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The Queen's Knight
, 329 pages
- GenresHistorical Fiction
372 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1955
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26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 13, 2014
I am conflicted about this novel. I liked so many things of it, I loved some parts and some characters and ideas, but I was sometimes confused by the way it was written. It felt more like a lot of dialogues of people talking about stuff that is happening instead of... stuff shown. It may also be because I am not English, English is not my first language and this was such a different novel that I may have had more difficulties in following it differently from other contemporary novels.
Saying this, it also felt like the plot was incomplete, I could never really get "inside" the novel, it all felt like a big introduction.
In general instead I loved the idea of Arthur as a man who was never raised as a nobleman, here he is a surprised commoner who gets chosen by Merlin because Merlin, Mordred, Lancelot and other kings need a puppet king. The way Arthur, in all his innocence and hope and sometimes ignorance, managed to get the real power and the trust of the people was amazing. I was also surprised by Lancelot who, in my opinion, is a very awful character (well described but not likable). Guinevere was also a nice novelty and the author didn't shy from the worse aspects of a possibly arranged marriage like the one between Guinevere and Arthur, without writing Guinevere into a cliché.
Mordred was quite a strange character too. He was the enemy but in my opinion it would have worked better with more descriptions of him and what he really wanted, but that's just my Mordred-love talking.
I decided to keep spoilers away from the review so I will stop here. Personally, even if I was confused sometimes by how it was written and facts seemed very fast, I still liked the novel.
Saying this, it also felt like the plot was incomplete, I could never really get "inside" the novel, it all felt like a big introduction.
In general instead I loved the idea of Arthur as a man who was never raised as a nobleman, here he is a surprised commoner who gets chosen by Merlin because Merlin, Mordred, Lancelot and other kings need a puppet king. The way Arthur, in all his innocence and hope and sometimes ignorance, managed to get the real power and the trust of the people was amazing. I was also surprised by Lancelot who, in my opinion, is a very awful character (well described but not likable). Guinevere was also a nice novelty and the author didn't shy from the worse aspects of a possibly arranged marriage like the one between Guinevere and Arthur, without writing Guinevere into a cliché.
Mordred was quite a strange character too. He was the enemy but in my opinion it would have worked better with more descriptions of him and what he really wanted, but that's just my Mordred-love talking.
I decided to keep spoilers away from the review so I will stop here. Personally, even if I was confused sometimes by how it was written and facts seemed very fast, I still liked the novel.
February 12, 2023
Actual Rating: 4,5 ⭐️
A very refresh take about the arthurian legend.
Plot
I have read many books about King Arthur and his knights, but this book was a very interesting one, with a very interesting premise.
In here, Arthur isn't Uther Pendragon son, but he is man chosen by Merlin to be Modred's poppet king. He was a commoner, who didn't have manners and people think he was really a fool. But, Arthur started to inspire people with his new ideas.
The plot was really interesting and the pacing was really good.
Characters
I really like the way the author portrayed them. Arthur was a man that had a dream, that an objective, but still had many flaws. Launcelot was a very good character. He was really well developed. He is a man that lives for war and all some decisions that he mades are questionable, he also has a soft side of him. Lucan was also our main character, I like how he tried to help Arthur since the beginning. Guinevere was really interesting, I wish I could have seen more of her, she could have been a wonderful character if she had more time.
Mordred was good, but I wish I could have seen more of his perspective, Merlin was also different. The other secondary characters, like Kay, Gawain were different from what I'm used to, but still really well written.
Writing
In general the writing was good, but sometimes the book was a bit telling and not showing.
World-Building
I liked the world-building. I think he did a good job in trying to portrayed their world and the tension between Mordred and Arthur.
Romance
I really liked the portrayed of Launcelot and Guinevere. I really felt sorry for them. While the romance is not the main focuses of the book, the reader still gets some scenes between the lovers, I wish I could have more, but I really like how the author developed them.
Final Thoughts
A very interesting book that is perfect for the fans of arthurian legend.
A very refresh take about the arthurian legend.
Plot
I have read many books about King Arthur and his knights, but this book was a very interesting one, with a very interesting premise.
In here, Arthur isn't Uther Pendragon son, but he is man chosen by Merlin to be Modred's poppet king. He was a commoner, who didn't have manners and people think he was really a fool. But, Arthur started to inspire people with his new ideas.
The plot was really interesting and the pacing was really good.
Characters
I really like the way the author portrayed them. Arthur was a man that had a dream, that an objective, but still had many flaws. Launcelot was a very good character. He was really well developed. He is a man that lives for war and all some decisions that he mades are questionable, he also has a soft side of him. Lucan was also our main character, I like how he tried to help Arthur since the beginning. Guinevere was really interesting, I wish I could have seen more of her, she could have been a wonderful character if she had more time.
Mordred was good, but I wish I could have seen more of his perspective, Merlin was also different. The other secondary characters, like Kay, Gawain were different from what I'm used to, but still really well written.
Writing
In general the writing was good, but sometimes the book was a bit telling and not showing.
World-Building
I liked the world-building. I think he did a good job in trying to portrayed their world and the tension between Mordred and Arthur.
Romance
I really liked the portrayed of Launcelot and Guinevere. I really felt sorry for them. While the romance is not the main focuses of the book, the reader still gets some scenes between the lovers, I wish I could have more, but I really like how the author developed them.
Final Thoughts
A very interesting book that is perfect for the fans of arthurian legend.
December 14, 2024
2.5 rounded up. It's not... bad... it's not a bad book in and of itself but like... that isn't Lancelot. It was very stirring to see how Arthur raised up the kingdom in his way, and the same for how the realm was united, and like if this weren't an Arthurian retelling perhaps I would be rating it higher? But Lancelot was written very uncharacteristically cruel and I really didn't like it. I don't know. I think what annoyed me the most was when . This is the same man whose first major appearance is in Chrétien's The Knight of the Cart where he famously demeans himself just to gain news of the queen's location?????? His WHOLE thing is utter devotion to Guinevere........ it was so strange. I would read scenes of them and find it great reading but not Lancelot and Guinevere.
I liked what the author did with Mordred but also disliked it because it felt like the author just put it there as a plot device? Perhaps it wouldn't have felt so much so if we'd gotten more time with Mordred which unfortunately we did not. So unfortunately I did end up feeling rather unsatisfied with how his queerness was treated. Also, speaking of queerness, I did like how Lancelot and Arthur's relationship was done, but like I said up there, there was ever always that weirdness of this isn't exactly the Lancelot I know and love. In the context of the book and only the book, though, I did like it.
I'm sorry this review is so messy. It's hard for me to articulate my thoughts when they are so jumbled by how I know particular arthurian characters versus how this book depicted them. It made for a really weird reading experience and I could never really decide if I liked the book or not.
I liked what the author did with Mordred but also disliked it because it felt like the author just put it there as a plot device? Perhaps it wouldn't have felt so much so if we'd gotten more time with Mordred which unfortunately we did not. So unfortunately I did end up feeling rather unsatisfied with how his queerness was treated. Also, speaking of queerness, I did like how Lancelot and Arthur's relationship was done, but like I said up there, there was ever always that weirdness of this isn't exactly the Lancelot I know and love. In the context of the book and only the book, though, I did like it.
I'm sorry this review is so messy. It's hard for me to articulate my thoughts when they are so jumbled by how I know particular arthurian characters versus how this book depicted them. It made for a really weird reading experience and I could never really decide if I liked the book or not.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews