Scan barcode
crimsoncor's review against another edition
4.0
Really fun, especially for someone who (like me) is a big fan of Mallory's Le Morte d'Arthur.
jhouses's review against another edition
3.0
Esta novela es un canto de amor a la tradición clásica de la literatura Artúrica. Diametralmente opuesto a Las cronicas del señor de la guerra de [a:Bernard Cornwell|12542|Bernard Cornwell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1504578807p2/12542.jpg] se enmarca comodamente en el Arturo de T.H. White, Steinbeck, Hal Foster, Tennyson y, sobre todo Malory.
La autora toma el episodio en que Ginebra es acusada de envenenar a un caballero y elabora sobre él un whodunnit con Sir Kay el Senescal como improbable detective y Sir Mordred como su, aún más improbable, ayudante.
Su mayor virtud que es la inmersión total en el Cametot clásico de los romances, es también su mayor lastre porque el mundo de los caballeros andantes que salen a buscar aventuras y encuentran doncellas y justan con otros caballeros no es suelo fertil para el misterio y la deducción. Además el escrupuloso respeto a [b:La Morte D'Arthur|8738933|La Morte Darthur|Thomas Malory|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1280890139l/8738933._SX50_.jpg|1361856] hace que la solución del misterio resulte conocida para los lectores de la obra.
Aún así muy recomendable.
La autora toma el episodio en que Ginebra es acusada de envenenar a un caballero y elabora sobre él un whodunnit con Sir Kay el Senescal como improbable detective y Sir Mordred como su, aún más improbable, ayudante.
Su mayor virtud que es la inmersión total en el Cametot clásico de los romances, es también su mayor lastre porque el mundo de los caballeros andantes que salen a buscar aventuras y encuentran doncellas y justan con otros caballeros no es suelo fertil para el misterio y la deducción. Además el escrupuloso respeto a [b:La Morte D'Arthur|8738933|La Morte Darthur|Thomas Malory|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1280890139l/8738933._SX50_.jpg|1361856] hace que la solución del misterio resulte conocida para los lectores de la obra.
Aún así muy recomendable.
elusivity's review against another edition
5.0
So much time had passed since last I read this, that I've forgotten every detail of the plot apart from the past that this book had been one of my favorites. After this reread, it not only remains my favorite, but gains another 0.5 STAR to 4.5 STARS because it holds up so well.
This was the first book about the Arthurian legends that I ever read. I came out with a lasting fondness for Sir Kay--ever practical, acerbic, unsentimental, and grounded, with a lashing tongue and a deeply loyal heart--a portrayal rarely found elsewhere. And for Mordred, high ideals twisted to bitterness and living ever on the verge of suicide.
The bones of the mystery is already set forth in Mallory's Morte D'Arthur, here expanded and humanized through the eyes of people who lived through it, with their various feuds and friendships.
Thus expanded, the Arthurian court and knightly honor become such strange things: knights randomly calling upon one another to joust or fight to the death, the winner gaining honor. Knights randomly stumbling into other people's tents when they're sleeping, eat their food, fall into bed already occupied, then waking up to slay the pavilion's owner with full righteousness because the owner, understandably, was coming at them with sword in hand. The artifice of ever-loving one's lady, yet having lovers left and right. Arthur, the good and just king, who killed a whole generation of May babies because he dreamed one will one day usurp him. (What weird usages for "good" and "honorable," really!) And how little power women have in these times, whether common or noble; except, when they tired of being so helpless, study the necromantic arts and become powerful and amazing sorceresses!
So entertaining, and so melancholic in a way, to see the characters, grow fond of them, knowing the tragedies that will befall them all in the end. But that's the nature of Arthurian stories.. and this one is an excellent addition, not to mention, a pretty fun mystery besides. Recommended!!
This was the first book about the Arthurian legends that I ever read. I came out with a lasting fondness for Sir Kay--ever practical, acerbic, unsentimental, and grounded, with a lashing tongue and a deeply loyal heart--a portrayal rarely found elsewhere. And for Mordred, high ideals twisted to bitterness and living ever on the verge of suicide.
The bones of the mystery is already set forth in Mallory's Morte D'Arthur, here expanded and humanized through the eyes of people who lived through it, with their various feuds and friendships.
Thus expanded, the Arthurian court and knightly honor become such strange things: knights randomly calling upon one another to joust or fight to the death, the winner gaining honor. Knights randomly stumbling into other people's tents when they're sleeping, eat their food, fall into bed already occupied, then waking up to slay the pavilion's owner with full righteousness because the owner, understandably, was coming at them with sword in hand. The artifice of ever-loving one's lady, yet having lovers left and right. Arthur, the good and just king, who killed a whole generation of May babies because he dreamed one will one day usurp him. (What weird usages for "good" and "honorable," really!) And how little power women have in these times, whether common or noble; except, when they tired of being so helpless, study the necromantic arts and become powerful and amazing sorceresses!
So entertaining, and so melancholic in a way, to see the characters, grow fond of them, knowing the tragedies that will befall them all in the end. But that's the nature of Arthurian stories.. and this one is an excellent addition, not to mention, a pretty fun mystery besides. Recommended!!
mythmakers's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
a very fun read for any arthuriana fans who prefer contemporary (re)tellings to wading through ye olde texts. i think that it might be a bit of a dense read for anyone not especially into arthurian legend who's reading this for the murder plot only, with frequent pauses in the story for other (more or less) related tales, but i personally loved it, and found it all tied quite neatly back together in the end.
lesbiannebonnies's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cleheny's review against another edition
3.0
This is an interesting approach to the Arthurian legend, though it's title is somewhat misleading, and I don't know that it's wholly successful. First, although it's title suggests that it's about Guenevere, she is mostly a motivating force than an actual character. The story is told by Sir Kay, Arthur's foster brother and seneschal, and he is devoted to the queen, who, at the start of the tale, is accused of poisoning Sir Patrise at a banquet. After the initial scenes, during which Guenevere is either horrified/hysterical, she disappears until the very end of the novel. Her character is more discussed than established, which makes it hard to sympathize with Kay's worship and his praise of her (as the person who keeps Arthur's kingdom running smoothly). I think the Guenevere Kay describes could be interesting (we see hints of her in the final scene); I just wish I had met her.
Second, the plot device is a murder mystery--Sir Patrise's poisoning and the motivation for the crime--but the novel is really an exploration of certain incidents, characters, and feuds in La Morte d'Arthur. I like what Karr does with many of these events and characters--the deaths of Lot, Pellinore, Morgause, and Lamorak; the prophecy concerning Mordred and his betrayal of Arthur; the history of Morgan Le Fay, to name a few--but these excursions sap the tension from the murder investigation (such as it is).
There are some things I really liked about this book, including how the investigation is conducted. This is, after all, a world of necromancers. There aren't forensics--there is magical sleuthing. Kay's worldview is depicted pretty effectively, I think. For example, there's a really good passage in which Kay reflects on how he's mocked for the way he treated Gareth (Beaumains), but he remembers all the other would-be knights who masquerade as scullions and don't have either the talent or a patron such as Lancelot to support their pretensions. I also like her version of Mordred, a man whose world is shaken by prophecy and who suffers (truly, suffers) from a streak of fatalism.
She tells a tale of Camelot from the perspective of the "unpopular" kids--such as Kay and Mordred--and, thus, paints a picture of Arthur's court that is often cynical. I'm fine with how that impacts Lancelot's depiction, as he is a character whose depiction is critical for whether I am sympathetic to him (I don't particularly care for Malory's Lancelot; I'm intrigued and moved by White's). I am less persuaded by Arthur's characterization, but that has a lot to do with my bias in favor of a strong, sympathetic, and compassionate Arthur (Mary Stewart's characterization may be my favorite). I can see the validity of Karr's approach--I just wish I didn't.
Karr clearly knows her Arthuriana. She mixes elements of the Vulgate with Malory (who is clearly the dominant influence). On the one hand, the details intrigued me enough that I will now search out the Vulgate to read. The problem is that they are mostly brief references, so the reader's ability to appreciate what they add to the story is dependent on a knowledge of the Vulgate.
All in all, I'm glad I read this, and, after re-reading Malory and reading the Vulgate, I plan to come back to this.
Second, the plot device is a murder mystery--Sir Patrise's poisoning and the motivation for the crime--but the novel is really an exploration of certain incidents, characters, and feuds in La Morte d'Arthur. I like what Karr does with many of these events and characters--the deaths of Lot, Pellinore, Morgause, and Lamorak; the prophecy concerning Mordred and his betrayal of Arthur; the history of Morgan Le Fay, to name a few--but these excursions sap the tension from the murder investigation (such as it is).
There are some things I really liked about this book, including how the investigation is conducted. This is, after all, a world of necromancers. There aren't forensics--there is magical sleuthing. Kay's worldview is depicted pretty effectively, I think. For example, there's a really good passage in which Kay reflects on how he's mocked for the way he treated Gareth (Beaumains), but he remembers all the other would-be knights who masquerade as scullions and don't have either the talent or a patron such as Lancelot to support their pretensions. I also like her version of Mordred, a man whose world is shaken by prophecy and who suffers (truly, suffers) from a streak of fatalism.
She tells a tale of Camelot from the perspective of the "unpopular" kids--such as Kay and Mordred--and, thus, paints a picture of Arthur's court that is often cynical. I'm fine with how that impacts Lancelot's depiction, as he is a character whose depiction is critical for whether I am sympathetic to him (I don't particularly care for Malory's Lancelot; I'm intrigued and moved by White's). I am less persuaded by Arthur's characterization, but that has a lot to do with my bias in favor of a strong, sympathetic, and compassionate Arthur (Mary Stewart's characterization may be my favorite). I can see the validity of Karr's approach--I just wish I didn't.
Karr clearly knows her Arthuriana. She mixes elements of the Vulgate with Malory (who is clearly the dominant influence). On the one hand, the details intrigued me enough that I will now search out the Vulgate to read. The problem is that they are mostly brief references, so the reader's ability to appreciate what they add to the story is dependent on a knowledge of the Vulgate.
All in all, I'm glad I read this, and, after re-reading Malory and reading the Vulgate, I plan to come back to this.
indigo78180's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
anselmaj's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, and Vomit
Minor: Infidelity, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, and Incest
leialocks's review against another edition
2.0
Murder mystery with the Arthurian legend. Not being as well versed in the myths, I had trouble keeping all the families and feuds straight. Fair book overall. Really loses speed after visiting Morgan Le Fay. The payoff scene with the sons of Lot is more satisfying than the main mystery.