Historical Fiction

I love the twist of Arthur having three Queens, would have loved more on what the last did after the war. ( )

A strange book. It feels halfway between Lackey and MZB. ( )

An Arthurian re-telling that keeps far away from Arthur until the final section and doesn't make meeting him pleasant. Mostly, this is a novel about a young woman becoming a warrior in her father's kingdom with mostly unfortunate interactions with the traditional characters of the legends. It works very well until our heroine is forced to become the third Gwenhwyfar after which her lack of agency is just not credible in the context of the rest of the book until she makes her escape But I'm upping the rating on this because it does come up with new, at least to me, takes on the characters and their actions. Infinite as Arthurian space is, any one element is bound to have come up more than once, but this book had a nicely balanced mix for the most part. ( )

I have a friend who is an avid Mercedes Lackey reader. Ever since we were young students in university, she's been trying to persuade me to try one of her books. "No, thank you", I always said, looking at the cheesy, pseudo - medieval covers. Definitely not my cup of tea. Then, one day, I saw her holding this novel. The name "Gwenhwyfar" brought my beloved The Mists of Avalon to mind. "You won't like it", she said. Okay, so challenge accepted. The female Eowyn-like warrior image definitely picked my interest and I started reading it. Despite certain problems with the characters and the story, I can say that my overall impression was positive.

I don't want to say much about the plot, because this is the greatest surprise, in my opinion. Lackey has taken a few of the numerous versions of Arthur's legend and combined them to create her own vision. Is it successful? For the most part, I'd say it is. We have a young woman, whose life we witness from an early age, trying to balance her position as a noble daughter with all the duties and obligations, and as the first and foremost warrior of her father and leader of his army. Seeing her struggle and her wish for independence unfolding was exciting.

The writing has many moments of beauty and a clear vision conveyed. There is attention to detail regarding the setting. There is a successful balance of political and strategic issues and the depictions of the daily life during the Dark Ages. The image of Gwenhwyfar as the White Spirit is haunting and quite original. For me, the part where Lackey really excels has to do with the references to Religion. Naturally, there is the duality of the Old Religion and the New, but not in a fight against each other. It's rather an attempt to have them co-exist and understand the differences and the unavoidable similarities. Gwenhwyfar respects both choices and finds the positive elements of each system of beliefs and I think this was refreshing. Even in " Mists of Avalon" the polemic against one side turns out a bit too much, becoming almost a propaganda. Here, Lackey creates a balanced narrative. I'm not aware of her personal beliefs but as a reader, I consider her approach mature and professional.

Gwenhwyfar is a brilliant character. She is mature, bright, confident and brave with a deep sense of loyalty for her lineage and an unshaken belief in her abilities. She is able to understand her duty as a royal daughter and is far from obnoxious or petulant. I couldn't find a single dark spot in her character and I consider her one of the most well-written heroines in Historical Fantasy Fiction. The problem is that all the other characters- with the exception of her mother- are one-dimensional and completely uninteresting. Her sisters, her father, even the main antagonist and her love interest are flat and not particularly developed. Arthur is, perhaps, the worst of all. He comes across as a man completely unfit to be an absolute ruler. I couldn't see why he'd be so readily obeyed by all.

Along with the poor characterization, there are certain parts of the story that make it slow and confusing. I didn't see the point in having so many women named "Gwenhwyfar". The focus on our heroine's training slows the narration down and the inclusion of a magical, river race makes it a bit silly and childish. And not in a positive way.

Perhaps I was prepared to hate it, my expectations were lower than low and this is why I ended up enjoying it. I was impressed by the faithful depiction of the Dark Ages, the haunting atmosphere and the vivid, inspired dialogue. Don't expect the myth of Arthur and his knights, don't expect Guinevere and Lancelot or Morgan and Mordred. At least, not in the ways they have become known. This is an entirely version. Whether it is successful or not is obviously subjective but I'd suggest you give it a try. It's not "The Mists of Avalon", but it is entertaining and has one of the finest heroines you'll ever meet in the pages of a book. ( )