but they stay true to it. This novel doesn’t set any true comedic tone for the most part and when it does it abandons it at its convenience. Martha is a loser with no skills but becomes very capable at the end. Edwin is a sex crazed idiot but then becomes a skilled vicious killer by the end (and back to bumbling idiot by the very end). What is the tone of this novel? Like too many comedy novels it forgets the comedy and becomes over fixated in the story. When it does remember there is supposed to be comedy it is forced and out of character (unicorn scene).
4) The story is overly complicated and boring. Oh god this was a stupid story. Edwin is searching for his missing wife…who turns into a boy…who joins the other quest. Elaine is looking for her fiancée who was captured by a black knight; she needs to find him quick because she was knocked up by a castle guard. Martha is on the run from Edwin because she is worried about having sex with Edwin (why is Edwin the only male who can marry her?), she changes to a boy (because THAT comic twist is so original sarcasm) and finds a magic sword who turns out to be the sister of Karim and squire of her thought dead brother (Jasper) who isn’t really dead but gay and the black knight who kidnapped Sir Alister (Elaine’s fiancée) who is also gay; the sister was made into a sword because she ratted out her brother Karim that he knew Jasper was alive but Karim refused to give Jasper up so he was placed in a dungeon with an iron mask…why an iron mask? Because the author is an idiot and thinks everyone gets iron masks in those days even if there is no reason for them (iron masks are typically reserved for famous prisoners whose identities must be kept secret – not gay squires). Oh god it is so convoluted and stupid especially when the first half of the novel is just stalling and most of what I said is explained in the last 20 pages. Oh and let’s not forget the heavy handed “gay is okay” message shoehorned into a medieval novel where it has no place in existing!! (don't misunderstand me - it is a message I believe in but it was out of place here) I feel as if the author mistook “complicated twists” for “good plotting” but when the characters are boring and the plot is insane, all the twists are just irritating. In a comedy – you don’t want complicated twists – you want to focus on laughs and use the story as a medium for those laughs. One or two twists – sure…but 50? No. Adding two new characters in the last 20 pages? No.
5) It wasn’t funny. Not one laugh. I can forgive all of these other sins but without any laughs what is the point of this book? Sorry Marie – but you are not funny. Your writing is weak, your characters uninvolving, and your plot uninteresting. But worst of all, you cannot write humour. Your 300 pages did not induce one smile or laugh. You fail.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you get when you mix the King Arthur legends with Galavant? THIS BOOK. Delightful characters, witty dialogue and lots of fun. The ending was a bit abrupt...sequel, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease?

[Julie Bozza · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amusing fairy-tale for adults, with some real LOL moments and a pleasing approach to sexuality and gender. Highly enjoyable.

[Damaskcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sir Humphrey is one of the 'less valued' knights at Camelot and he'd really like to get back on the Round Table but it doesn't look as though he will ever redeem himself. At Pentecost the Lady Elaine arrives at Camelot asking for help to find her fiancé Sir Alistair who has been kidnapped by a knight wearing black armour. Sir Humphrey offers his services without telling her he is one of the less valued knights. Meanwhile Queen Martha of Puddock is on the run from an unwelcome arranged marriage to Prince Edwin of Tuft - who is a distinctly nasty piece of work.

Martha has disguised herself - thanks to an imperfect spell - as Marcus, which in turn leads to its own problems. When Martha meets up with Humphrey's party she is taken prisoner and they all proceed together to try and unravel their messy lives accompanied by a small giant - Conrad - and an elephant called Jemima.

I did like the characters and I loved the humour in this quirky story. I didn't like the use of heavy duty swear words which really didn't add anything. In fact the book would have been better without them in my opinion.

I thought the writing was very good and the characters were very well done. I especially liked the Lady of the Lake - who was a stand-in because the real Lady of the Lake had run away with Merlin. If you like modern versions of myths and legends you may well enjoy this book. Apart from some of the language I did enjoy it and laughed out loud at some of the scenes. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.

[Juniper · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5-stars, i guess. i didn't like all of it, but i also didn't dislike the whole thing. likely i would have settled on 3-stars, had i not read this while considering the novel as part of the women's prize for fiction longlist. i'm not totally sure why it made the cut, when a novel like All My Puny Sorrows did not.

anyway...

phillips seems to have fun playing with arthurian legend, through the lens of monty python. (and i am sure i am not the first person to make this observation.) at moments i was certainly entertained, but i had trouble sustaining my suspension of disbelief. phillips' writing is fine... this is a light, quick read. but as with Gods Behaving Badly, the concept was solid, the execution a bit too unfulfilling and the whole is not one i feel will be memorable in the longterm. but, if you need a bit of an easy, fun read - give this book a try.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book because I loved the cover and it turned out to be the perfect read for this week. A fun read that makes you grin as you follow along this "Pythonish" Camelot quest. I hope she comes out with a sequel.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book deserves four stars just for the last line, which reveals the serious undercurrents of this smart and comic novel.

The Table of Less Valued Knights is immensely clever, and the premise itself is hysterical -- "loser" knights trying to maintain a sense of dignity and self-worth in a dysfunctional society. The modern language in the legendary setting is priceless: lines like "Oh God, said Humphrey, Quentin is this cousin of Merlin's..." had me laughing out loud. Marie Phillips is a terrific writer, and her comedy is spot on.

The book had too many characters to keep track of, and the plot was confusing at times, so that I actually got kind of bored in the second half. I also wasn't crazy about the magical realism, which I thought didn't add much to the story.

But this book actually made me think a lot about the history of women's oppression, and how lucky I am to live in the place and time I do. And it had me laughing the whole time.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everybody knows the famous stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. What is less known is that in fact, there are three tables in Camelot, the least of which is the Table of Less Valued Knights - that's the wobbly one in the far corner, the one where the losers, the idiots and those generally deemed incapable sit. Among them is Sir Humphrey, once a proper Round Table Knight, but sadly long since demoted to Less Valued status after a quest gone wrong. Now here's his chance to redeem himself: A real life damsel in distress with a bonafide quest, and noone to take it on but Sir Humphrey and his trusted half-giant squire Conrad (who rides an elephant). Add a runaway queen, a stand-in Lady in the Lake, a magic sword named Leila, and a whole lot of chaos and shenanigans, and voilà, you have one hilarious and delightful Monthy Python-esque romp through Arthurian England!

[GinaRose Cristello · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Marie Phillips previous book, Gods Behaving Badly, and actually enjoyed this one even more. Hilarious. I loved every page. Reading like a modernized Shakespeare story, complete with gender bending and random duals, this fabulously fun read should be on everyone's list!! You will definitely laugh out loud.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starts off reminiscent of a novel version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, lots of one-liners to make you snort. Develops into something more, with an intriguing range of characters, motives, and adventures.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing and lightweight. Some reviewers compared it to Monty Python as well as The Princess Bride, and I can see why, although it's not as well crafted. But still enjoyable.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unless you’ve been living under a rock your entire life, chances are you are familiar with the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. From television shows (Merlin, Once Upon a Time) and movies (The Sword and the Stone, First Knight), to musicals (Spamalot) and operas (Gawain), the legend of King Arthur has been adapted in countless different ways throughout the ages. The newest addition to this list of retellings is none other than Marie Phillips’s novel The Table of Less Valued Knights! Using her brilliant wit and humour, Phillips has written a clever story that pokes fun at the King Arthur legends and turns them completely on their heads.

The story opens during a feast at Camelot, where King Arthur sits at court surrounded by all of his knights. What few people may know, however, is that along with the Round Table, there is also the Table of Less Valued Knights. Boringly rectangular in shape, those sitting at the Table of Less Valued Knights have been banned by King Arthur from going on quests due to their age, injuries, or foolish mistakes.

While he once sat alongside Lancelot and Galahad, Sir Humphrey du Val is now a less valued knight, and he looks upon the Round Table with envy. Determined to reclaim his place of honour, Sir Humphrey leaves on a quest (without Arthur’s permission) to help a young maiden named Elaine whose fiancee has been kidnapped. The adventure that follows is full of mishaps, magic, and plenty of laughs!

In reading other reviews for The Table of Less Valued Knights I’ve noticed that many people are comparing the book to Monty Python and the Holy Grail meets The Princess Bride, which I wholeheartedly agree with! Like both of these famous movies, Phillip’s parodic writing evokes the same style of humour and light-hearted fun. So many silly and unexpected things occur throughout the story, that I found myself constantly stifling a giggle or two while reading this book on my break at work.

While I expected The Table of Less Valued Knights to make me laugh, what I did not foresee was how invested I would become in the outcome of the characters! From the ill-fated Sir Humphrey trying to regain his place as an honoured knight to his half-giant squire Conrad who wishes to be taken more seriously and Queen Martha of Pruddock who is desperate to escape a dreadful marriage, I just couldn’t get enough! I actually found myself a bit sad once the story was over, because I was hoping to see these characters that I had come to love so much go off on another adventure together!

Overall, The Table of Less Valued Knights was a fabulous and fun read that I couldn’t get enough of! In bringing the world of Camelot to life through the tale of Sir Humphrey and his whimsical companions, Phillips’s has created a legend herself! I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next, and I’ll definitely be making a point of reading her previous novel, Gods Behaving Badly, sometime soon!

[Martina · Rating 2 out of 5]

C'era una volta Camelot e i cavalieri della Tavola Rotonda... Conosciamo tutti la storia.
Ma che succede se i cosiddetti cavalieri senza macchia né paura si macchiano di un crimine o se semplicemente diventano troppo vecchi?
Facile, vengono spediti alla Tavola dei Cavalieri Meno Importanti.
Niente più imprese o considerazioni per loro, solo noia e cibo scadente.
Questa è la vita di Humphrey du Val, amareggiato e non proprio corretto cavaliere, finché, per sbaglio, non viene comunicata a lui l'attesa e desiderata impresa di Pentecoste.
Da qui, forse per desiderio di rivalsa e per sbeffeggiare quei boriosi dei suoi ex compari, decide di partire con il suo gigantesco scudiero Conrad e la damigella in pericolo Elaine per salvare il fidanzato di quest'ultima dal misterioso cavaliere nero che l'ha rapito.

Nel regno di Puddock, invece, Martha era molto più contenta da principessa, benché non la considerassero molto, che da regina, quale è diventata da qualche ora, dopo la morte del padre.
Le decisioni la mandano nel panico e nessuno la ascolta, senza aggiungere l'imminente matrimonio con il principe Edwin, che si rivelerà un verme schifoso.
Che fare?
Fuggire le sembra la soluzione adatta e, grazie alla sostituta della Megera, ha anche un aspetto maschile, senza però esserlo fino in fondo. Appena potrà berrà la pozione che la ritrasformerà e potrà condurre una vita normale.
O forse no.
Grazie all'incontro con la sostituta della Signora del Lago, apprende che il fratello in realtà è vivo e riceve una spada magica, che sembra muoversi di propria volontà, decidendo infine di partire alla ricerca dello scomparso per potersi liberare del regno e del marito.
Qui la sua strada si incrocerà con l'altra quest, con esiti vari.

A me piacciono le leggende arturiane e come vengono rinarrate in modo personale, ma qui la Philips non mi ha dato nulla, a parte un po' di amarezza.
I personaggi sono degli outsiders con varie difficoltà che sembrano essere risolte così, senza un reale lieto fine. Si salvano in corner ma rimangono tristi dentro.
Le novità introdotte (relazioni omosessuali, genderfluidity ecc) avrebbero potuto essere introdotte in modo migliore e con uno scopo chiaro, mentre qui sono buttate per far ridere (?) o per introdurre un elemento più vario alla storia avventurosa.
All'inizio pensavo che avrei riso ma in realtà non è stato così, pur essendoci stati tentativi più o meno buoni.
La premessa sembrava appunto quella di una specie di parodia ma alla fine è risultato solo triste e mediocre.
Insomma, è stata una lettura carina ma non quanto avrei sperato dalla scrittrice di "Per amor di un dio".

[Nikki Stafford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eric Idle of Monty Python fame has told a story of walking into a pitch meeting with a new sketch idea. Without acting it out, he simply handed out the script to those in the room, and while he thought it was one of the funniest things he'd ever written, they simply read it and stared at him with confused looks. How was this funny? It was all "click click grin grin" and made no sense. Later, when he got the sketch onto an episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus, the bit about two men in a pub — one a virgin who keeps asking naughty questions about the other guy's wife, adding, "Nudge nudge wink wink say no more" after every answer — became an instant classic, because of Idle's voice, the way Terry Jones looked flustered throughout the whole thing, and the actions of Idle nudging Jones with his arm or snapping an imaginary camera in the air.

I couldn't help but think of that sketch throughout this book. I'd wanted to read it for some time, and the very premise sounded very Pythonesque to me, but once I began reading it, I didn't find it very funny. The jokes felt ripped straight out of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the storyline itself dragged, and the goofy knights all fell flat. I had to force myself to pick it up to keep reading it each time. And then I realized, if I saw Ricky Gervais or David Mitchell or any of the Pythons in the roles, I bet it would be hysterically funny. It's all in the delivery, and perhaps on paper the delivery just didn't work for me. Phillips' humour is exactly the sort of thing I would normally love, but when they have moments of dialogue of two characters going, "I have!" "No you haven't!" like John Cleese arguing with Michael Palin, it just felt derivative. In the mouths of the right actors, it would have been great. So for me, the book itself is about 2 stars, but for the potential of seeing it acted out, I'll give it 3.

[Kryttle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read The Table Of Less Valued Knights because compared to the other nominations for the 2015 Baileys Women's Prize, this book is very different. It is an adult fairy tale telling what is supposed to be a hilarious continuation to the story of Arthur and the Knights of The Round Table. The story follows Sir Humphrey who sits at the Table of Less Valued Knights: made up of the knights out of King Arthur's favour. Against the King's rules he takes on a quest to save a maiden's long-lost brother. Unfortunately, for me this book was a disappointment. The jokes fell flat, the character's lacked depth, and the story, although inventive, was rather boring. I was frankly quite surprised this book received a nomination for the 2015 Baileys Women's Prize For Fiction.

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[A. Nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't start seriously reading this one until a few days ago but once I did, I was hooked. Things happened that I didn't expect and there was an undercurrent of humour that I was hoping for.

This would be a great book for King Arthur fans or just anyone who's dreamed of being a knight.

[Chandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable! Moments of near-Monty-Python humor, but mostly just a good swashbuckling (or knightly equivalent) time. (I definitely finished this ages ago, but apparently failed to tell Goodreads...)

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story has every Round Table able trope you could think of, plus some significantly less expected, eyebrow-raising elements, all wrapped up in witty banter and topped off with unforeseen twists.
I think fantastic is the word.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this witty, laugh out loud tale. Fantastically imagined and very original. Loved.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It had some great characters, and the tone of the humorous narration was right up my alley. I kind of liked that we never really find out how old most of the characters are, and there is a definite feminist leaning to the plot and the characters. I devoured this book in three days, and laughed aloud many times. There is even diversity in this medieval British tale!

Now for what I didn't like.

The aforementioned diversity was pretty tokenish. The queer characters and characters of colour are only brought in at the very end, and are - as another reviewer has pointed out - without fault and not really developed as whole characters. There is also the cringey fact that the elephant is named Jemima, and I think there's a few other moments that don't come immediately to mind.

There were a couple scenes that felt weirdly out of place or way out of character, like where Elaine tries to seduce Humphrey, or when Martha slays the unicorn, or the out-of-nowhere violence of Edwin murdering children. Also, how did Edwin just suddenly know how to use a sword??

It was a quick, entertaining read for the most part, with a very satisfying ending. Nothing about the book was terribly surprising, but I enjoy being able to figure things out before they happen. Edwin is a villain I enjoyed hating, but I also liked getting to see behind the veil to catch glimpses of why he was the toad he was. Probably only worth 3 stars, but I couldn't put it down and it made me scream out, "it IS gay!" at the end, so 4 it is!