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Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit
The bestselling author of the Valdemar novels pens a classic tale about King Arthur's legendary queen.
Gwenhwyfar moves in a world where gods walk among their pagan worshipers, where nebulous visions warn of future perils, and where there are two paths for a woman: the path of the Blessing or the rarer path of the Warrior. Gwenhwyfar chooses the latter, giving up the power that she is born into. Yet the daughter of a King is never truly free to follow her own calling. Acting as the son her father never had, when called upon to serve another purpose by the Ladies of the Well, she bows to circumstances to become Arthur's Queen only to find herself facing temptation and treachery, intrigue and betrayal, but also love and redemption.
Gwenhwyfar moves in a world where gods walk among their pagan worshipers, where nebulous visions warn of future perils, and where there are two paths for a woman: the path of the Blessing or the rarer path of the Warrior. Gwenhwyfar chooses the latter, giving up the power that she is born into. Yet the daughter of a King is never truly free to follow her own calling. Acting as the son her father never had, when called upon to serve another purpose by the Ladies of the Well, she bows to circumstances to become Arthur's Queen only to find herself facing temptation and treachery, intrigue and betrayal, but also love and redemption.
404 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2009
70 people are currently reading
3,661 people want to read
About the author
Mercedes Lackey
502 books9,300 followersMercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 312 reviews
September 28, 2010
Lackey has been writing Mary-Sues in fantasy crack-fic for decades now, so this book came as a surprise to me. She's clearly put in research into early Celtic life and tales--her Gwenhwyfar serves mead and ale with her own hands in a great hall filled with dog shit. This is probably the best book she's ever written--certainly it's the most controlled. But still, sadly disappointing. If you tackle Arthurian legend after centuries of people messing with it, you'd better have something new and interesting to say. Lackey definitely doesn't, but it's not a complete failure as a book. The world felt possible, and neither the "Old Ways" nor the "White Christ" felt demonized (a common pitfall of the Arthurian tales). Most of the story is about Gwen becoming a warrior--she doesn't even meet Arthur until 3/4ths of the way into the novel. I'd ordinarily really enjoy this feminist twist on what makes Gwen important--that it's her skills, rather than her marriage--except that what Gwen is involved in is pretty boring. Even the training montage doesn't have the same vitality as, say, in Arrows of the Queen. By controlling the worst of her Mary-Sue-creating tendencies, Lackey has removed a lot of the fun in her writing style.
Which is not to say that Lackey has learned to write reasonable characters. Her Gwen is perfect in a very well-worn way: she's beautiful, but doesn't pay attention to clothes or makeup! she's more gifted with magic than anyone else! she's the best rider and scout in the army! the fey do as she bids, and come when she calls! she still looks 16 in her late twenties! (Lackey emphasizes how preternaturally young Gwen looks, in nearly every chapter. Why is this important?) She's an unbelievable character, but less so than the Evil Characters. Why do people do mean things? Because they are Evil! From the very moment they are born, they are Evil. Constantly, irredeamably, in every possible situation, Evil. Arthur's kingdom falls not because the Saxons are invading, or because he didn't leave a good infrastructure in place, or because he was a bad king--but instead, because a character is Evil and so does all sorts of Evil things. (In case you weren't sure he was Evil, he rapes the main character repeatedly. I am so, so, so over rape-as-marker-of-evil in fantasy novels.) It's frustrating!
This is better than Lackey's usual fare, but isn't anything special. If you're looking for Arthurian legends with a strong female heroine, I highly recommend Jo Walton's The King's Peace instead.
Which is not to say that Lackey has learned to write reasonable characters. Her Gwen is perfect in a very well-worn way: she's beautiful, but doesn't pay attention to clothes or makeup! she's more gifted with magic than anyone else! she's the best rider and scout in the army! the fey do as she bids, and come when she calls! she still looks 16 in her late twenties! (Lackey emphasizes how preternaturally young Gwen looks, in nearly every chapter. Why is this important?) She's an unbelievable character, but less so than the Evil Characters. Why do people do mean things? Because they are Evil! From the very moment they are born, they are Evil. Constantly, irredeamably, in every possible situation, Evil. Arthur's kingdom falls not because the Saxons are invading, or because he didn't leave a good infrastructure in place, or because he was a bad king--but instead, because a character is Evil and so does all sorts of Evil things. (In case you weren't sure he was Evil, he rapes the main character repeatedly. I am so, so, so over rape-as-marker-of-evil in fantasy novels.) It's frustrating!
This is better than Lackey's usual fare, but isn't anything special. If you're looking for Arthurian legends with a strong female heroine, I highly recommend Jo Walton's The King's Peace instead.
December 4, 2010
Hands down my absolute favorite retelling of the ancient Arthurian legend. Lackey draws on an obscure source for core of her plot, allowing her some freedom with Gwenhwyfar's character. I loved the way she made Gwen a strong and confident warrior without depriving her of her womanhood, or of her sense. I especially love how cleverly she brought the tale to its resolution, moving all the parties into their inevitable positions but in a way that is utterly new. As a scholar of medieval literature, I also enjoyed her attention to all the little details of medieval life and all the things that she got right...things no one else but me would probably notice but that thrilled me anyway. In her Author's Note, Lackey describes her inspiration and the liscence she took with the original source but after reading both tale and note, I can't help but feel that if the legend were true, this would be how it really happened. And that I would so much like to have been THIS Gwenhwyfar's friend.
January 29, 2011
Mercedes Lackey's version of Guinevere's story is mostly distinctive in her choice of sources: she has taken elements mainly from the Welsh tradition, and tried to weave a coherent story out of them. The three Gwenhwyfars named in the Triads, the abductions by both Melwas and Medraut, Gwenhwyfach... It's very interesting that she chose to use the Welsh tales.
The subtleties of the relationship between the Christians and the pagans in this story were also an interesting decision. Normally people draw them as diametrically opposed: this co-existence and slow merge is an interesting way to look on it.
However, her characters and plotting are not particularly distinctive. The first three quarters of the book is rather slow, and she doesn't even meet Arthur in that time. Her time with Arthur is largely glossed over, too. She's a Celtic warrior-woman, and a scout, but ultimately that doesn't seem that important... the most important thing in it is her moment of sacrifice, sacrificing that to her duty when she goes to marry Arthur. And even then, I don't think that moment has the power it could.
The relationship with Lancelin is profoundly unsatisfactory, and seems almost a by-the-by to add a touch of romance. If something more was done with them at the end, maybe...
This is a fun enough read, and based on some interesting ideas. But it's a bit slow at times, and it's not exactly a deep and involved retelling.
The subtleties of the relationship between the Christians and the pagans in this story were also an interesting decision. Normally people draw them as diametrically opposed: this co-existence and slow merge is an interesting way to look on it.
However, her characters and plotting are not particularly distinctive. The first three quarters of the book is rather slow, and she doesn't even meet Arthur in that time. Her time with Arthur is largely glossed over, too. She's a Celtic warrior-woman, and a scout, but ultimately that doesn't seem that important... the most important thing in it is her moment of sacrifice, sacrificing that to her duty when she goes to marry Arthur. And even then, I don't think that moment has the power it could.
The relationship with Lancelin is profoundly unsatisfactory, and seems almost a by-the-by to add a touch of romance. If something more was done with them at the end, maybe...
This is a fun enough read, and based on some interesting ideas. But it's a bit slow at times, and it's not exactly a deep and involved retelling.
March 12, 2011
Ugh. UGH. I like retakes on the Arthurian legend, but I was not happy with this. I was appalled to see (after I bought it) that the author's mentor was Marion Zimmerman Bradley, who wrote "The Mists of Avalon". I HATED that book and hoped that this would be better.
Initially there's some potential and a spin on the legend I had not considered. But Lackey spends WAY too much time on Gwenhyfar's childhood and training. It took forever to get to the actual Arthurian legend, and honestly I lost interest. I began skimming after a while because it seemed like wherever I stopped nothing new was happening.
The takes on Arthur, Lacelot and Merlin don't get much character development, I think. Which is not unusual and not surprising in retrospect. Given how short the book was, I can't really be surprised after reading 2/3 of the book to find Arthur barely gets mentioned.
If you didn't like Bradley's take on the legend, you probably wouldn't like this either. Lackey thankfully does not go into religious discussions, but has the same sidetracked-ness feel of it. It's too bad because I understand she's a fairly prolific author, but I have zero desire to explore any of her other books.
Initially there's some potential and a spin on the legend I had not considered. But Lackey spends WAY too much time on Gwenhyfar's childhood and training. It took forever to get to the actual Arthurian legend, and honestly I lost interest. I began skimming after a while because it seemed like wherever I stopped nothing new was happening.
The takes on Arthur, Lacelot and Merlin don't get much character development, I think. Which is not unusual and not surprising in retrospect. Given how short the book was, I can't really be surprised after reading 2/3 of the book to find Arthur barely gets mentioned.
If you didn't like Bradley's take on the legend, you probably wouldn't like this either. Lackey thankfully does not go into religious discussions, but has the same sidetracked-ness feel of it. It's too bad because I understand she's a fairly prolific author, but I have zero desire to explore any of her other books.
January 10, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. I know a lot of people complained about it because Mercedes Lackey used the Welsh version of the Arthurian legend, but it was one that I had never encountered before, so it was new to me. And the heroine she chose is strong and inspiring and is constantly having to make hard choices. My only real complaint is I wish she had pulled back on the descriptions of some things and expounded on others.
July 24, 2011
Well, I would love to say I enjoyed this book, and I did, in the beginning. It was very well-written, and Mercedes Lackey certainly did her part in performing a cursory overview of the old ways, including adding parts from the Mabinogion and the Welsh triads, and even a bit from Gildas' De Excidio and Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regum Brittaniae. She did a good job in providing a very broad strokes overview of the Arthurian legend, and from a very different perspective. I also appreciated the fact that she tried to keep the story very much a Welsh/Briton one, without a lot of continental (i.e., French or German) overtones, which is, admittedly, hard to do with an Arthurian work. When I started, I couldn't wait to have some free time so I could get back to the book, and that hasn't happened to me since reading Bernard Cornwell's Warlord trilogy a decade ago.
The first two parts of Gwenhyfar ("Princess" and "Warrior") were captivating and I found myself thinking that out of all the Arthurian novels I'd read, I've finally found a Gwenhyfar that I actually liked, from the beginning. Partway through Warrior however, something happened: Lancelot showed up (or in this book's case, Lancelin) and what had started out as a narrative about a strong, independent female, one who thought for herself and fought for herself, devolved into another Guenevere-Arthur-Lancelot triangle.
Don't get me wrong. I concentrated on Arthurian lit in grad school. I get it: you can't have a story about Gwen without going there, short of leaving Lancelot out of the story (which is entirely possible by the way, since Lancelot is a medieval French construct and was never part of the original Welsh/Briton Arthurian mythos). And if handled properly, a Lancelot-Gwen pairing wouldn't be all that bad. But if you're going to go there, I wish authors would try a little harder not to make it quite so obvious or quite so...saccharine. And I think that's what frustrated me about this: Mercedes Lackey spent 2/3 of the book building up her vision of a strong, self-aware, self-sufficient Gwen, who literally transformed herself into her name, the White Spirit. How independent, how gifted, how capable and wise she was, and how much she lusted after her own freedom and being able to do what she wanted to, on her own terms, while staying true to her duty as a daughter, a sister, a warrior and a follower of the old ways. And yet, when all was said and done, when she first laid eyes on Lance, something changed her. Maybe that was always the point: love changes you enough to make you do things, even things that you would have thought were anathema, at one point in your life. And if that really were the case, then Lackey succeeded. The problem is, I don't buy it. And this could just be me being obstinate, but I don't buy it specifically because she spent over 200 pages convincing me of how strong a woman Gwen was and that all the sacrifices she made to become who she was, was so that she could be an independent, respected woman in a man's world. While she had her weaknesses and insecurities like everyone else, it just seemed so very out of character for her to turn into a googly-eyed, love-struck shadow of herself. It was too jarring, for me (others may strongly disagree and that's okay!).
And I also understand that this was Gwen's story; it wasn't another story about Arthur. But there was nothing, absolutely nothing, in Lackey's work, that would even make you want to know -- much less like -- Arthur. Oh, he was always there, in the background, as a person of interest, someone far away yet indirectly connected with everything else going on in the main narrative. You couldn't forget about him and you knew that at some point, he would be brought in and would be an integral part of the main story. And this finally happened in the third part, but again, he was written as if he were on a pedestal; someone who glamored others to see him as a shining example, but someone also out of reach, cold, very two-dimensional, given only to duty. Part of me wishes that she had written him in such a way that would have made him more alive, someone who was flawed, imperfect, with redeeming qualities, so that you could see what was so great about him and why, nearly 1600 years later, people are still writing about him, about his wife, about his deeds, and positing over why he's such a larger-than-life figure, if he even ever existed.
After all, the Arthurian literary corpus spans over a thousand years, and has roots not only in Great Britain but on the continent as well. From the medieval period onwards, each generation that produced Arthurian literature had a specific reason for generating a new version of the legend. In each of these adaptations, the character of Arthur himself changed, depending on what the author intended, or, more than likely, on what the author’s patron had in mind for the retelling. The literary Arthur has appeared in many guises: he is dux bellorum, defender of sub-Roman Britain against the Anglo-Saxon invaders; he is the Celtic warrior-chief, warden of the oppressed and challenger to tyranny; he is the laudable king who tries to maintain a cohesive British identity as well as a coherent political unit; he has been assumed as one of a group of dark age tyrannical leaders; he is the high-spirited and playful adventurer surrounded by his closest friends; he is the cuckolded husband; and he is also the ineffectual roi fainéant who sat alone in his castle, awaiting the return of his knights-errant.
I felt that Lackey's Arthur could have been a fraction of any one of these, and it disappointed me that he wasn't. Still, I understand this novel was about Gwen and not him, so I've made my peace with this. :-)
Finally, what turned me off the most: while I appreciate that Lackey spent a lot of time researching and sifting through so much Arthurian lore -- Celtic myths, British legends, the Mabinogi, the Welsh Triads, sections of the De Excidio and the HRB -- as well as touching on the uneasy relationship between the early Christian Church and followers of the Old Religion, and somehow incorporating chunks of all of these into her work, in a very large way it was all too much. Less is certainly more, especially in this case, and in trying to stuff a 400-page novel with too much Arthuriana can be off-putting to both new and experienced followers of Arthur. It may have worked if she had decided on a 3- or 4-book series, where she would have had the time and space to nurse each bit and see it bloom into a fully idealized narrative construct. But with one book? It was too much.
Anachronisms notwithstanding (oh, and there were so many...the presence of Gildas alone made my ears waggle, but I'm not going there), it would have made more narrative sense to have chosen one or two main myths and tied those in with the pseudohistorical aspects. For instance, she could have chosen between telling the tale of the Three Gwenhyfars or the False Gwenhyfar, but not both. Similarly, she could have chosen from among the various Gwenhyfar abduction stories, but not all of them. The Arthurian canon is a large one, spanning over 1500 years of works in both the oral and written tradition. There's so much good stuff to choose from that it may be hard to pick and choose just one; it may be hard to fight the urge to not include everything. The problem is, when you make a concerted decision to add >a lot or too much, then the story suffers because it becomes diluted and it weakens what could have been a very strong, very tight work of fiction.
As I was first reading the novel, I was almost sure I was going to give it a 4 or 5. As I got towards the middle of the 2nd part, I dropped it down to a 3 or 4. When I read the 3rd part, I dropped it down to a 2 (and I must say, around midnight last night, I was thinking "Strongly feeling a 1 right now..."). Still, there was so much I liked about it in the beginning and in general that in the end, I decided on giving this 3 stars. It wasn't all bad even though it could have been much better, but in the end, it was one I enjoyed more than other Arthurian retellings I've read recently.
The first two parts of Gwenhyfar ("Princess" and "Warrior") were captivating and I found myself thinking that out of all the Arthurian novels I'd read, I've finally found a Gwenhyfar that I actually liked, from the beginning. Partway through Warrior however, something happened: Lancelot showed up (or in this book's case, Lancelin) and what had started out as a narrative about a strong, independent female, one who thought for herself and fought for herself, devolved into another Guenevere-Arthur-Lancelot triangle.
Don't get me wrong. I concentrated on Arthurian lit in grad school. I get it: you can't have a story about Gwen without going there, short of leaving Lancelot out of the story (which is entirely possible by the way, since Lancelot is a medieval French construct and was never part of the original Welsh/Briton Arthurian mythos). And if handled properly, a Lancelot-Gwen pairing wouldn't be all that bad. But if you're going to go there, I wish authors would try a little harder not to make it quite so obvious or quite so...saccharine. And I think that's what frustrated me about this: Mercedes Lackey spent 2/3 of the book building up her vision of a strong, self-aware, self-sufficient Gwen, who literally transformed herself into her name, the White Spirit. How independent, how gifted, how capable and wise she was, and how much she lusted after her own freedom and being able to do what she wanted to, on her own terms, while staying true to her duty as a daughter, a sister, a warrior and a follower of the old ways. And yet, when all was said and done, when she first laid eyes on Lance, something changed her. Maybe that was always the point: love changes you enough to make you do things, even things that you would have thought were anathema, at one point in your life. And if that really were the case, then Lackey succeeded. The problem is, I don't buy it. And this could just be me being obstinate, but I don't buy it specifically because she spent over 200 pages convincing me of how strong a woman Gwen was and that all the sacrifices she made to become who she was, was so that she could be an independent, respected woman in a man's world. While she had her weaknesses and insecurities like everyone else, it just seemed so very out of character for her to turn into a googly-eyed, love-struck shadow of herself. It was too jarring, for me (others may strongly disagree and that's okay!).
And I also understand that this was Gwen's story; it wasn't another story about Arthur. But there was nothing, absolutely nothing, in Lackey's work, that would even make you want to know -- much less like -- Arthur. Oh, he was always there, in the background, as a person of interest, someone far away yet indirectly connected with everything else going on in the main narrative. You couldn't forget about him and you knew that at some point, he would be brought in and would be an integral part of the main story. And this finally happened in the third part, but again, he was written as if he were on a pedestal; someone who glamored others to see him as a shining example, but someone also out of reach, cold, very two-dimensional, given only to duty. Part of me wishes that she had written him in such a way that would have made him more alive, someone who was flawed, imperfect, with redeeming qualities, so that you could see what was so great about him and why, nearly 1600 years later, people are still writing about him, about his wife, about his deeds, and positing over why he's such a larger-than-life figure, if he even ever existed.
After all, the Arthurian literary corpus spans over a thousand years, and has roots not only in Great Britain but on the continent as well. From the medieval period onwards, each generation that produced Arthurian literature had a specific reason for generating a new version of the legend. In each of these adaptations, the character of Arthur himself changed, depending on what the author intended, or, more than likely, on what the author’s patron had in mind for the retelling. The literary Arthur has appeared in many guises: he is dux bellorum, defender of sub-Roman Britain against the Anglo-Saxon invaders; he is the Celtic warrior-chief, warden of the oppressed and challenger to tyranny; he is the laudable king who tries to maintain a cohesive British identity as well as a coherent political unit; he has been assumed as one of a group of dark age tyrannical leaders; he is the high-spirited and playful adventurer surrounded by his closest friends; he is the cuckolded husband; and he is also the ineffectual roi fainéant who sat alone in his castle, awaiting the return of his knights-errant.
I felt that Lackey's Arthur could have been a fraction of any one of these, and it disappointed me that he wasn't. Still, I understand this novel was about Gwen and not him, so I've made my peace with this. :-)
Finally, what turned me off the most: while I appreciate that Lackey spent a lot of time researching and sifting through so much Arthurian lore -- Celtic myths, British legends, the Mabinogi, the Welsh Triads, sections of the De Excidio and the HRB -- as well as touching on the uneasy relationship between the early Christian Church and followers of the Old Religion, and somehow incorporating chunks of all of these into her work, in a very large way it was all too much. Less is certainly more, especially in this case, and in trying to stuff a 400-page novel with too much Arthuriana can be off-putting to both new and experienced followers of Arthur. It may have worked if she had decided on a 3- or 4-book series, where she would have had the time and space to nurse each bit and see it bloom into a fully idealized narrative construct. But with one book? It was too much.
Anachronisms notwithstanding (oh, and there were so many...the presence of Gildas alone made my ears waggle, but I'm not going there), it would have made more narrative sense to have chosen one or two main myths and tied those in with the pseudohistorical aspects. For instance, she could have chosen between telling the tale of the Three Gwenhyfars or the False Gwenhyfar, but not both. Similarly, she could have chosen from among the various Gwenhyfar abduction stories, but not all of them. The Arthurian canon is a large one, spanning over 1500 years of works in both the oral and written tradition. There's so much good stuff to choose from that it may be hard to pick and choose just one; it may be hard to fight the urge to not include everything. The problem is, when you make a concerted decision to add >a lot or too much, then the story suffers because it becomes diluted and it weakens what could have been a very strong, very tight work of fiction.
As I was first reading the novel, I was almost sure I was going to give it a 4 or 5. As I got towards the middle of the 2nd part, I dropped it down to a 3 or 4. When I read the 3rd part, I dropped it down to a 2 (and I must say, around midnight last night, I was thinking "Strongly feeling a 1 right now..."). Still, there was so much I liked about it in the beginning and in general that in the end, I decided on giving this 3 stars. It wasn't all bad even though it could have been much better, but in the end, it was one I enjoyed more than other Arthurian retellings I've read recently.
September 2, 2010
I am so glad I got to read this. I was worried that with the short time that the library gave me, I wouldn’t be able to, but I decided to put aside Beautiful Creatures to read this tale. This was my first time reading a Mercedes Lackey book and I am so thrilled it was this one. In the tradition of her own mentor, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Ms. Lackey writes a beautiful story about the Arthurian myth. One of the most intriguing parts of this story is that, as the author mentions, Arthur might have had three wives, all with the same name. The author provides a note in the back explaining where she found this and how it account for the story of the queen that we are accustomed to. I won’t say anything more in order to not spoil the entire book. The author decided to write about the third queen, the one with whom we might be more familiar with. What Marion Zimmer Bradley did to Morgaine, Mercedes Lackey did the same to Queen Gwen: she created a character that I was rooting for and sympathizing with, and I wanted her to triumph in the end.
The first part of the book details Gwen’s childhood with her wonderful father who is King and her mother who is Blessed, and her three sisters, one of whom, Little Gwen, likes to stir up trouble. The horse goddess Epona blesses Gwen and as result, she trains to be a warrior. When we see Gwen in the middle of the book, she is much older and has great command over her men and scouts and is her father’s right-hand. She is knows as the White Phantom to many enemies actually. However, in the third part of the book, Gwen must fulfill her duty and marry Arthur and all the small events that have been happening in her life culminate in what follows after her wedding. Throughout all this, there is magic and familiar faces emerge, including Merlin, Morgana, Morgause, and Arthur’s son. We actually do not meet Arthur until the latter part of the book, so we are learning about him as Gwen does. Treachery and betrayal abound in Gwen’s life and you are left with a certain sort of sadness for her at the end, but it is in fact bittersweet, and she knows that.
At no point in the book was I left unsatisfied. I read this book while I rode the subway to-and-from work and spent my lunch hours reading it as well. Rarely do I find myself in a position that I am so eager to read a book that I will use up my lunchtime to read a book. If you truly enjoyed The Mists of Avalon, then definitely consider picking this one up. You’ll see Gwen in a whole new light and it will give new meaning to the queen that has been vilified for her betrayal.
The first part of the book details Gwen’s childhood with her wonderful father who is King and her mother who is Blessed, and her three sisters, one of whom, Little Gwen, likes to stir up trouble. The horse goddess Epona blesses Gwen and as result, she trains to be a warrior. When we see Gwen in the middle of the book, she is much older and has great command over her men and scouts and is her father’s right-hand. She is knows as the White Phantom to many enemies actually. However, in the third part of the book, Gwen must fulfill her duty and marry Arthur and all the small events that have been happening in her life culminate in what follows after her wedding. Throughout all this, there is magic and familiar faces emerge, including Merlin, Morgana, Morgause, and Arthur’s son. We actually do not meet Arthur until the latter part of the book, so we are learning about him as Gwen does. Treachery and betrayal abound in Gwen’s life and you are left with a certain sort of sadness for her at the end, but it is in fact bittersweet, and she knows that.
At no point in the book was I left unsatisfied. I read this book while I rode the subway to-and-from work and spent my lunch hours reading it as well. Rarely do I find myself in a position that I am so eager to read a book that I will use up my lunchtime to read a book. If you truly enjoyed The Mists of Avalon, then definitely consider picking this one up. You’ll see Gwen in a whole new light and it will give new meaning to the queen that has been vilified for her betrayal.
December 1, 2009
In this Arthurian novel, Lackey focuses on the Welsh tales of Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere), in which King Arthur has three wives in succession, each named Gwenhwyfar. The Gwenhwyfar of this novel is one of four daughters of a Celtic King. Intended by her mother to go and serve the Ladies, learning the magic of the old pagan rites and becoming a Priestess, Gwenhwyfar is much more interested in horses and in becoming a warrior. At the encouragement of Braith, one of her father’s warriors, and because she has a sister with the gift, who will go to the Ladies in her place, Gwenhwyfar is permitted to become a warrior.
She works hard at her lessons, and over the years earns the position of leader of her father’s scouts—all talented horsemen and trackers who are physically too small to be of much use in direct battle.
When Saxons invade one winter, King Arthur sends his best tactician, Lancelin (Lancelot) to consult on battle plans, and Gwen is included in the discussion with all the War Lords as they plan an attack. Gwen has already managed to terrify the Saxons by appearing to them as a white spirit, and calling out the names of those she seeks. When the battle finally takes place, the victory comes easily, though not without bloodshed.
Meanwhile, Gwen finds herself attracted to Lancelin, but is forced to accept that he can see her only as a warrior, or as a woman, not both together.
Gwenhwyfar’s life changes dramatically when the second Queen Gwenhwyfar dies, and Arthur is still without a legal heir: she is forced to accept the duty of a princess and serve the land by becoming Arthur’s third wife. However, her adventures do not end, but rather change, as she is thrust into the midst of intrigue and plotting, and she once again acquits herself as a warrior and meets up again with Lancelin.
As always, Lackey spins a good tale, and her foray into the world of Arthurian legend is a welcome addition.
She works hard at her lessons, and over the years earns the position of leader of her father’s scouts—all talented horsemen and trackers who are physically too small to be of much use in direct battle.
When Saxons invade one winter, King Arthur sends his best tactician, Lancelin (Lancelot) to consult on battle plans, and Gwen is included in the discussion with all the War Lords as they plan an attack. Gwen has already managed to terrify the Saxons by appearing to them as a white spirit, and calling out the names of those she seeks. When the battle finally takes place, the victory comes easily, though not without bloodshed.
Meanwhile, Gwen finds herself attracted to Lancelin, but is forced to accept that he can see her only as a warrior, or as a woman, not both together.
Gwenhwyfar’s life changes dramatically when the second Queen Gwenhwyfar dies, and Arthur is still without a legal heir: she is forced to accept the duty of a princess and serve the land by becoming Arthur’s third wife. However, her adventures do not end, but rather change, as she is thrust into the midst of intrigue and plotting, and she once again acquits herself as a warrior and meets up again with Lancelin.
As always, Lackey spins a good tale, and her foray into the world of Arthurian legend is a welcome addition.
January 31, 2011
I think to love a new version of the Arthurian legends I have to share something of the same philosophy about the overall legends with that of the author. That also includes the literary or maybe the artistic depth of it all, since the authors are using stories we are all so familiar with.
So in this sense, I don't feel I connected with Mercedes Lackey's story of Queen Gwyhwyfar. I believe Lackey was trying hard to make Gwen a strong, standout character but she was almost moved too far past the legend. The main character here didn't seem to be about brotherhood or sisterhood either. There was very little emotion in any of the characters and King Arthur just seemed to fade into the background altogether.
Gwen's early years are told with such emphasis on her warrior training that it becomes a little dry. And there is certainly too much of her little sister Little Gwen, who seemed to unrealistically control the entire family.
The richness of the legend just does not come across here. This would not be a good Arthurian novel to begin with if you are just beginning to read King Arthur stories.
So in this sense, I don't feel I connected with Mercedes Lackey's story of Queen Gwyhwyfar. I believe Lackey was trying hard to make Gwen a strong, standout character but she was almost moved too far past the legend. The main character here didn't seem to be about brotherhood or sisterhood either. There was very little emotion in any of the characters and King Arthur just seemed to fade into the background altogether.
Gwen's early years are told with such emphasis on her warrior training that it becomes a little dry. And there is certainly too much of her little sister Little Gwen, who seemed to unrealistically control the entire family.
The richness of the legend just does not come across here. This would not be a good Arthurian novel to begin with if you are just beginning to read King Arthur stories.
June 20, 2017
I had been interested in reading this book for a few years as I have an interest in Arthurian retellings but hadn't really read any yet. Needless to say, I didn't particularly enjoy this book. It was ok but it just wasn't really my type of book to be honest. I can't quite put my finger on what exactly I didn't like about this book but I think as a whole I just didn't find any part of this book to be interesting.
March 5, 2020
Meh
Got this book out randomly a while ago cause like hey have read other stuff by her and idk at this point idk how people think of Mercedes Lackey is she like GOOD FANTASY or just FLUFFY GIRL FANTASY but like male fantasy be just GUY FANTASY anyways so I just finished this, it was okay, time to go continue with my questionable decision to continue The Witcher series (I’m up to The Time of Contempt. I flipped for a minute. There is an abundance of sheer blouses that dont conceal much. It is so sad)
Oh but at one point I was at the meal and looked down at the book in my lap and the first words I read were The Wild Hunt and I was confused for a second
Also yea those dresses may be cumbersome but heck I would wear them
I don’t wanna be lonely
OKAY OKAY ALERT ALERT
I JUST WANNA SAY
IN HERE GWEN IS LIKE DAMN THESE DRESSES DONT OFFER ENOUGH SUPPORT IMMA MAKE MY OWN OKAY
AND I JUST WANNA SAY
ALL THE TIME IN THESE MALE AUTHOR WRITTEN FANTASY BOOKS WOMEN IN THEIR SHEER BLOUSES (looking at you andrzej sapkowski) OR JUST LIKE BREASTS MOVING OR BOUNCING AND IM OUT HERE LIKE
THAT SHIT HURTS MY BOOBS HURT IN SYMPATHY
AND THIS BOOK BEING REAL
AND THATS ON WOMEN WRITING WOMEN
Got this book out randomly a while ago cause like hey have read other stuff by her and idk at this point idk how people think of Mercedes Lackey is she like GOOD FANTASY or just FLUFFY GIRL FANTASY but like male fantasy be just GUY FANTASY anyways so I just finished this, it was okay, time to go continue with my questionable decision to continue The Witcher series (I’m up to The Time of Contempt. I flipped for a minute. There is an abundance of sheer blouses that dont conceal much. It is so sad)
Oh but at one point I was at the meal and looked down at the book in my lap and the first words I read were The Wild Hunt and I was confused for a second
Also yea those dresses may be cumbersome but heck I would wear them
I don’t wanna be lonely
OKAY OKAY ALERT ALERT
I JUST WANNA SAY
IN HERE GWEN IS LIKE DAMN THESE DRESSES DONT OFFER ENOUGH SUPPORT IMMA MAKE MY OWN OKAY
AND I JUST WANNA SAY
ALL THE TIME IN THESE MALE AUTHOR WRITTEN FANTASY BOOKS WOMEN IN THEIR SHEER BLOUSES (looking at you andrzej sapkowski) OR JUST LIKE BREASTS MOVING OR BOUNCING AND IM OUT HERE LIKE
THAT SHIT HURTS MY BOOBS HURT IN SYMPATHY
AND THIS BOOK BEING REAL
AND THATS ON WOMEN WRITING WOMEN
July 6, 2018
A fantastic story focusing on the life of the woman who would become Arthur's third wife. Magic, mythology, and a touch of historical accuracy.
August 20, 2019
Solid story. Tells the legend of King Arthur from the view of Guinevere. The title is the Welsh spelling.
January 16, 2013
Ao longos dos anos, muita tinta fez correr a lenda do Rei Artur. Com ele vem a famosa espada excalibur; a sua rainha Guinevere (Gwenhyfar); o seu fiél chefe de guerra, Sir Lancelot; e Morgana, a temível meia- irmã de Artur.
De certo, estão familiarizados com as várias ramificações desta lenda, que até filmes já originou, devido à sua popularidade.
Mas, para os mais distraídos... Artur torna-se Rei, embora sendo um filho ilegítimo. Casa com Gwen, mas o coração da mesma pertence a Lancelot e vice-versa. Morgana, sedenta de poder e vingança, concebe um filho com o seu próprio irmão, através das ilusões da magia, concebendo um filho, Mordred.
Com o tempo, Gwen tenta conduzir Artur e o Reino a seguir o cristianismo, mas Morgana, decidida a manter os velhos costumes e a contrariar a vontade da cunhada (visto que Morgana era apaixonada por Lancelot), intervém.
A versão de Mercedes Lackey contém os mesmos personagens, mas alguns ligados de formas diferentes, assim como diferindo nos seus propósitos.
Ao contrário da lenda, a autora foca a sua atenção em Gwen, e é pela visão da mesma que o livro decorre.
Fazendo uma pesquisa, Lackey descobriu uma versão que lhe pareceu a mais fidedigna, em que Artur teria casado não com uma, mas três Gwenhyfar, e seguindo esta linha de pensamento, a acção é desenrolada, tendo como personagem principal a terceira e última Gwenhyfar.
Acompanhamos Gwen desde tenra idade, desde os seus quatro anos, até à morte do Rei Artur, que acontece em batalha.
Filha de um senhor de guerra, e irmã de mais três raparigas, sendo a terceira filha, Gwen teve liberdade para se tornar na guerreira que queria.
Desde pequena que fora educada no ferro frio, como lhe chamavam as Senhoras, mas nunca perdeu o seu Poder, embora o deixando de lado, em detrimento da marca que a deusa Épona fez em si, tornando-se num chefe de guerra magnifico, nunca cavaleira exímia e numa guerreira sem igual.
Decidida em ser guerreira, Gwen não pensa em homens, até que um senhor de guerra, de grande confiança de Artur aparece, Lancelot, e atrai a sua atenção, mas nada acontece, pois tanto um como outro têm deveres a cumprir.
Entretanto, a primeira rainha morre de desgosto após a morte dos seus filhos; a segunda deserta com o inimigo; e cabe a Gwen casar com Artur que a quer pelos seus cavalos e juventude para que possa, finalmente, produzir-lhe um herdeiro.
Mas, embora se mantendo na penumbra, Gwen sempre atraiu pessoas destrutivas, tais como a sua irmã mais nova, chamada de Gwen, a Pequena, devido às seus semelhanças com Gwen, que mais pareciam gémeas, mas, que sempre se mostrou um diabrete sobre pernas, tendo um final merecido!
Casado com Gwen, a Pequena, que fora levada por Morgana e a sua tia Ana Morgause e criada pelas mesmas, está Mordred, o filho de Ana Morgause e Artur (sim, a autora segue uma linha diferente da lenda original), que sempre quisera a jovem guerreira, assim como o trono.
Sabem quando pegam num livro cuja temática vos entusiasma, mas sobre o qual não têm grandes expectativas, pois o tema já fora mais que usados por outros autores? Eu sentia-me assim como o livro de Mercedes Lackey, mas enganei-me redondamente, e passei a idolatrar esta autora de fantasia que é simplesmente soberba na sua escrita e imaginação fértil!
Lackey dá-nos a conhecer em pormenor a terceira Gwen, como uma mulher forte e determinada a cumprir os seus juramentos e a manter os seus princípios, uma verdadeira guerreira, mulher de valor e altruísta.
Por outro lado, temos um Artur muito ausente, que apenas comparece na parte final do livro, e como já está velho e cansado, nada tem a dar à jovem Gwen.
Depois, temos Lancelot, que apesar do seu amor não declarado, acaba por sucumbir à paixão, mas nunca traindo a sua lealdade para com o Rei Supremo, reflectindo-se essa mesma honra, quando, após a morte do Rei, parte em vez de reclamar o amor da sua vida, Gwen (admito que não contava com aquele final!!).
Mercedes Lackey é dotada de uma escrita fantástica, rebuscada e adequada à altura, associando a uma mente ávida de informação e imaginação pronta a derramar.
Não se trata de uma leitura leve, muito por causa do tema escolhido e aos acontecimentos que vão surgindo, mas lê-se rapidamente e sem dificuldades, embora a autora prefira monólogos a diálogos, visto que Gwen passa bastante tempo em introspecção e sozinha.
A acção desenrola-se, em alguns momentos, a uma velocidade alucinante, fazendo-me perder um pouco na cronologia, mas não é algo frequente ou que coloque entraves à leitura.
De uma forma geral, "Gwenhyfar - O Espírito Branco" é uma leitura muito aprazível e a não perder pelos fãs da fantasia!
Mercedes Lackey está de parabéns, pois conseguiu mais uma seguidora.
Opinião em: http://leituranaoocupaespaco.blogspot...
De certo, estão familiarizados com as várias ramificações desta lenda, que até filmes já originou, devido à sua popularidade.
Mas, para os mais distraídos... Artur torna-se Rei, embora sendo um filho ilegítimo. Casa com Gwen, mas o coração da mesma pertence a Lancelot e vice-versa. Morgana, sedenta de poder e vingança, concebe um filho com o seu próprio irmão, através das ilusões da magia, concebendo um filho, Mordred.
Com o tempo, Gwen tenta conduzir Artur e o Reino a seguir o cristianismo, mas Morgana, decidida a manter os velhos costumes e a contrariar a vontade da cunhada (visto que Morgana era apaixonada por Lancelot), intervém.
A versão de Mercedes Lackey contém os mesmos personagens, mas alguns ligados de formas diferentes, assim como diferindo nos seus propósitos.
Ao contrário da lenda, a autora foca a sua atenção em Gwen, e é pela visão da mesma que o livro decorre.
Fazendo uma pesquisa, Lackey descobriu uma versão que lhe pareceu a mais fidedigna, em que Artur teria casado não com uma, mas três Gwenhyfar, e seguindo esta linha de pensamento, a acção é desenrolada, tendo como personagem principal a terceira e última Gwenhyfar.
Acompanhamos Gwen desde tenra idade, desde os seus quatro anos, até à morte do Rei Artur, que acontece em batalha.
Filha de um senhor de guerra, e irmã de mais três raparigas, sendo a terceira filha, Gwen teve liberdade para se tornar na guerreira que queria.
Desde pequena que fora educada no ferro frio, como lhe chamavam as Senhoras, mas nunca perdeu o seu Poder, embora o deixando de lado, em detrimento da marca que a deusa Épona fez em si, tornando-se num chefe de guerra magnifico, nunca cavaleira exímia e numa guerreira sem igual.
Decidida em ser guerreira, Gwen não pensa em homens, até que um senhor de guerra, de grande confiança de Artur aparece, Lancelot, e atrai a sua atenção, mas nada acontece, pois tanto um como outro têm deveres a cumprir.
Entretanto, a primeira rainha morre de desgosto após a morte dos seus filhos; a segunda deserta com o inimigo; e cabe a Gwen casar com Artur que a quer pelos seus cavalos e juventude para que possa, finalmente, produzir-lhe um herdeiro.
Mas, embora se mantendo na penumbra, Gwen sempre atraiu pessoas destrutivas, tais como a sua irmã mais nova, chamada de Gwen, a Pequena, devido às seus semelhanças com Gwen, que mais pareciam gémeas, mas, que sempre se mostrou um diabrete sobre pernas, tendo um final merecido!
Casado com Gwen, a Pequena, que fora levada por Morgana e a sua tia Ana Morgause e criada pelas mesmas, está Mordred, o filho de Ana Morgause e Artur (sim, a autora segue uma linha diferente da lenda original), que sempre quisera a jovem guerreira, assim como o trono.
Sabem quando pegam num livro cuja temática vos entusiasma, mas sobre o qual não têm grandes expectativas, pois o tema já fora mais que usados por outros autores? Eu sentia-me assim como o livro de Mercedes Lackey, mas enganei-me redondamente, e passei a idolatrar esta autora de fantasia que é simplesmente soberba na sua escrita e imaginação fértil!
Lackey dá-nos a conhecer em pormenor a terceira Gwen, como uma mulher forte e determinada a cumprir os seus juramentos e a manter os seus princípios, uma verdadeira guerreira, mulher de valor e altruísta.
Por outro lado, temos um Artur muito ausente, que apenas comparece na parte final do livro, e como já está velho e cansado, nada tem a dar à jovem Gwen.
Depois, temos Lancelot, que apesar do seu amor não declarado, acaba por sucumbir à paixão, mas nunca traindo a sua lealdade para com o Rei Supremo, reflectindo-se essa mesma honra, quando, após a morte do Rei, parte em vez de reclamar o amor da sua vida, Gwen (admito que não contava com aquele final!!).
Mercedes Lackey é dotada de uma escrita fantástica, rebuscada e adequada à altura, associando a uma mente ávida de informação e imaginação pronta a derramar.
Não se trata de uma leitura leve, muito por causa do tema escolhido e aos acontecimentos que vão surgindo, mas lê-se rapidamente e sem dificuldades, embora a autora prefira monólogos a diálogos, visto que Gwen passa bastante tempo em introspecção e sozinha.
A acção desenrola-se, em alguns momentos, a uma velocidade alucinante, fazendo-me perder um pouco na cronologia, mas não é algo frequente ou que coloque entraves à leitura.
De uma forma geral, "Gwenhyfar - O Espírito Branco" é uma leitura muito aprazível e a não perder pelos fãs da fantasia!
Mercedes Lackey está de parabéns, pois conseguiu mais uma seguidora.
Opinião em: http://leituranaoocupaespaco.blogspot...
November 18, 2011
This is very different from Mercedes Lackey usual style. Sure, there are the usual grand feasts with each dish described in succulent detail (drool) and there is one major costume scene with the main character being trussed up in clothes designed to create a female shape not found in nature, but other than that, this book is quite, quite different from her usual frothy Edwardian magical romances.
Its better.
I honestly had to double check the back flap jacket at one point early on in the book to see if this was really a Mercedes Lackey book and I hadn’t accidently picked up something by another author in the L section.
Lackey tackles the Arthurian mythology with the determination to do something different – and she does. The first major change she brings to the table is giving King Arthur three wives, one after another, all named Guinevere. Apparently, in 6th century Britain, Guinevere was as common a name as Jennifer is today.
Lackey – as she explains in the author’s note – stumbled across an old, old, King Arthur ballad that refers to him having three wives named Guinevere, plus one “false Guinevere,” which, she says, was a total light bulb moment for her to explain why most of the early stories have Guinevere doing so much, and having so much of it being contradictory – she has twins / she’s barren, she has lovers / she’s raped, she runs away / she’s kidnapped, she fights in battle / she’s a dainty flower who can’t pick up a knife, etc, etc.
So, we are plunged into England, a few generations after the Roman Empire has complete collapsed, and the Christian religion is spreading – but it doesn’t yet have a straggle hold on Europe – and get this – the Christians? Not the bad guys. The monk characters are all truly committed to Christ’s message of peace and love thy neighbor and charity and chill out man and all that other genuinely nice and good stuff that got forgotten somewhere along the way.
A bishop is introduced and, by the way he’s glowering, you think he’s going to be standard Evil Medieval Christian ™ BUT, turns out, he was just having a bad day, and, he actually apologizes for glaring at the main character, shows an open and working mind, does some really good diplomatic work, and later on turns out to be truly awesome in his actions.
Meanwhile, we’ve got most of the characters worshipping the Celtic gods, with some tapping into actual magic. We see people who genuinely believe that people’s actions are tied firmly to the weather and seasons and that almost any action is justified if it will benefit The Land.
Morgan le Fey’s charter is told mostly from outsiders’ perspectives, and her choice of using magic selfishly is an interesting flipside to the characters who see magic as a genuine good method of agricultural care. Merlin is a minor character, which was too bad, because I would have like to have seen more of what he was up to. Most of those using magic are seen infrequently, since the main character has decided she wants to be a Warrior rather than any sort of magician/druid/priestess/etc.
And so Lackey dives into what 6th century warfare was like, and spares us no details when it comes to the sights, sounds, and smells of battlefield. It was, again, so not her usual style, and very well done.
Also, a lot of the Usual Suspects of the King Arthur stories are either seen from a distance, or only talked about around the fire as people discuss the latest news from the capital. This version of the King Arthur mythos becomes a view of the story from the lower decks – and it’s awesome. Mostly because a LOT of those characters, in all the stories, are pretty full of themselves, and it’s nice to see other people not taking them of so very seriously for a change.
Being a King Arthur story, the reader goes in knowing its all going to end in tears, which it does, but wow does Lackey ratchet up the tension levels with several characters acting as living ticking time bombs, and there is a gory pleasure in watching, fascinated, unable to look away, waiting to see just how bad the damage is going to be when the timer gets to zero.
Wow.
Its better.
I honestly had to double check the back flap jacket at one point early on in the book to see if this was really a Mercedes Lackey book and I hadn’t accidently picked up something by another author in the L section.
Lackey tackles the Arthurian mythology with the determination to do something different – and she does. The first major change she brings to the table is giving King Arthur three wives, one after another, all named Guinevere. Apparently, in 6th century Britain, Guinevere was as common a name as Jennifer is today.
Lackey – as she explains in the author’s note – stumbled across an old, old, King Arthur ballad that refers to him having three wives named Guinevere, plus one “false Guinevere,” which, she says, was a total light bulb moment for her to explain why most of the early stories have Guinevere doing so much, and having so much of it being contradictory – she has twins / she’s barren, she has lovers / she’s raped, she runs away / she’s kidnapped, she fights in battle / she’s a dainty flower who can’t pick up a knife, etc, etc.
So, we are plunged into England, a few generations after the Roman Empire has complete collapsed, and the Christian religion is spreading – but it doesn’t yet have a straggle hold on Europe – and get this – the Christians? Not the bad guys. The monk characters are all truly committed to Christ’s message of peace and love thy neighbor and charity and chill out man and all that other genuinely nice and good stuff that got forgotten somewhere along the way.
A bishop is introduced and, by the way he’s glowering, you think he’s going to be standard Evil Medieval Christian ™ BUT, turns out, he was just having a bad day, and, he actually apologizes for glaring at the main character, shows an open and working mind, does some really good diplomatic work, and later on turns out to be truly awesome in his actions.
Meanwhile, we’ve got most of the characters worshipping the Celtic gods, with some tapping into actual magic. We see people who genuinely believe that people’s actions are tied firmly to the weather and seasons and that almost any action is justified if it will benefit The Land.
Morgan le Fey’s charter is told mostly from outsiders’ perspectives, and her choice of using magic selfishly is an interesting flipside to the characters who see magic as a genuine good method of agricultural care. Merlin is a minor character, which was too bad, because I would have like to have seen more of what he was up to. Most of those using magic are seen infrequently, since the main character has decided she wants to be a Warrior rather than any sort of magician/druid/priestess/etc.
And so Lackey dives into what 6th century warfare was like, and spares us no details when it comes to the sights, sounds, and smells of battlefield. It was, again, so not her usual style, and very well done.
Also, a lot of the Usual Suspects of the King Arthur stories are either seen from a distance, or only talked about around the fire as people discuss the latest news from the capital. This version of the King Arthur mythos becomes a view of the story from the lower decks – and it’s awesome. Mostly because a LOT of those characters, in all the stories, are pretty full of themselves, and it’s nice to see other people not taking them of so very seriously for a change.
Being a King Arthur story, the reader goes in knowing its all going to end in tears, which it does, but wow does Lackey ratchet up the tension levels with several characters acting as living ticking time bombs, and there is a gory pleasure in watching, fascinated, unable to look away, waiting to see just how bad the damage is going to be when the timer gets to zero.
Wow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2011
There are three types of Arthurian novels that I have encountered. There are the Christian grail books which have to take an unusual approach to interest me. There are the de-mythologizing novels that explain away the magical elements of the myth in realistic terms. These can be well-written, but they aren't the type of Arthurian fiction that I prefer. Among them are books that focus on Arthur as a military leader and are mainly composed of battle scenes. Lastly, there are the Arthurian fantasies that go back to pre-Christian sources of the myth and emphasize its magical components.
Mercedes Lackey has written a hybrid of the last two categories. There are historical elements based on research into the cultures of the Celts of ancient Britain, but there is also magic. There are humans performing magical spells, and the non-human denizens of Annwyn, an ancient Celtic name for the realm of Faerie. There is a great deal of focus on a military leader in this novel, but it isn't Arthur. It's the protagonist Gwenhwyfar. She is a strong character with whom I could identify. I especially loved the way she totally despised life at Arthur's court, and how much the superficiality of the ladies of the court bored her. I feel the same way about any novel that primarily deals with royal courts.
The only reason why this book doesn't get five stars is because of a conversation that Gwenhwyfar has with the Christian Abbot Gildas. It's terrific that she found common ground between her Paganism and his Christianity, but it bothered me that she seemed to have a very modern perspective on sacrifice. In most contemporary religious practices, including modern Neo-Paganism, sacrifice has been attenuated or is entirely absent. Ancient beliefs in cosmic balance have given way to the idea that sacrifice is no more than a macabre superstition. That is the attitude that Lackey's Gwenhwyfar expresses. The reason why the shift in attitudes about sacrifice is important is because it was bound up in the relationship of humanity toward nature and the animals with whom we share this planet. Sacrificial offerings were meant to respect the spirit of the place where it was made and of the beings (both plant and animal kinds)that we kill in order to live. Traditional practitioners of the religions of first peoples are in continuity with this idea. The lack of any concept of sacrifice as an acknowledgment is both a cause and an effect of our distance from nature. It has led to ecological destruction and climate change. Our species will eventually be destroyed because so many of us have forgotten what our ancestors knew about sacrifice. Gwenhwyfar was brought up with a completely different world view. I would have thought that she would have understood sacrifice and that she would have expressed that understanding to Gildas in a way that he could understand--perhaps by referring to the Crucifixion and its symbolic re-creation in the Christian mass.
Mercedes Lackey has written a hybrid of the last two categories. There are historical elements based on research into the cultures of the Celts of ancient Britain, but there is also magic. There are humans performing magical spells, and the non-human denizens of Annwyn, an ancient Celtic name for the realm of Faerie. There is a great deal of focus on a military leader in this novel, but it isn't Arthur. It's the protagonist Gwenhwyfar. She is a strong character with whom I could identify. I especially loved the way she totally despised life at Arthur's court, and how much the superficiality of the ladies of the court bored her. I feel the same way about any novel that primarily deals with royal courts.
The only reason why this book doesn't get five stars is because of a conversation that Gwenhwyfar has with the Christian Abbot Gildas. It's terrific that she found common ground between her Paganism and his Christianity, but it bothered me that she seemed to have a very modern perspective on sacrifice. In most contemporary religious practices, including modern Neo-Paganism, sacrifice has been attenuated or is entirely absent. Ancient beliefs in cosmic balance have given way to the idea that sacrifice is no more than a macabre superstition. That is the attitude that Lackey's Gwenhwyfar expresses. The reason why the shift in attitudes about sacrifice is important is because it was bound up in the relationship of humanity toward nature and the animals with whom we share this planet. Sacrificial offerings were meant to respect the spirit of the place where it was made and of the beings (both plant and animal kinds)that we kill in order to live. Traditional practitioners of the religions of first peoples are in continuity with this idea. The lack of any concept of sacrifice as an acknowledgment is both a cause and an effect of our distance from nature. It has led to ecological destruction and climate change. Our species will eventually be destroyed because so many of us have forgotten what our ancestors knew about sacrifice. Gwenhwyfar was brought up with a completely different world view. I would have thought that she would have understood sacrifice and that she would have expressed that understanding to Gildas in a way that he could understand--perhaps by referring to the Crucifixion and its symbolic re-creation in the Christian mass.
April 21, 2010
Mercedes Lackey is my "comfort" author; I was always a reader but when a guy in a used bookstore turned me on to her and Jack Chalker, my world view changed drastically. I was affected deeply by Misty's "Magic's Promise" series and so read everything by her that I could get my hands on.
In recent years, I have not been as fond of her collaborations but have continued to read Misty when I saw new books by her at my library. Gwenhwyfar is one of those books. As she says, almost every author at some time or another, thinks about trying their hand at the King Arthur tale. In this book as with many of her others (esp. with Eric Flint), she uses history to enchant as she tells the tale of Arthur's three wives all named Guinnevere/Gwenhwyfar.
Mercedes Lackey is famous for her development of interesting characters and using women in very strong roles; there is no need for women's rights because Misty's women make their own. This tale weaves smoothly through the spiritual, including details on Pagan and Druidic rites and the rise of the One God religion and how similar they could be in this time. It also shows us how solutions to domestic issues can be resolved in modern days if cool heads collaborate, and reminds us that there will always be those who want power just for its own sake and how two-faced those persons can be to get what they want.
This is not a fantastical tale of Arthur and Merlin and magic, although there is magic to be sure. Of all the fantasy I've read dealing with Arthur and Camelot, this portrayal from Gwen III seems the most realistic and practical (if that can be said of any fantasy work). This is not a fast-paced suspense novel or an in-depth alternative historical, but a well-paced and "it could have happened this way" book that I enjoyed reading.
In recent years, I have not been as fond of her collaborations but have continued to read Misty when I saw new books by her at my library. Gwenhwyfar is one of those books. As she says, almost every author at some time or another, thinks about trying their hand at the King Arthur tale. In this book as with many of her others (esp. with Eric Flint), she uses history to enchant as she tells the tale of Arthur's three wives all named Guinnevere/Gwenhwyfar.
Mercedes Lackey is famous for her development of interesting characters and using women in very strong roles; there is no need for women's rights because Misty's women make their own. This tale weaves smoothly through the spiritual, including details on Pagan and Druidic rites and the rise of the One God religion and how similar they could be in this time. It also shows us how solutions to domestic issues can be resolved in modern days if cool heads collaborate, and reminds us that there will always be those who want power just for its own sake and how two-faced those persons can be to get what they want.
This is not a fantastical tale of Arthur and Merlin and magic, although there is magic to be sure. Of all the fantasy I've read dealing with Arthur and Camelot, this portrayal from Gwen III seems the most realistic and practical (if that can be said of any fantasy work). This is not a fast-paced suspense novel or an in-depth alternative historical, but a well-paced and "it could have happened this way" book that I enjoyed reading.
April 26, 2016
A standalone historical fiction tale of King Arthur's queen, Guinevere.
My Take
Another variation on King Arthur and his knights. This time from the third Guinevere's perspective. Yes, third. Lackey has a theory that with all the tales of Arthur's wife having no children, one child, two children that quite possibly he had three wives, each named Gwenhwyfar.
For the most part, it follows the Arthurian legend with different details. An interesting tale which truly is good for those imaginative details. I do love how Gwen comes up with the fright to use against the Saxon invaders! I just get so depressed over the Arthurian ending.
The Story
This Gwen was the third of four daughters of a subject king of Arthur's while the mother was magic. Gwen had been blessed by Epona and the Ladies meaning she could perform well as a warrior or be taught to use her magic by the Ladies. Choosing the warrior's role, Gwen advanced to the role of war chief for her father. Intelligent, canny in the way of war, Gwen was happy in her life.
Oh, yes, there were stumbles along the way. Her youngest sister, Gwynhwyfach, was a spoiled brat eager to have anything that anyone else admired, owned, or desired. Willing to hurt anyone to take from them. She found a suitable partner when she married Medraut, a cousin and son to King Lot.
Lancelin, a Champion of King Arthur's and his envoy and adviser, was the first to cause Gwen to regret her chosen role as a warrior. Then loyalty and honor required that Gwen marry. Another.
The Cover and Title
The cover is very classy with its thin raised borders of embossed brown and leathery black star-studded in the corners with a dark center and sword shield poised in its center. The White Spirit is a bit empty as it refers to such a small part of the book…even if it is one of my favorite bits.
My Take
Another variation on King Arthur and his knights. This time from the third Guinevere's perspective. Yes, third. Lackey has a theory that with all the tales of Arthur's wife having no children, one child, two children that quite possibly he had three wives, each named Gwenhwyfar.
For the most part, it follows the Arthurian legend with different details. An interesting tale which truly is good for those imaginative details. I do love how Gwen comes up with the fright to use against the Saxon invaders! I just get so depressed over the Arthurian ending.
The Story
This Gwen was the third of four daughters of a subject king of Arthur's while the mother was magic. Gwen had been blessed by Epona and the Ladies meaning she could perform well as a warrior or be taught to use her magic by the Ladies. Choosing the warrior's role, Gwen advanced to the role of war chief for her father. Intelligent, canny in the way of war, Gwen was happy in her life.
Oh, yes, there were stumbles along the way. Her youngest sister, Gwynhwyfach, was a spoiled brat eager to have anything that anyone else admired, owned, or desired. Willing to hurt anyone to take from them. She found a suitable partner when she married Medraut, a cousin and son to King Lot.
Lancelin, a Champion of King Arthur's and his envoy and adviser, was the first to cause Gwen to regret her chosen role as a warrior. Then loyalty and honor required that Gwen marry. Another.
The Cover and Title
The cover is very classy with its thin raised borders of embossed brown and leathery black star-studded in the corners with a dark center and sword shield poised in its center. The White Spirit is a bit empty as it refers to such a small part of the book…even if it is one of my favorite bits.
January 27, 2018
This was my introduction to Mercedes Lackey, and being completely honest, I feel I may have chose a poor starting point.
While I did enjoy Gwenhwyfar for the most most part, I encountered a few obstacles that did not quite provide the experience I was expecting.
I want to start by stating that character development was fantastic. I found Gwenhwyfar to be a unique an rewarding female protagonist who was well rounded and evolved. I enjoyed my time with her. And the plot intrigued me enough to carry through. I won't elaborate, as I feel the evolution of events were perhaps the most rewarding aspect of Gwenhwyfar.
Unfortunately, I really struggled with the pacing in this particular story during certain moments and felt that there was a bit of "filler"material happening that was almost confusing. Maybe had I not been forced to switch to audio half way due to symptoms flaring up, this would have been less of an issue. But it suffered small moments of disjointedness and lacked cohesion at times.
Overall, I enjoyed Lackey's approach and writing. I am still looking forward to exploring more of her work in the future. I did gain enough from my experience to see why she has developed such an admirable following.
While I did enjoy Gwenhwyfar for the most most part, I encountered a few obstacles that did not quite provide the experience I was expecting.
I want to start by stating that character development was fantastic. I found Gwenhwyfar to be a unique an rewarding female protagonist who was well rounded and evolved. I enjoyed my time with her. And the plot intrigued me enough to carry through. I won't elaborate, as I feel the evolution of events were perhaps the most rewarding aspect of Gwenhwyfar.
Unfortunately, I really struggled with the pacing in this particular story during certain moments and felt that there was a bit of "filler"material happening that was almost confusing. Maybe had I not been forced to switch to audio half way due to symptoms flaring up, this would have been less of an issue. But it suffered small moments of disjointedness and lacked cohesion at times.
Overall, I enjoyed Lackey's approach and writing. I am still looking forward to exploring more of her work in the future. I did gain enough from my experience to see why she has developed such an admirable following.
June 11, 2010
I've been a fan of Mercedes Lackey for a long time (but have actually managed to read few of her more recent books), as well as a fan of Arthurian-age novels since I first read The Once and Future King way back in my teenage years.
So when I spotted this book in the "new" section of the library, I picked it up to see Lackey's take on an old familiar story.
She did a great job. Taking the point of view of Guinevere led to a wonderful narrative, and following her from her childhood through Arthur's death was an excellent storytelling strategy.
There is lots of evil in Lackey's Britain: both in the traditional evil of Mordred and Morgana, as well as within her own family. Life is never easy, despite the honor and righteousness that Gwen consistently demonstrates. That tension truly helps to propel the story, and makes for a great read.
4/5 stars.
So when I spotted this book in the "new" section of the library, I picked it up to see Lackey's take on an old familiar story.
She did a great job. Taking the point of view of Guinevere led to a wonderful narrative, and following her from her childhood through Arthur's death was an excellent storytelling strategy.
There is lots of evil in Lackey's Britain: both in the traditional evil of Mordred and Morgana, as well as within her own family. Life is never easy, despite the honor and righteousness that Gwen consistently demonstrates. That tension truly helps to propel the story, and makes for a great read.
4/5 stars.
July 17, 2015
A solid enough outing from Ms. Lackey, though it doesn't quite sparkle like the other worlds she's made hers. The emphasis on horsemanship was expected, and it's a neat take on the Matter of Britain. Perhaps I've just ... had enough of those, finally?
I will say that Lackey's Arthur was perhaps the best drawn character, for the simple fact of the unwitting devotion that he is always recounted as inspiring. It was nice to see this iconic figure as something other than strictly heroic - the question of what does it feel like to be completely devoted against your will was the most interesting part of the novel for me. And she does a nice take on the Guinevere/Lacelot/Arthur triangle without either devolving into slashfic or dismissing the very real relationship between the two men.
I will say that Lackey's Arthur was perhaps the best drawn character, for the simple fact of the unwitting devotion that he is always recounted as inspiring. It was nice to see this iconic figure as something other than strictly heroic - the question of what does it feel like to be completely devoted against your will was the most interesting part of the novel for me. And she does a nice take on the Guinevere/Lacelot/Arthur triangle without either devolving into slashfic or dismissing the very real relationship between the two men.
November 27, 2011
If you like the various re-tellings of the Arthurian legend, this is an interesting take on it.
Ms. Lackey apparently found period poetry that implies Guinevere was, in fact, 3 different women. This is the story of the 3rd Guinevere (Gwenhwyfar) from childhood to warriorhood to bride.
Caution: there is not a lot of story re: Arthur and his Round Table in here. The jacket sleeve gives homage to Marion Zimmer Bradley. I would disagree. Just b/c it's about women, doesn't make it a feminist take or even the rather magical mystical spin that Bradley put on the legend. However, it is the usual wonderful worlds, history, and action that makes Ms. Lackey great, just encompassing a new angle of a familiar tale.
Ms. Lackey apparently found period poetry that implies Guinevere was, in fact, 3 different women. This is the story of the 3rd Guinevere (Gwenhwyfar) from childhood to warriorhood to bride.
Caution: there is not a lot of story re: Arthur and his Round Table in here. The jacket sleeve gives homage to Marion Zimmer Bradley. I would disagree. Just b/c it's about women, doesn't make it a feminist take or even the rather magical mystical spin that Bradley put on the legend. However, it is the usual wonderful worlds, history, and action that makes Ms. Lackey great, just encompassing a new angle of a familiar tale.
November 10, 2009
Mercedes Lackey's take on the Arthurian legends centers around a different version of Guinevere - that Arthur married three women by the same name. The story centers around the third wife, starting as a young girl, third-born and allowed to follow the Warrior's Path instead of that of the Ladies, and follows her through her time as War Chief and into an arranged marriage with Arthur, old enough to be her father. Along the way, we meet most of the famous characters of the Arthurian legends, seen through Gwenhwyfar's eyes, and watch as she is caught up in webs of treachery she has no way to escape.
I found this story bitterweet, but well-written. It definitely drew me into it.
I found this story bitterweet, but well-written. It definitely drew me into it.
Read
July 23, 2023breaking up the romcoms with a bit of fantasy. this was very flat and did nothing new with Arthurian mythology, aside from introducing the Welsh myth of 3 Gwenhwyfars. Nothing ever happened, it was trapped by the confines of the myth and did not branch out. ended up skimming the last third because it couldn't hold my attention. Things just...happen to the main character and they aren't very unique things, either. There's no driving plot that you are invested in, it glosses over years of things in mere sentences.
October 8, 2009
What a depressing ending, especially how Lancelin ended up not really caring for Gwenhwyfar in the end... Of course, that's probably because I'm secretly a hopeless book romantic. I loved the way that Mercedes Lackey took the legend of the three Gwenhwyfars and made it totally believable - a great piece of storytelling and creation out of something old.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2011
Great twist on the original! I like how she fit in aspects of the classic stories to this rendition.
February 23, 2011
In the book Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit by Mercedes Lackey, the third daughter of a Celtic king is given the name of Gwenhwyfar, which means Guinevere in English. Mercedes Lackey's story is set in the time of King Arthur, where kings still rule the land and women are given two paths to take: the path of the Blessing, or the rare path of the Warrior. The story starts off with Gwenhwyfar's childhood, explaining how she came into her love for war and for all things warrior-like and what her family was like. Her mother, Queen Eleri, was a Wise Woman from the path of the Goddess, and her father was the Celtic king Lleudd Ogrfan Gawr, otherwise known as "The Giant. Gwen had three other sisters, Gynath, Gwenhwyfach, and Cataruna. During part one, titled Princess, of the book, Gwen's mother dies from childbirth, Gwen begins her training to become a warrior under her father after meeting with the legendary Braith, a Warrior-Woman serving under Gwen's father, Cataruna goes to train under the Ladies of the path of the Blessing, and Gwen's father goes to war. Some time after Cataruna went to train under the Ladies, a queen by the name of Anna Morgause comes to visit Gwen's castle. With her she brings her younger sister, Morgana, a wet nurse, and her new son Medraut. Anna Morgause's intentions are not quite clear, but it's known that she is trying to set up Morgana and Gwen's father. Luckily, that doesn't happen, and the queen and company leave uncontented. Gwen, like the others, is happy to see them go, especially Medraut. The baby was like a changeling, and had followed Gwen's every move with black eyes. Needless to say, it creeped her out.
In part two, titled Warrior, Gwen is all grown up now and is serving under her father as a Warrior-Woman. Here, it tells of Gwen's adventures as a warrior, and all of her fights against her people's enemy: the Saxons. During one of her adventures, Gwen gains the name "The White Spirit" after terrorizing a Saxon by wearing all white, painting her skin white, and letting her blonde hair loose. This part also introduces Lancelin, which is translated as Lancelot in English. Lancelin is one of the High King Arthur's companions, and was visiting Gwen's warcamp to see how things were running. Another person comes to visit Gwen's warcamp: Medraut, the son of Anna Morgause. Medraut has taken an interest in Gwen and is trying to, ah, "bring her in". Gwen will have none of it, though, since she hates Medraut and has never planned to marry. The High King has also taken a second wife, named Gwenhwyfar just like his first, and still has had no luck in heiring a son, let alone a child, that has lived longer than two years. The second Gwenhwyfar was "taken hostage" by a man named Melwas, which led to Gwen and her warcamp having to go save the High Queen. Gildas, a Christian priest, comes to join Gwen on her expedition to see that the queen is rescued. Turns out, the Queen ran off with Melwas, and wanted to stay with him. Go figure. Eventually, the High Queen is returned to Arthur, but she got sick and died. Gwen wasn't all that surprised when the High Queen died. I think she found it fitting.
In part three of Gwenhwyfar, titled Queen, Gwen is chosen to become King Arthur's new queen. She is incredibly angry about this, being the unwanted part of a bargain between her father and Arthur, but comes to realize that it is for the good of her people to marry the High King. Once she is groomed to be a queen, Gwen is sent to Celliwig, where King Arthur's castle resides, and meets him and the Companions. Lancelin sees her, as well as the other Companions, and immediately Gwen feels strange, for she'd never been looked at in such a way before. Throughout the next several weeks, Gwen leads a very boring life: sit in a solar with her gossiping ladies and, well, pretty much do nothing, every other day she gets bathed and has dinner with the High King and his Companions, and every night she and the high king spend together. Gwen gets to do nothing warrior-like, and it's driving her mad. Soon, after the King assumes Gwen is pregnant (and she most certainly is not), Medraut kidnaps Gwen and makes her stay in a cell somewhere in his castle. After a very long time, Gwen manages to escape Medraut's castle and flees the castle, putting all of her warrior training to good use so that Medraut wouldn't be able to find her. After managing to survive for several days, Gwen comes across Lancelin, who is getting attacked by four men. Gwen helps him, and together they finish off Lancelin's attackers. They then travel together back to Arthur's court, taking refuge in a broken down little cottage. It is there that Lancelin and Gwen reveal to each other how much they like each other, and things happen afterwards. Gwen and Lancelin end up staying there for seven days, and as soon as they are about to head to Arthur's court, Arthur, his men, and Medraut surround the clearing the cottage is in and threaten the two of them. Gwen urges Lancelin to flee, and as soon as he does, Gwen surrenders. Gwen is placed in a cell for a while, until she is led out and taken to a very colorful tent. Apparently, while she was taken prisoner on both accounts, the Saxons have been attacking the High King's lands again and all of Arthur's warriors and men went to go stop them. Once Gwen enteres the tent, she goes up to Arthur and slaps him. What she says to him is my favorite part of this book: '"If I had a gauntlet, it would be at your feet, husband," she spat. "How dare you, how dare you, take exception to anything I have done, when you just spent the last seven months fornicating with my sister?"... "My sister," she repeated, viciously, "Who also happens to be married to Medraut. While Medraut held me captive in his villa, amused himself with me whenever he chose, and you didn't even notice the difference."' She also says something extremely awesome - in my opinion - afterwards, but that is for you to read and see for yourself. After a few moments of arguing, one of Arthur's Companions storms in and tells everyone present that Medraut is at the head of the Saxon army. Gwen goes into her warrior mode and begins ordering everyone to bring her armor, weapons, and horses. She then goes to seek out the King of the Folk, Gwyn Ap Nudd, and asks him to bring passage to Arthur's men so that they reach Arthur and Medraut on time. Once Arthur's men arrive, they go and meet the Saxon army and Medraut. The two sides have a parley, and Gwen, King Arthur, and another go to the middle of the battlefield just to see Medraut and Gwenhwyfach being the parley for the other side. Finally the High King sees that he was tricked. Before much can be spoken over, however, fighting breaks out and the war begins. During the fighting, Gwen gets a vison of carnage and death and she falls weeping to the ground. When she awakes, Gwen sees the second queen right in front of her. It turns out that the second queen had never died. The second queen takes Gwen to witness Arthur's death, where it is proven that Arthur did kill Medraut, but was fatally wounded in the process. Gwen then wakes up in an Abbey, finding out that her side won the battle, and that Gwenhwyfach killed herself a few hours after Arthur died. Lancelin goes somewhere, leaving Gwen behind, and Gwen is left to her own devices.
I believe a theme of this book is whatever choices you make can have a bigger impact on your future because when Gwen choose the path of the Warrior when she was a child helped her in the future. For example, she was able to get away from Medraut's villa alive and was able to fend off several Saxon attacks throughout her lifetime. She also makes other choices that help her find love and to understand sacrifice.
I recommend this book to people who love reading the King Arthur genre and/or like the whole Guinevere/Lancelot love affair. It also shows Guinevere's point of view through her thoughts and responses on her actions. The only thing I hesitate to mention is the fact that the bits mentioning messing around might be a bit too much for younger children, but that stuff isn't too bad and can be skipped without missing anything important. I especially liked how this book was worded and how the story progressed.
In part two, titled Warrior, Gwen is all grown up now and is serving under her father as a Warrior-Woman. Here, it tells of Gwen's adventures as a warrior, and all of her fights against her people's enemy: the Saxons. During one of her adventures, Gwen gains the name "The White Spirit" after terrorizing a Saxon by wearing all white, painting her skin white, and letting her blonde hair loose. This part also introduces Lancelin, which is translated as Lancelot in English. Lancelin is one of the High King Arthur's companions, and was visiting Gwen's warcamp to see how things were running. Another person comes to visit Gwen's warcamp: Medraut, the son of Anna Morgause. Medraut has taken an interest in Gwen and is trying to, ah, "bring her in". Gwen will have none of it, though, since she hates Medraut and has never planned to marry. The High King has also taken a second wife, named Gwenhwyfar just like his first, and still has had no luck in heiring a son, let alone a child, that has lived longer than two years. The second Gwenhwyfar was "taken hostage" by a man named Melwas, which led to Gwen and her warcamp having to go save the High Queen. Gildas, a Christian priest, comes to join Gwen on her expedition to see that the queen is rescued. Turns out, the Queen ran off with Melwas, and wanted to stay with him. Go figure. Eventually, the High Queen is returned to Arthur, but she got sick and died. Gwen wasn't all that surprised when the High Queen died. I think she found it fitting.
In part three of Gwenhwyfar, titled Queen, Gwen is chosen to become King Arthur's new queen. She is incredibly angry about this, being the unwanted part of a bargain between her father and Arthur, but comes to realize that it is for the good of her people to marry the High King. Once she is groomed to be a queen, Gwen is sent to Celliwig, where King Arthur's castle resides, and meets him and the Companions. Lancelin sees her, as well as the other Companions, and immediately Gwen feels strange, for she'd never been looked at in such a way before. Throughout the next several weeks, Gwen leads a very boring life: sit in a solar with her gossiping ladies and, well, pretty much do nothing, every other day she gets bathed and has dinner with the High King and his Companions, and every night she and the high king spend together. Gwen gets to do nothing warrior-like, and it's driving her mad. Soon, after the King assumes Gwen is pregnant (and she most certainly is not), Medraut kidnaps Gwen and makes her stay in a cell somewhere in his castle. After a very long time, Gwen manages to escape Medraut's castle and flees the castle, putting all of her warrior training to good use so that Medraut wouldn't be able to find her. After managing to survive for several days, Gwen comes across Lancelin, who is getting attacked by four men. Gwen helps him, and together they finish off Lancelin's attackers. They then travel together back to Arthur's court, taking refuge in a broken down little cottage. It is there that Lancelin and Gwen reveal to each other how much they like each other, and things happen afterwards. Gwen and Lancelin end up staying there for seven days, and as soon as they are about to head to Arthur's court, Arthur, his men, and Medraut surround the clearing the cottage is in and threaten the two of them. Gwen urges Lancelin to flee, and as soon as he does, Gwen surrenders. Gwen is placed in a cell for a while, until she is led out and taken to a very colorful tent. Apparently, while she was taken prisoner on both accounts, the Saxons have been attacking the High King's lands again and all of Arthur's warriors and men went to go stop them. Once Gwen enteres the tent, she goes up to Arthur and slaps him. What she says to him is my favorite part of this book: '"If I had a gauntlet, it would be at your feet, husband," she spat. "How dare you, how dare you, take exception to anything I have done, when you just spent the last seven months fornicating with my sister?"... "My sister," she repeated, viciously, "Who also happens to be married to Medraut. While Medraut held me captive in his villa, amused himself with me whenever he chose, and you didn't even notice the difference."' She also says something extremely awesome - in my opinion - afterwards, but that is for you to read and see for yourself. After a few moments of arguing, one of Arthur's Companions storms in and tells everyone present that Medraut is at the head of the Saxon army. Gwen goes into her warrior mode and begins ordering everyone to bring her armor, weapons, and horses. She then goes to seek out the King of the Folk, Gwyn Ap Nudd, and asks him to bring passage to Arthur's men so that they reach Arthur and Medraut on time. Once Arthur's men arrive, they go and meet the Saxon army and Medraut. The two sides have a parley, and Gwen, King Arthur, and another go to the middle of the battlefield just to see Medraut and Gwenhwyfach being the parley for the other side. Finally the High King sees that he was tricked. Before much can be spoken over, however, fighting breaks out and the war begins. During the fighting, Gwen gets a vison of carnage and death and she falls weeping to the ground. When she awakes, Gwen sees the second queen right in front of her. It turns out that the second queen had never died. The second queen takes Gwen to witness Arthur's death, where it is proven that Arthur did kill Medraut, but was fatally wounded in the process. Gwen then wakes up in an Abbey, finding out that her side won the battle, and that Gwenhwyfach killed herself a few hours after Arthur died. Lancelin goes somewhere, leaving Gwen behind, and Gwen is left to her own devices.
I believe a theme of this book is whatever choices you make can have a bigger impact on your future because when Gwen choose the path of the Warrior when she was a child helped her in the future. For example, she was able to get away from Medraut's villa alive and was able to fend off several Saxon attacks throughout her lifetime. She also makes other choices that help her find love and to understand sacrifice.
I recommend this book to people who love reading the King Arthur genre and/or like the whole Guinevere/Lancelot love affair. It also shows Guinevere's point of view through her thoughts and responses on her actions. The only thing I hesitate to mention is the fact that the bits mentioning messing around might be a bit too much for younger children, but that stuff isn't too bad and can be skipped without missing anything important. I especially liked how this book was worded and how the story progressed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2020
"'Be wise as the salmon, crafty as the fox, valiant as the wolfhound, and fierce as the hawk.'" ~ Gwen's mother's blessing to her, on her training as a warrior (90).
In the Afterword, Lackey states that two Welsh legends about King Arthur specifically inspired the story: the Triad of "The Three Guineveres", which says that Arthur had three unrelated wives of the same name (Gwenhwyfar in Welsh), and a fourth false Guinevere, known as "little" or "lesser" Gwenhwyfach; and the Triad of "Three Harmful Blows" which says little Gwen struck another Gwen, causing the Battle of Camlann and the death of Arthur.
Whatever the historical basis, this is one of the best Arthurian tales I've read, despite having very little to do with Arthur himself!
The first two thirds of the story follow Gwenhwyfar, the third of the four daughters of Welsh King Lleudd Ogrfan Gawr, also known as The Giant. Gwen, unlike her two older sisters, longs for a different path than wife or wise woman, yearning to be a horsewoman and warrior. Her mother, Eleri, is powerful in the ways of the Old Gods; although Gwen has high potential for Power as well, one path negates the other as exposure to cold iron (in the form of weaponry) weakens the magic.
Gwen works very hard at learning to ride and earns a famed mentor who stands up for her, which gradually convinces her parents that she is blessed by the horse goddess Epona. Eventually, she is given leave to begin training and happily pursues her heart's desire.
The only bane of her existence is her year-younger sister Gwenhwyfach, "Little Gwen", who looks alike enough to be her twin, but who is inexplicably jealous, spiteful, petty and malicious, determined to take everything Gwen wants for herself or ruin it completely. She is horrid to her other sisters as well but no amount of punishment can mend her ways. And yet she has a sort of magic of her own, a glamour that draws men to her, and Gwen is warned against her wiles.
Over the years, Gwen grows into an almost supernaturally talented scout leader and fighter, but her life is lonely. Men are unable to reconcile the warrior with the woman, and Gwen is not content to give up her beloved horses and be a wife.
That is until King Arthur's second wife dies and Gwen is told it is her duty to become the third of the same name. The elders want Gwen to wed Arthur to keep the Old Ways in a Britain converting to Christianity, and thus maintain the Power. Gwen reluctantly agrees, but the marriage is a loveless, gilded cage. Although Arthur is a charismatic leader and loved by his men, he also does not know what to do with a woman who is a warrior, and does not seek her council or give her freedom.
Little Gwen, meanwhile, is determined to have Arthur and his crown from herself, and goes to twisted lengths with another character of loathsome ambition to accomplish her goal. But Gwen is not a silly vapid lady and she fights for her survival, and the good of the kingdom as well.
Although there is a Lancelot character, called Lancelin, there is no Happily Ever After. Darker than most of Lackey's romances, Gwen has to learn how to make her own happiness. A wonderful coming-of-age story that will resonate with anyone who loves horses!
In the Afterword, Lackey states that two Welsh legends about King Arthur specifically inspired the story: the Triad of "The Three Guineveres", which says that Arthur had three unrelated wives of the same name (Gwenhwyfar in Welsh), and a fourth false Guinevere, known as "little" or "lesser" Gwenhwyfach; and the Triad of "Three Harmful Blows" which says little Gwen struck another Gwen, causing the Battle of Camlann and the death of Arthur.
Whatever the historical basis, this is one of the best Arthurian tales I've read, despite having very little to do with Arthur himself!
The first two thirds of the story follow Gwenhwyfar, the third of the four daughters of Welsh King Lleudd Ogrfan Gawr, also known as The Giant. Gwen, unlike her two older sisters, longs for a different path than wife or wise woman, yearning to be a horsewoman and warrior. Her mother, Eleri, is powerful in the ways of the Old Gods; although Gwen has high potential for Power as well, one path negates the other as exposure to cold iron (in the form of weaponry) weakens the magic.
Gwen works very hard at learning to ride and earns a famed mentor who stands up for her, which gradually convinces her parents that she is blessed by the horse goddess Epona. Eventually, she is given leave to begin training and happily pursues her heart's desire.
The only bane of her existence is her year-younger sister Gwenhwyfach, "Little Gwen", who looks alike enough to be her twin, but who is inexplicably jealous, spiteful, petty and malicious, determined to take everything Gwen wants for herself or ruin it completely. She is horrid to her other sisters as well but no amount of punishment can mend her ways. And yet she has a sort of magic of her own, a glamour that draws men to her, and Gwen is warned against her wiles.
Over the years, Gwen grows into an almost supernaturally talented scout leader and fighter, but her life is lonely. Men are unable to reconcile the warrior with the woman, and Gwen is not content to give up her beloved horses and be a wife.
That is until King Arthur's second wife dies and Gwen is told it is her duty to become the third of the same name. The elders want Gwen to wed Arthur to keep the Old Ways in a Britain converting to Christianity, and thus maintain the Power. Gwen reluctantly agrees, but the marriage is a loveless, gilded cage. Although Arthur is a charismatic leader and loved by his men, he also does not know what to do with a woman who is a warrior, and does not seek her council or give her freedom.
Little Gwen, meanwhile, is determined to have Arthur and his crown from herself, and goes to twisted lengths with another character of loathsome ambition to accomplish her goal. But Gwen is not a silly vapid lady and she fights for her survival, and the good of the kingdom as well.
Although there is a Lancelot character, called Lancelin, there is no Happily Ever After. Darker than most of Lackey's romances, Gwen has to learn how to make her own happiness. A wonderful coming-of-age story that will resonate with anyone who loves horses!
June 25, 2021
I have only recently bought this book and, to be honest, only because I'm trying to get every single Mercedes Lackey book that I can so, when I picked it up as the very last book on my shelf, written by her, I was a little reluctant to read it.
This was partly because it IS the last one but, more truthfully, because this was purely because I've read, and watched, far too many Arthurian books, and films, and series, over the decades of my life, and have had a surfeit of them.
But, the minute I started reading this one, I was caught, and couldn't stop until the very last page.
Mercedes' three Gwenhwyfars are an astounding work of fiction and, living not too far from Aberystwyth, where she got her original ideas for the book, made me feel very much at home with the peoples and the language and, to a certain extent, the countryside where it took place - though I live in Dyfed, of course, so the wrong county entirely, that the book was all set in.
What I got from this story, that I've never got from the many other Arthurian tales, is a sense of place; an ending of a special time in British history; a totally different outlook on the characters that we are all so familiar with.
I guess that, what I took away most from this book, was the sheer humanity of it. The good things that people do, for the sake of their people, and their country - and the terrible mistakes we all so often make, purely because we are human and, no matter how well trained we may be, there's a part of every living human being, that only wants to be loved, and to have someone to love.
I think Mercedes' work is very often something that you love, or you don't but, for me, I will always keep coming back to her works - not only for the sheer breadth of the subjects she writes about, but because, with every single story, no matter the genre, at the heart of it, it's always about every kind of love - and also hate - that we humans can experience - not a bad legacy to leave behind you, hey?
This was partly because it IS the last one but, more truthfully, because this was purely because I've read, and watched, far too many Arthurian books, and films, and series, over the decades of my life, and have had a surfeit of them.
But, the minute I started reading this one, I was caught, and couldn't stop until the very last page.
Mercedes' three Gwenhwyfars are an astounding work of fiction and, living not too far from Aberystwyth, where she got her original ideas for the book, made me feel very much at home with the peoples and the language and, to a certain extent, the countryside where it took place - though I live in Dyfed, of course, so the wrong county entirely, that the book was all set in.
What I got from this story, that I've never got from the many other Arthurian tales, is a sense of place; an ending of a special time in British history; a totally different outlook on the characters that we are all so familiar with.
I guess that, what I took away most from this book, was the sheer humanity of it. The good things that people do, for the sake of their people, and their country - and the terrible mistakes we all so often make, purely because we are human and, no matter how well trained we may be, there's a part of every living human being, that only wants to be loved, and to have someone to love.
I think Mercedes' work is very often something that you love, or you don't but, for me, I will always keep coming back to her works - not only for the sheer breadth of the subjects she writes about, but because, with every single story, no matter the genre, at the heart of it, it's always about every kind of love - and also hate - that we humans can experience - not a bad legacy to leave behind you, hey?
January 30, 2025
As I'm taking a class on women in Arthurian legend that focuses more on the medieval and early texts, I'm trying to supplement with my own reading of some of the more recent takes on the legend that fall within the speculative fiction umbrella. This retelling of the story of Gweneviere certainly hits that mark. Gwenhwyfar recasts Gweneviere as a woman choosing between her own innate magical talents and her desire to become a horsewoman warrior. Lackey's reimagining of the story apparently derives from a scrap of ancient poetry that mentions not one but three women named Gwenhwyfar associated with the Arthur legend. So the book gets rather confusing in that the main character's sister is also named Gwenhwyfar (she ends up becoming the protege of Morgaine and the wife of Mordred) as is Arthur's first wife (the protagonist become Arthur's second wife after this first one runs away).
For me personally, the pacing of this book was uneven. I nearly gave up in the first 25% because of the constant focus on Gwenhwyfar's horse obsession. I've never been a horse girl, but if you are one, you might enjoy this book. The Arthurian connections are barely present in the first half of the book, then begin to grow slowly then exponentially as we near the finish line. That made the book feel rushed at the end, trying to get through Gwenhwyfar's affair with Lancelot and the betrayal of Mordred. I don't think it will be one of my favorite Arthur retellings, but it's worth a look for those interested in a more feminine take on the legend that isn't the now-tainted Mists of Avalon.
For me personally, the pacing of this book was uneven. I nearly gave up in the first 25% because of the constant focus on Gwenhwyfar's horse obsession. I've never been a horse girl, but if you are one, you might enjoy this book. The Arthurian connections are barely present in the first half of the book, then begin to grow slowly then exponentially as we near the finish line. That made the book feel rushed at the end, trying to get through Gwenhwyfar's affair with Lancelot and the betrayal of Mordred. I don't think it will be one of my favorite Arthur retellings, but it's worth a look for those interested in a more feminine take on the legend that isn't the now-tainted Mists of Avalon.
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