Last in a line of proud queens elected to rule the fertile lands of the West, true owner of the legendary Round Table, guardian of the Great Goddess herself . . . a woman whose story has never been told--until now.As High King and Queen, Arthur and Guenevere reign supreme across the many kingdoms of Great Britain. Still, Guenevere secretly mourns the loss of her beloved Lancelot, who has returned to the Sacred Lake of his boyhood, hoping to restore his faith in chivalry in the place where he learned to be a knight. In a glittering Pentecost ceremony, new knights are sworn to the Round Table, including Arthur's nephews, Agravain and Gawain. After many years of strife, peace is restored to Guenevere's realm.But betrayal, jealousy, and ancient blood feuds fester unseen. Morgan Le Fay, now the mother of Arthur's only son, Mordred, has become the focus of Merlin's age-old quest to ensure the survival of the house of Pendragon. From the east comes the shattering news that Guenevere may have a rival for Lancelot's love. A bleak shadow falls again across Camelot--and across the sacred isle of Avalon, where Roman priests threaten the life of the Lady herself. At the center of the storm is Guenevere, torn between her love for her husband, her people, and Sir Lancelot of the Lake.With rare and intuitive magic, Rosalind Miles brings to life a legendary woman's bravery and passion, and all the pageantry, heartbreak, violence, and beauty of an age gone by.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Rosalind Miles is an author born and raised in England and now living in both Los Angeles and Kent, England. She has written both works of fiction and non-fiction. As a child, Miles suffered from polio, and had to undergo several months of treatment. After being accepted to a junior women's college, Miles acquired a working knowledge of Latin and Greek, along with developing her life-long love of Shakespeare. At seventeen, she was promoted to St. Hilda's College, Oxford where she studied English literature, Anglo-Saxon, Middle English, Latin and French. She obtained five degrees in all, ending with a Ph.D. from the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham.
Miles later on became interested in jurisprudence, which resulted in her sitting as a lay magistrate in the English criminal and family courts, and eventually on the bench in a superior court in Coventry. She is also a regular commentator on the BBC, on Canadian Radio, and in The Times.
Sentiment made me read it. I feel I should devour Rosalind Miles and Marion Zimmer Bradley because they combine some of my favorite themes: English mythology, feminism, pre-Christian religion etc. but these books are just so long-winded that I have a hard time finishing them. I will not be looking for #3 (until I get sentimental again..).
Somewhat more interesting than the first volume, it still didn't satisfy me as much as I was hoping for mainly due to the characters who, from one book to the other, don't seem to have evolved. Morgan remains the only interesting character, Merlin appears to be lost through the entire book, Arthur seems a puppet who's only there because a king was needed for this story, Guinevere and Lancelot are annoying to no end. These two are the most boring characters of this book, where we read almost 400 pages to find ourselves in a cycle that repeats itself ad infinitum: Guinevere expels Lancelot, Lancelot goes away, both cry for being away from each other, Guinevere wants Lancelot to come back, he comes back, Guinevere accuses him of betraying her with other maidens, Lancelot defends himself form such accusation, Guinevere doesn't believe him, Guinevere expels Lancelot... and so on.
The story continues to be predictable, especially with regard to the Arthurian myth, but I'm quite enjoying the subplot, about Avalon's relics that the Roman Church wants to steal and take for themselves as the Holy Relics of Christ. I can say that the whole book is worth just because of this part of the story as the rest, just like I said before, is predictable.
Without being able to hold my interest, still it is with a little more enthusiasm that I plan to pick up the final volume (but not enough enthusiasm that makes me want to pick it straight way) and read the outcome of all this.
There doesn't actually seem to be anything new brought to the legend by this story. Okay: it's a supposedly feminist sort of take on it, but... It kind of undermines that anyway with how whiny Guenevere is a lot of the time. I don't find any of the characters all that likeable, even if I can see why they are the way they are. I'm still going to read the third book of the trilogy, but...
I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first in the trilogy. It definitely has an interlude feel. The plot didn't have much volition on it's own and I really struggled to stay motivated. I still enjoy the concept of the books. I love Arthurian novels and like the twist this one uses, but this book was just not very well executed.
Can't for the life of me imagine why I ever wanted to read this series. The characters are unbelievable and the actions are unimaginable and it is written in a way that you often wonder who is doing this. Can't say I want to read part three, but you have to finish what you started and I need it for a reading challenge I am participating in. So I will read it.
Again, this is an interesting telling of the Arthurian legends, seen more from Guenevere's point of view.
However, there are many times in this book where I want to shake all the main characters for acting like such children. Especially Guenevere, who just behaves like a spoiled child, instead of a Queen.
The magic is more prevalent in this book as well, with Morgan showing herself more often.
I couldn't take the screaming, crying, and fits of jealous rages anymore. These books are enough to make one take sedatives, they're so tempestuous and topsy-turvy emotionally. I wanted to power through because I do love the Arthur & Guenevere legends but alas, I am putting this one down with three-fourths finished.
**3.5 stars** The Knight of the Sacred Lake is almost as good as the first book in the series. While these books are supposed to be the Guenevere Trilogy, she kind of takes a step back in this novel. With so much jumping around between characters, story lines and POVs, this book was a fast paced read (thank you, short chapters), but I would prefer one or two POVs.
It seemed like so much build up happened for a few key plot points, and I thought it wasn't necessary. Having Merlin on the trail of Mordred for literal years only to finally find him within a few pages just felt like a waste. And the same goes for the monks on Avalon; we wasted chapters about them only for them to be transferred somewhere else and for new monks to take their place. I would much rather have focused on Guenevere, Lancelot and even Arthur.
This is the fourth book I've read by Rosalind Miles, and I've noticed she never lets her characters be happy. To the point where it gets predictable and frustrating and tiring for the reader. Or, they're at least never happy for long. It's not always fun to read about characters (Guenevere especially) wallowing in their misery. Guenevere is also always very quick to turn on Lancelot, which can come across as almost cringe-worthy. This is supposed to be one of the greatest love stories of all time, and without Lancelot's clear head and gallantry, it would fall flat. Speaking of Lancelot, he is a very well written character, as is Arthur, and to an extent, Guenevere. Miles is skilled at crafting compelling characters.
Overall, I wish the plot would have been stronger and more consolidated. Miles is a master at writing beautifully with beautiful language, though. That does feel like a treat. I think this book could have been stronger, a more worthy follow up to the first novel in this series. I will be reading the final book whenever I am able.
A pesar de que no me encantó la primera parte de la saga, decidí darle una oportunidad a “Lanzarote” y honestamente me arrepiento. Me ha arruinado lo poco que conozco de la leyenda y ese encanto que la rodea.
¿Qué vamos a encontrar en este libro? Principalmente vamos a encontrar romance, pero más bien un romance al estilo de Nora Roberts o de Nieves Hidalgo. Un romance adultero, donde leemos mucho sobre como sienten los amantes la desesperación de su separación, leemos muchos pensamientos deprimentes y otros ardientes cuando los amantes se encuentran. Si quieres leer algo de acción o aventura lamento decirte que este título tiene muy poco.
Lo peor, es que los personajes son muy aburridos y lastimeros, no parecen desenvolverse mucho, de hecho no hay un personaje que realmente tenga fuerza en la historia. Arturo es retratado como un hombre débil, de mal criterio y malas decisiones por el cuál su esposa Ginebra ya no siente amor ni admiración. Mi percepción es que la autora intentó darle un giro feminista a la historia de Arturo, poniendo a Ginebra como la legítima heredera de Camelot, procedente de un culto matriarcal donde las mujeres gobiernan y pueden escoger o cambiar de pareja según el beneficio del reino, o de ellas mismas. Pero al casarse con Arturo tiene que aceptar la religión cristiana en sus reinos, pero sin someterse a ella y esto es una de los tantos detalles que no encajan o se ven forzados en el desarrollo de los personajes.
This is a tough book to review. I love the story of Guenevere and Lancelot but by the end of this book I wanted to bang their heads together. Poor old King Arthur- was he that dumb or just turned a blind eye to their carry on.
It was well written but the language was a bit hard for me to read easily. I had to concentrate to get the meaning so I can't say it was a relaxing read. Maybe it would have been easier if I had have read the first of this trilogy but I don't think I would have read this second one if I did.
About what I expected after reading the last entry a few years ago. This is the Arthurian saga as a shallow soap opera with heavy anti-Christian vibes that are so biased it's comical rather than offensive. Knowing all that, I had a lot of fun. Miles knows how to hook you in with just enough melodrama that you keep turning pages (not something every author can claim) until the end. I will finish this series eventually, but these are definitely guilty pleasure reads I don't necessarily recommend unless you're in a particular mood.
I feel like this really embodied a good Arthurian tale. I really enjoyed the inner conflict between Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot. I found it quite refreshing to read something as old as this. I enjoyed the build up of tension. Despite my random judgement of Guinevere in previous stories - I liked her perspective in this one. This book demonstrated a well done love triangle. When I want to explore more Arthurian legends, I know which series to return to.
I found this book not as well done as the first in the series, but now I'm hooked with the characters and will continue to read the third and final book. There is lots of repetition to get readers up to speed if it has been a while since you read the first book, however if you are reading one after the other you will need to skim part of this book.
i liked this slightly better than the first book. still, the going back and forth between lancelot coming and leaving is annoying and a bit overdone, but again the ending in the book wraps everything up & makes you look forward to the last book. i will never reread these, but it’s a fun world to spend some time in.
I liked the first book much better than this one. I loved how Guenevere was portrayed as a courageous heroine. In this second one she seemed codependent on sir Lancelot. She lost her fierce independance.
The second novel of this series follow the troubles of Guinevere, divided between being a faithful wife and a perfect queen to the people and her love for Lancelot, while struggling for her faith (some sort of Mists of Avalon-like Old religion) and the Christians that are conquering even Arthur's heart.
In this second novel there is a little more other characters. The narration is divided between Guinevere, Gawain and his brothers, Morgause, Lancelot and his family and Merlin so the book manages to be quite interesting and catching with different subplots. I particularly like the parts about Merlin. I truly loved how the wizard reacted at the idea of Mordred, how he wanted to bring him to court because he is a Pendragon and the destiny of Britain lays in Pendragon's hands. I even loved Mordred and his reaction to Arthur at the end of the book. There were actually many things I loved in the plot even if I somehow found it a bit more boring than the last book. In particular I was forever annoyed at how the novel describes Arthur who becomes a pathetic man, forever scared of Morgana (which is actually understandable) but also incapable of listening to Guinevere, stubborn and weak at the same time. Guinevere also annoyed me a little because her character doesn't seem to have evolved since the last book: she is suffering for her son's death, still feeling both love and anger at Arthur and still longing for Lancelot and feeling jealous at every page. Overall I admit that I love the Grail stuff most of all. The idea was that the Grail is a pagan relic, a cauldron, but that the monks at Avalon wanted to present it to everyone as the Christian Grail. Guinevere and the lady of the lake, to protect the relic, asked Lancelot to take it away from Avalon and hide it so that monks can't find it and that's how Christians are convinced the Grail is lost and has to be found. I admit I am quite excited for the next book because Mordred doesn't seem like clichey-evil and he instead seems very fond of Arthur.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Although the first book in the series is still my favorite of the three so far, Knight of the Sacred Lake definitely met up to my expectations of a wonderful Arthurian tale. Many people dislike a romantic, tragic Guinevere...I, however, enjoy the emotional struggles and conquests that Guinevere endures because it explores a side of humanity we all can related to; jealousy, doubts and questions about love and loyalty, the excitement of forbidden desire, and the guilt and confusion that comes with it. Although a warrior Guinevere is by far my favorite depiction of the female legend, I believe Rosalind Miles did justice to ALL her characters within this story. Morgan and Agravain are two characters you will come to loathe and despise, the love triangle between Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot will have you crying and cheering for all the hardships and turmoil they must overcome in order to sustain some kind of emotional peace, and the religious conflicts are by far one of my favorite aspects of the series. The Pagan religion is much more favored than the Christian religion throughout the books, but it is not due to the fact that the author has any bias opinions on the whole subject, but more of the fact that during that time period, 4th-5th Century A.D., the whole Christian attitude toward the Pagan religion was very hostile and commanding. Guinevere was a Celtic Princess, she was a Pagan, and this is something a lot of authors forget to mention in their historical portrayals of her. Over-all, this is one of the best Arthurian Series I have ever read, I can not wait to read the last and final book in the series.
The Knight of the Sacred Lake is the second book in the Guinevere trilogy written by Rosalind Miles.
The second book begins with the return of Lancelot to court, after he left in the first book and with the introduction of new knights. This book also contains Lancelot's famous story with Elaine de Astolat.
In terms of characters, I noticed that Guinevere did not have a great growth from the first book to the second. I thought she was more jealous and even a little hypocritical, criticizing Lancelot for being unfaithful to her, when in fact it was she who was married and had given her heart to someone else. Lancelot remains a knight who is torn apart by the conflict within him, especially as far as Arthur and Guinevere are concerned.
Arthur showed a man increasingly weak and easily manipulated by Christians. Morgana continues with his revenge and Mordred first appears in the book at the end of the book. Elaine de Astolat also appears and is portrayed as a kind and somewhat innocent girl who dies of unrequited love because of Lancelot.
One of my favorite parts of this book was undoubtedly the way it portrayed religious issues (Christianity vs. Celtic). Although there are certain characteristics that I did not like Guinevere, the romance between her and Lancelot was well written and when the two meet again after the episode of Elaine is simply loving and beautiful.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves the Arthurian legend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
So far my only complaint regards the overuse of a particular adjective. The first two times she used "seagirt" to describe Great Britain, I rather liked it. When she'd used it five times in the first half of the book, I became less fond of it. Petty, I know, but it just irritated me somehow.
The story so far continues to have some good twists on the various tales of Arthurian legends.
She stopped using "seagirt" but went on to overuse "hyacinthine" which isn't even accurate according to the other adjectives she uses to describe Mordred's eyes. If they are "indigo" or "twilight" you'd have to be some kind of freak gardener to get hyacinths that color. hyacinth blue is NOT indigo.
Other than some of her language pissing me off, I only have one real irritant in this series so far but I can't quite put my finger on it. As a modern pagan who studies Arthur and medieval paganism, there is just something off about her world. I realize that a major part of the story these books tell is about the conflict between the Catholics and the pagans, but somehow it feels wrong to me. Perhaps it is how Merlin and Morgan le Fay fit into it... I'll try to figure out what it is so I can articulate it as I'm digging into the third novel.
I really enjoyed this book, it had a completely different tone from the first novel which made it highly enjoyable. The first novel I struggled to finish but this one at times I couldn't get myself to put it down. There just seemed like so much going on that from one chapter to the nother I couldn't put it down or know what was going to happen next.
I really enjoyed Lancelot and the Lady of Asolot. It's one of my favorite tales and I loved to see it play out in this book. Especially with Lancelots thoughts instead of just Elaines. It was almost a kindred love. I did find it really annoying though how Guenevere reaction to it all though, but she had her mind set and wouldn't budge. Which made her and Lancelots reunion all that much sweeter.
It was really enjoyable to have all of the different 'point of views' in this novel. They all held their own voice which almost changed the tone of the entire novel when that specific person was talking, like Morgan Le Fay and The Father Abbot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Second in the Guenevere trilogy. I liked this one better than book one...more about the knights (new ones, old ones, justice, tournaments, etc) and less "oh, my love" rants by Guenevere. I did, however, find Guenevere annoying. She dwells on Arthur's betrayal of her and meanwhile she's "on again, off again" with Lancelot...her back and forth of "I hate you, I love you" to Lancelot really gets tiring. Merlin continues to be portrayed as conniving and manipulative while Arthur just seems to have this knack for always believing only good things will happen if he does the right thing. An interesting perspective of the legend and I'll be reading the last installment to see how Miles wraps this all up.