The Squire's Quest

 The Squire's Quest by Gerald Morris; 275 pages

This is Book 9 in a series that I've already read at least once, and am glad to be experiencing again, even though I know we're coming to the end of Camelot. I love these books so much: the retelling of both well-known and obscure Arthurian legends, as well as other stories of the time, are as enjoyable as the philosophical discussion the characters engage in with humor and profundity. 

In this story, Terence, squire to Gawain (Terence's character is a creation of this author) meets Mordred and immediately knows this young man is not as gallant, kind, or noble as the rest of Arthur's Round Table seems to think he is. But because he can't prove anything about Mordred, Terence can only watch him and hope to find a way to catch him in a misdeed. In the meantime, there are love affairs, jousts, fairies, and funny, engaging, and thought-provoking scenes throughout the book. 

These books are great for older middle-grade children who are getting into these types of stories. Even though at this stage of the series the main characters are no longer teens, the situations are still humorous and action-packed. I'll be sad to read the next and final book of this series but know I can always start again at the first book when I want to enjoy it all again!

The Quest of the Fair Unknown

 

 

The Quest of the Fair Unknown by Gerald Morris, 264 pages

This is the eighth book of The Squire's Tales series. I've been rereading them just for the enjoyment of great writing and fun stories and this book is no different. Beaufils has lived an extremely sheltered life: the only human he has ever known in his isolated home is his mother. Following her death, he wants to search for his father, having learned from his mother that his father was a knight at Camelot. Because Beaufils is very much an innocent, his interactions with the first humans he meets are amusing but also enlightening to the reader: it turns out that Beaufils himself is a very good-looking fellow, but he isn't aware of this and he really doesn't grasp the concept of physical beauty or ugliness in others. He also experiences right away examples of good and evil in the human race. 

Beaufils joins up with the Lady Ellyn, Galahad, Gawain, and others as he embarks on a quest to find the Holy Grail, which interests him much less than finding his father and helping his companions with their quests.

There's so much to love in these stories. It's true of all his books, but it struck me again in this book how many interesting female characters Morris adds to or embellishes using the stories of King Arthur and other popular stories of the Middle Ages. Lady Ellyn in this story is one of my favorite of Morris' female characters: she's funny, introspective, courageous, and kind. These books are great for middle readers interested in fantasy, knights, adventures, magic, and good story telling. I'll be sad when this series ends for me, but it's been fun to reread these books and I'll probably pick up the whole series sometime again soon and start over!

Ivanhoe

Ivanhoe by Walter Scott, 464 pages

Wilfred of Ivanhoe returns from the Crusades to an uncertain future and an unsettled England.  His proud Saxon father has disinherited him for following the lion-hearted Norman king.  His castle is occupied by a Templar who, by all rights, should be fighting in the Holy Land.  His beloved is betrothed to another.  Prince John plots to usurp the throne of his absent brother, Richard.  The forest is teeming with outlaws.  Corruption pervades both Church and State.  Yet there are heroes as well, men and women prepared to risk everything in defence of virtue.  It is time for Ivanhoe to take his place beside them.

Ivanhoe, first published anonymously in 1819, was a massive commercial success, and even more influential as a cultural phenomenon.  Although certainly a part of wider trends emerging out of Romanticism, Scott's novel was at the center of the English love affair with the Middle Ages which lasted throughout the 19th century, influencing the Gothic revival as well as the Pre-Raphaelite, Arts and Crafts, and Tractarian movements.  It is not difficult to understand why - Scott spins a tale of larger-than-life characters engaging in bold feats of adventure against a colorful backdrop, the kind of yarn that pleases audiences in any era and one which suggests the existence, somewhere or somewhen, of a higher and more noble world.  As a cultural artifact, however, it is interesting how critical Scott is of the Middle Ages, which he imagines as characterized chiefly by superstition and prejudice, and the extent to which he recasts the relations between Normans and Saxons to parallel those between Englishmen and Scots.

Dealing with Dragons

Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede     212 pages

Cimorene is everything a princess is not supposed to be: headstrong, tomboyish, smart - and bored. So bored that she runs away to live with a dragon - and finds the family and excitement she's been looking for.

I loved this book when I was a child. It was one of my favorite fantasy books. Listening to the audiobook, it's now one of my favorite audios! It has a full cast and all the voices are great. I highly recommend this book to fantasy lovers or those who love a strong, bad-ass female character, especially one that breaks the mold (aka: not your typical princess). Cimorene is amazing and one of my favorite book characters of all time. Give the book a listen or read it, it's a great adventure story.

Queens of Innis Lear

Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton     575 pages

The erratic decisions of a prophecy-obsessed king have drained Innis Lear of its wild magic, leaving behind a trail of barren crops and despondent subjects. Enemy nations circle the once-bountiful isle, sensing its growing vulnerability, hungry to control the ideal port for all trade routes.

The king's three daughters—battle-hungry Gaela, master manipulator Reagan, and restrained, starblessed Elia—know the realm's only chance of resurrection is to crown a new sovereign, proving a strong hand can resurrect magic and defend itself. But their father will not choose an heir until the longest night of the year, when prophecies align and a poison ritual can be enacted.

Refusing to leave their future in the hands of blind faith, the daughters of Innis Lear prepare for war—but regardless of who wins the crown, the shores of Innis will weep the blood of a house divided.

The book is long, so I'll keep my review brief: Writing: amazing. Story: well constructed, based off of King Lear but retold in a clever way, slow going. Characters: Well rounded, flawed, full of angst (every last one) Overall, I can say I liked the book, but definitely not as much as I was expecting to. It was much too long, or the story took too long to grab hold. Lots of flipping back and forth from past to present and so much narration of people, places, things that it took a long time between moments of action. This book was 50% peoples inner thoughts and monologues, 40% people talking to each other but not doing anything, and 10% things actually happening. It was slow, but well written. Is that enough for me to give it four stars? No. For some, this may be a four star or even five star read. Not for me. I don't regret having read it, but I'd only recommend it to people who like long, methodical world building and character development in their high-fantasy.

The Knight in Rusty Armor

The Knight in Rusty Armor  by Robert Fisher   74 pages

Robert Fisher’s book has been compared to the 1970 smash hit, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which held the Number One spot on the New York Times bestseller list for two consecutive years. That’s one of the reasons I purchased this little book.

I remember reading JLS, like everyone else. However, at age 14, I didn’t get it. To me, it was about a gull that was more interested in flight than food. It didn’t turn my life upside down nor change my path. I might think differently about it if I tried to read it now, as I am on the downhill side of middle age.

In this lighthearted tale, a knight is in search of his true self. But he’s not sure how to go about it.

He is known throughout the kingdom for his armor. It shone so brilliantly that the entire village knew where the knight was at all times. The knight loved to wear his armor. He hated to take it off and, as time progressed, he slowly quit removing it. His wife, Juliet, and their son, Christopher, began to feel shut off and missed the knight.

Before long, the knight was unable to remove his armor. Even the village blacksmith couldn’t help him. There was only person who could help him, Merlin the Magician. He couldn’t wait for Merlin to show up, so the knight saddled his trusty steed and headed to Merlin’s Woods.

Eventually the knight found the magician and poured out his soul. Merlin knew there was only one way to get the armor off, so he set him down the Path of Truth. Along the path, the knight had to overcome three obstacles.

This is a simple tale that is quick and easy to read and is to the point. It wasn't clouded in obscurities as I remember JLS was, although I could be recalling a point of view of a teenager.

The back cover says The Knight in Rusty Armor falls into the “psychology/self-help” genre. I looked on Amazon and it’s rated as a kid’s book, ages 8-12. Personally I feel it is still too deep for a child of that age, so I give The Knight in Rusty Armor 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Pennyroyal Academy

Pennyroyal Academy by M.A. Larson, 314 pages

A nameless girl shows up at the academy in the company of a would-be knight.  He seeks knight training while she hopes to become a princess.  Given the name, Evie, the girl works hard to become a princess who will fight witches, but she has a hard time understanding everything, since, as we find, out she was raised by dragons.  Because knights fight and kill dragons, she is also conflicted about her status at the academy, which also trains knights, and about how she feels towards Remington, who helped her to get to the academy.  The longer Evie is there, the more she feels like she is where she belongs, but others, such as Fairy Drillsergeant and another princess candidate, Malora, seem to disagree.  A fun fantasy that many older kids will probably enjoy.