The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights by James Knowles

Harumph. I didn't expect that. I've read so many books based on the Arthurian legend that I thought it would be a sword and sorcery fantasy plot with the character development of King Arthur. Scrap that thought. Character development takes a back seat to a series of chain-linked mini adventures connected to the knights of the Round Table fighting battles or single combats. King Arthur is hardly even in it. Or Merlin for that matter. The sword and the stone, the quest for the Holy Grail, and the Guinevere and Lancelot tragedy are just small pieces of one gigantic story on fighting. I was mixing my fantasy tropes with legends and the two operate differently. While this legend has magic, the focus is on being a chivalrous knight at all costs. In King Arthur's world, a knight is a disciplined soldier who follows certain military strategies and functions as part of a national army, or in this case, King Arthur's army. From what others say James Knowles retelling is close to Sir Thomas Malory's, Le Morte d'Arthur, except it sounds like Malory used even more battle descriptions. There are so many variations on the tale that I did not realize it is a legend that has influenced fantasy versus the other way around.

Historically, there is no denying the importance of this work in literature, but this retelling is not going to appeal to most modern readers. The antiquated language and battles or single combat scenes get monotonous after awhile. The knights prove their valor, courage, and chivalry over and over again. I found it engaging, funny, irritating, fascinating, and tedious. The women are one-dimensional nincompoops. I guarantee you will be offended. They get their heads chopped off either for love or because the rules of the game (whether evil or not) require it. This is one of the major characteristics that defines a chivalrous knight. The rules are more important than death even if they are evil.

In one adventure, a good knight, accompanied by a woman, comes to a castle where dwells an evil knight and a lady. The evil knight insists that the beauty of the two be compared and the uglier one have her head chopped off by the winner. The good knight vehemently disagrees with the terms of this because it is an evil custom. He is the good and chivalrous knight, while the other is dishonorable. The two women's looks are compared and the good knight chops off her head because she did not speak against the evil knight's rules. Another adventure involves a knight who accidentally chops off a woman's head that was trying to protect her knight who had cried for mercy after losing a combat. The knight was dishonorable because he lost his head and was unable to stop. Honorable knights don't kill defeated knights asking for mercy. The errant knight is repentant afterwards and carries the woman's head on a rope around his neck to tell King Arthur of his foul deed. The women of King Arthur's court judge his actions and sentence him to protect them whenever they call upon him. He is their knight forevermore. Ugh. Welcome to the bloody Middle Ages folks, when this tale that was first put to paper. Not that the feminine portrayals are surprising. Male heroes dominated the legend genre in literature during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

According to Norton's Anthology of Children's Literature, legends represent historical times and have an oral tradition. Legends were a way of people understanding the unexplained and history of their country. To understand the variations, readers need to understand the sociohistorical context of the times. I won't get into all of that, but it helps knowing it because King Arthur wants to take over lands from the Romans and Saxons. The superiority and snobbery shows how he represents the feudal lord, with the knights as his vassals. No one knows if King Arthur ever existed. He might represent a warrior that fought against the Saxons in 600 C.E. The King Arthur of this legend doesn't make an appearance on paper until ca. 1135 when Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote Historia regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of England). According to this tale Arthur killed hundreds of Saxons, married Guinevere, and held court at Caerleon. His nephew, Mordred, rose up against him and although Arthur defeated him, he was mortally wounded and carried to the island of Avalon. Successive writings added Merlin and the magical sword, Excalibar. Sir Thomas Malory's retelling during the Middle Ages is reminiscent of some heroes found in the Knights-Templar and British history. His books were transformed into short narratives called chapbooks for children in the 1800s. Later James Knowles wrote this particular version for children.

Some knights carry white shields or mantles with red crosses, the same clothing of the Knights-Templar, a group of elite knights considered the best fighters during the Crusades. The Templars protected Christians on pilgrimage to Jerusalem from marauders.  The knights of the Round Table seem to be a bit like them having religious ascetic ideals mixed with a military role. The knights' actions are always measured against a code of honor. They are flawed and courageous to the point of stupidity. King Arthur is warned to wait for Lancelot and not fight Mordred in battle because he would die. Arthur tries to wait for Lancelot, but a series of events put him in battle against Mordred's army. Even when Arthur's knight tells him to not fight Mordred single-handedly, Arthur does because it is the noble thing to do. He foolishly insists on killing Mordred with his own hands and dies as a result. While these are flawed heroes that make mistakes over and over again, their courage is commendable.

This legend is one to be studied in a historical context. It is not your typical read and requires some research. It helped me better understand the legend and what other children's authors were doing in modern versions. I want to reread Gerald Morris' satirical Knights' Tales series again. They are hysterical and would be even funnier now that I've read this retelling. The first book is The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great. A new book that has more of the fantasy element of King Arthur is The Eighth Day, by Dianne K. Salerni. The Seeing Stone by Kevin Crossley-Holland has King Arthur as a young boy struggling to find his path during the Middle Ages. He is the second son of a landowner and cannot inherit the land. He decides to become a squire and then a knight so he can own his own manor at some point. Next I want to read Mark Twain's version and T.H. White's, Sword in the Stone.

5 Smileys

The Eighth Day (Eighth Day #1) by Dianne K. Salerni

The art of sneak reading. I'd hunker under the bed covers with a flashlight as a kid and remember shaking the metal casing to keep the light from dimming. Flashlights never lasted long for me. Good thing Kindles weren't around. I would have not slept. Take this book. I couldn't put it down. I made the mistake of bringing it in the bedroom and as I listened to the rhythmic breathing of my sleeping husband I was drawn to it on the nightstand like a moth to light. Kindles eclipse flashlights when it comes to under cover reading. The funny thing is I abandoned this book originally. A woman that I generally agree with on Goodreads gave it a good review so I tried it again. First time around I was turned off by the beginning where the protagonist mutters "suck, suck, suck" over and over. I decided it wasn't well written and after going through a slue of bad books, I just didn't want one that well... sucked. So I put it down. The author might go overboard with the word "suck" and "crap", but the character development is terrific and the plot unpredictable. And yes, it is well-written. A fast-paced action novel I know students will like not caring a hoot about overly repetitive slang words.

Thirteen-year-old orphan Jax Aubrey's dad just died and Jax is living with his eighteen-year-old guardian, Riley Pendrane who can hardly take care of himself much less Jax. When Jax gets up for school and finds no humans around in his town he thinks a zombie apocalypse has happened. He learns that there is an eighth day in an alternate world that exists between Wednesday and Thursday. He's a Transitioner meaning he can exist in the world's seven day cycle, as well as the extra eighth day. He meets Evangeline, a girl that only lives in the eighth day in the house next door. When Jax makes a series of mistakes trying to find answers, he sets in motion a plot by evil men who want to destroy the eighth day and all its inhabitants. In a wild adventure that uses Arthurian legend for world building the author creates unusual plot twists that will keep you flipping the pages (or swiping your Kindle screen under the bed covers.)

Jax is lonely and angry with Riley for taking him away from his relative, Naomi, who wants to take him in after the funeral and be his guardian. Riley has the wrong day for Jax's birthday, the time when Arthurian descendants show if they can Transition or not. When Jax turns thirteen, he Transitions and freaks out discovering the eighth day on his own. He also discovers the hard way his special powers causing all sorts of problems at school with peers. As an Inquisitor he can compel people to give him information. He has fun for a while, but things go awry and he gets kidnapped learning that life is dangerous as a Transitioner.

Riley has his own issues and doesn't explain things quickly enough for Jax who searches for answers on his own. After Riley discovers Jax has powers, he finds a mentor who starts to train him and answer some questions. The adults are always a few steps behind and Jax is developing strength quicker than they anticipated. The result is he gets in trouble quite a bit. When Jax meets Evangeline he connects with her because they are both lonely and scared. She also wants to use him to plot an escape.

Jax emotional arc goes from anger over his dad and Riley uprooting him to curiosity about his powers and the alternate world. He slowly accepts those around him and starts to like them, but knows they don't accept him. He's usually left out of plans and doesn't have enough knowledge to make well-informed decisions. The adults know this and think they are trying to protect him. Jax is not sure who to trust and who not as he navigates both worlds. Add to his guilt pile one dire situation after another and you have an exciting read.

The plot uses the Arthurian legend to create the different clans and factions of people juggling for power. Nothing is what is seems and the author does a nice job of keeping certain characters' actions ambiguous. Even the loyal vassal to the liege Lord is not a one-dimensional creature. He admires Jax for his loyalty to Evangeline. He is evil, don't get me wrong, but he tries to convince Jax to join him and shows choice in actions. An explosive ending (literally and figuratively) will make readers excited for the sequel. I know I was. I went and got an Advanced Reader Copy of book 2, "The Inquisitor's Mark." I did not bring the Kindle to bed with me this time. I needed my sleep. Make sure you have a chunk of time when you start this book.

4 Smileys

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great by Gerald Morris

"Camelot! Camelot! I know it sounds a bit bizarre!" I forgot the rest of the lyrics to this 1967 movie but I can hum the whole shebang for you if ya want just the tune.  I'm sure if I Googled it, the rest would come flooding back with Richard Burton blasting the lyrics in his distinct baritone. I thought of that movie when I read this book, although Monty Python and the Holy Grail is probably closer to the book's premise. Or maybe not. Monty Python's adultish humor is not very kidish (wink, wink). What Monty Python and the book share in common is a very funny spoof on Arthurian Legends.

Lancelot leaves France on a quest to become a knight in King Arthur's court. Right away we discover that Lancelot is a hero of a different kind. Sure, he is handsome. Sure, he has superior athletic abilities. Sure, he can get out of any scrape. But when we first meet him he is anything but typical. He is vain and ditzy. The author has a fun play on words when Lancelot takes the phrase, "a knight in shining armor," literally and believes that the only way King Arthur will accept him as a knight is if his armor is shiny. A funny scene ensues where Lancelot defeats knights attacking him lefthanded and he is frustrated that they are getting his armor dirty. How can he meet the King Arthur without "shining armor." Unbeknownst to him the knights he defeated were in a tournament where the winner gets a place at the Knights of the Round Table. From the get-go we know this is a silly tale with twists on the original tale.


Lancelot goes through 5 adventures and I believe most refer to Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte d'Arthur" from the 1400's which I haven't read. The adventure I liked the most reminded me Alfred Tennyson's poem, "The Lady of Shalott", from the 1800's. Being familiar with the poem made the chapter all the more funnier. Tennyson's poem is about the Lady of Shalott who is under a curse in a tower where she can't look out the window on the town of Camelot. She sees Lancelot in her mirror with his sparkling armor, feathered plume hat, and gorgeous voice and she decides to go to the window knowing she will die from the curse. Part III of the poem begins, "A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,/He rode between the barley-sheaves." In this children's book, the author has The Lady of Shalott accidentally shoot Lancelot in the butt with a bow and arrow. The Lady of Shalott's mother is lady Elaine which refers to the Malory's Elaine of Astolat who is the same person as the Lady of Shalott; it's just that Tennyson changed the name. I'm sure I missed other references since I haven't read Malory but you can see the nonstop poke on the classic in this romp.

Lancelot gets shot by the Lady of Shalott because King Arthur asked him not to participate in his jousting tournament; Lancelot always wins and it takes the fun out of the competition. Lancelot complies and leaves town only to get shot by the Lady of Shalott when he decides to nap under a tree (he loves naps). Lancelot decides his injury is a great handicap and he can now enter the tournament because it will be hard to win. He straps a pillow to his seat and disguises himself so he can participate. Of course he does well inspite of his injury, but things become complicated when he wears the Lady of Shalott's scarf and people expect him to marry her as the winner. In an ironic twist the Lady of Shalott desires another man and doesn't want to marry Lancelot.

I like how the author presents Lancelot as a trickster and one who is tricked. He's vain and clueless in some spots and funny in others such as when he drops acorns on the Sir Phelot's helmet. And even though he appears to have everything anyone could want, he isn't happy. At the end, he has even lost some of his vanity. The play on words throughout are entertaining such as the "recreant" knights. While young readers aren't going to get the references (I taught the Lady of Shalott to 12th graders in English class) they will laugh at the situations. I am kind of curious to read Malory's work and then reread this book. The book is only about 100 pages and a fast fun read. Check it out!

Reading level 4.8
Fountas & Pinnell: R

5 out of 5 Smileys