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Malory's Knights of Albion #1
The Black Chalice
Son of a knight and aspirant to the Round Table, Alymere yearns to take his place in the world, and for a quest to prove his worth. He comes across the foul Devil’s Bible – said to have been written in one night by an insane hermit – which leads and drives him, by turns, to seek the unholy Black Chalice. On his quest he will face, and overcome, dire obstacles and cunning enemies, becoming a knight of renown; but the ultimate threat is to his very soul. Malory’s Knights of The Black Chalice is the start of an exciting new series of never-before-seen Arthurian adventures. “Savile’s prose is lovely, the story thoughtful, gripping, and even charming...” - Charles de Lint “Disturbing and highly affecting - it stays with you long after the final page has been read” - Mark Chadbourn on ‘Remember Me Yesterday’
303 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2011
82 people want to read
About the author
Steven Savile
247 books250 followersSteven Savile (born October 12, 1969, in Newcastle, England) is a British fantasy, horror and thriller writer, and editor living in Sala, Sweden.
Under the Ronan Frost penname (inspired by the hero of his bestselling novel, Silver) he has also written the action thriller White Peak, and as Matt Langley was a finalist for the People's Book Prize.
Under the Ronan Frost penname (inspired by the hero of his bestselling novel, Silver) he has also written the action thriller White Peak, and as Matt Langley was a finalist for the People's Book Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 31, 2011
There seems to be a resurgence in epic fantasy. It's a genre that is always with us. After all, Robert E Howard has been in print for years. With the recent Game of Thrones mini-series, we'll probably be seeing a lot more books in this field.
Black Chalice by English writer Steven Savile, is one of the better offerings. Written as if it was a new discovery, the book is filled with notes and explanations. The "hook" here is is the book is a lost addition to the Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. I expect the publisher will be launching more "discoveries" in the near future.
Black Chalice is the story of Alymere, who travels to Camelot in hopes of becoming a knight of the table round. His father was a knight, so surely Alymere will have no trouble getting King Arthur to squire him to a knight. But the knight he ends up squiring to is his uncle, whom Alymere blames for his family's genteel poverty. After several years of training, the squire accompanies his uncle to inspect the sentry houses which guard the wall between England and the north.
And then things get very strange.
Because Alymere encounters a strange witch woman who tells him of the Devil's Bible, a forbidden book with forbidden knowledge. He eventually finds the book in a monastery, which leads him on a path of near-destruction.
We have: a monastery of blind monks. An unholy grail guarded by a giant with an ax. Tretchery. Betrayl. And many wrong decesions. In some ways, this book takes the traditional grail narrative and flips it on its head.
Worth reading if you are looking for an interesting variation on the Legend of the Holy Grail.
Black Chalice by English writer Steven Savile, is one of the better offerings. Written as if it was a new discovery, the book is filled with notes and explanations. The "hook" here is is the book is a lost addition to the Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. I expect the publisher will be launching more "discoveries" in the near future.
Black Chalice is the story of Alymere, who travels to Camelot in hopes of becoming a knight of the table round. His father was a knight, so surely Alymere will have no trouble getting King Arthur to squire him to a knight. But the knight he ends up squiring to is his uncle, whom Alymere blames for his family's genteel poverty. After several years of training, the squire accompanies his uncle to inspect the sentry houses which guard the wall between England and the north.
And then things get very strange.
Because Alymere encounters a strange witch woman who tells him of the Devil's Bible, a forbidden book with forbidden knowledge. He eventually finds the book in a monastery, which leads him on a path of near-destruction.
We have: a monastery of blind monks. An unholy grail guarded by a giant with an ax. Tretchery. Betrayl. And many wrong decesions. In some ways, this book takes the traditional grail narrative and flips it on its head.
Worth reading if you are looking for an interesting variation on the Legend of the Holy Grail.
October 30, 2022
I'm rounding up from 3.5 stars. This isn't something I'd normally have chosen to read, but it turned out to be good. The conceit of it being bast on a lost work of Mallory seems a bit silly to me, but the story itself is a pretty rich Arthurian tale. It does have a number of common misconceptions of the period (e.g. using torches indoors) and anachronisms (e.g. Norman architecture centuries before William the Conqueror invaded, Picts way too far south for the period), but it's pretty easy to ignore these. It does do a decent job of displaying the basics of the feudal system in which Arthur and his knights would have been operating and it doesn't really hide the fact that the laws and customs around medieval chivalry weren't exactly on the most morally sound footing, though it still manages to express the good intent behind it. Overall, it was a fun read and I'd probably read the sequels of someone gave them to me or they were included in a bundle.
November 25, 2011
The Black Chalice is the first in a series from Abaddon Books called Malory’s Knights of Albion. The premise of this series is outlined in the novel’s introduction and describes the set-up perfectly.
Found in a church vestry in 2006, the Salisbury Manuscript is the only existing copy of The Second Book of King Arthur and His Noble Knights. Apparently a sequel to Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur, the best-known and most influential version of the story of King Arthur and his Round Table, the Second Book has caused enormous controversy throughout the academic world….The Black Chalice is the first title to be released to the public.
Alymere is dragged through the physical and emotional ringer in this story. He starts as a wide eyed innocent, and by the novel’s conclusion he has been exposed to more suffering than most see in a lifetime. He is stuck between two opposing forces, both keen to own him body and soul. There is some nice natural feeling character development on display here. We get to see Alymere’s first impetuous, and youthful forays into knighthood. They tend not to go exactly as planned, causing outbursts of his fiery temper. Initially, Alymere does come across as a bit of fool. He makes rash decisions without considering the consequences. As he learns what it means to be a knight, his character changes and becomes more introspective and thoughtful.
The other characters are just as well drawn. Sir Bors de Ganis, the first knight that Alymere meets at Camelot, is like a living embodiment of the knight’s code. He exhibits an air of chivalry and fair play, but there is also a cheeky glint in his eye, and a gregariousness that makes him immensely likeable. If anything I found myself hoping for Sir Bors to appear more often as the tale unfolded, not that I didn’t enjoy what I was reading, I just think it would be fantastic to have an entire book dedicated just to his story. He was a particularly memorable addition to the cast.
Blodyweth, a mysterious woman that Alymere meets while on his travels, is also suitably intriguing. She appears to know far more about the young aspirant than she is letting on, and brings a nice supernatural air to the proceedings. Like Sir Bors, it would be interesting to learn more of her back story.
King Arthur’s appearance is only in passing during a few key scenes, but this seems entirely appropriate. A few other famous names are also mentioned but remember, these are the second chronicles of Thomas Malory and are focused on introducing a new cast of characters while enhancing what a reader may know about existing ones. The Knights of Albion, as a series, is about letting the reader meet a host of hitherto unknown Knights of the Round Table.
The Black Chalice is pitched as an introduction to the series. The central story explores what it means to become, and to be, a knight. It examines the themes of self-sacrifice, loyalty, chivalry and the cost of giving up your life to the greater good. If you are familiar with the old legends then this novel will no doubt raise a smile. It covers the same motifs that feature so heavily in the originals texts. For me the Arthurian legends have always been about blending the supernatural with the internal struggle of good versus evil that exists in everyone. I enjoyed reading The Black Chalice and I’ll be reading the next novel in this series very soon.
Found in a church vestry in 2006, the Salisbury Manuscript is the only existing copy of The Second Book of King Arthur and His Noble Knights. Apparently a sequel to Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur, the best-known and most influential version of the story of King Arthur and his Round Table, the Second Book has caused enormous controversy throughout the academic world….The Black Chalice is the first title to be released to the public.
Alymere is dragged through the physical and emotional ringer in this story. He starts as a wide eyed innocent, and by the novel’s conclusion he has been exposed to more suffering than most see in a lifetime. He is stuck between two opposing forces, both keen to own him body and soul. There is some nice natural feeling character development on display here. We get to see Alymere’s first impetuous, and youthful forays into knighthood. They tend not to go exactly as planned, causing outbursts of his fiery temper. Initially, Alymere does come across as a bit of fool. He makes rash decisions without considering the consequences. As he learns what it means to be a knight, his character changes and becomes more introspective and thoughtful.
The other characters are just as well drawn. Sir Bors de Ganis, the first knight that Alymere meets at Camelot, is like a living embodiment of the knight’s code. He exhibits an air of chivalry and fair play, but there is also a cheeky glint in his eye, and a gregariousness that makes him immensely likeable. If anything I found myself hoping for Sir Bors to appear more often as the tale unfolded, not that I didn’t enjoy what I was reading, I just think it would be fantastic to have an entire book dedicated just to his story. He was a particularly memorable addition to the cast.
Blodyweth, a mysterious woman that Alymere meets while on his travels, is also suitably intriguing. She appears to know far more about the young aspirant than she is letting on, and brings a nice supernatural air to the proceedings. Like Sir Bors, it would be interesting to learn more of her back story.
King Arthur’s appearance is only in passing during a few key scenes, but this seems entirely appropriate. A few other famous names are also mentioned but remember, these are the second chronicles of Thomas Malory and are focused on introducing a new cast of characters while enhancing what a reader may know about existing ones. The Knights of Albion, as a series, is about letting the reader meet a host of hitherto unknown Knights of the Round Table.
The Black Chalice is pitched as an introduction to the series. The central story explores what it means to become, and to be, a knight. It examines the themes of self-sacrifice, loyalty, chivalry and the cost of giving up your life to the greater good. If you are familiar with the old legends then this novel will no doubt raise a smile. It covers the same motifs that feature so heavily in the originals texts. For me the Arthurian legends have always been about blending the supernatural with the internal struggle of good versus evil that exists in everyone. I enjoyed reading The Black Chalice and I’ll be reading the next novel in this series very soon.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews