Today's book review is on Guinevere: The Quest for Excalibur, by Fil Reid. This is book five in the Guinevere series and follows on from; The Dragon Ring, The Bear's Heart, The Sword, and The Warrior Queen.
When I was in college, I used to read a lot about the Arthurian legend and I remember enjoying a holiday in Glastonbury. There's something magical about that place. I remember walking around the Abbey ruins and hiking up to Glastonbury Tor, my imagination swimming in thoughts of King Arthur, the Knights of the Roundtable and legendary characters such as Merlin, Morgana and The Lady of the Lake. All of this, set during the turbulence which followed the Roman's departure from Britain, back in the 5th century.
This is a fascinating subject and it was great to read a book in that genre again. I'd forgotten how much I loved the whole Arthurian Legend.
AUTHOR BIO
After a varied life that has included working with horses for an earl, riding racehorses, running her own riding school, owning a sheep farm and running a holiday business in France, Fil now lives on a wide beam canal boat on the Kennet and Avon Canal.
She writes historical romantic fiction based on Arthurian legend and has won the Dragonblade Publishing Historical Romance competition in the US. Guinevere: The Dragon Ring has won the gold medal for Historical Personage book in the Readers Favourite awards, 2022. Fil is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Authors.
BOOK BLURB
Twelve years ago, 21st-century librarian Gwen decided to remain in the Dark Ages with the man she loves above all else - a man around whom endless well-known tales of legend and magic have been spun. King Arthur. Over the years, she's carved a life for herself by her husband's side, gently steering him in the direction she wants him to go, but always with an awareness that he's a Dark Age king with a Dark Age view of the world.
Equipped with her prior knowledge of Arthurian legend, Gwen's sole aim has long been to save her husband from the legendary fate she dreads hangs over him. But always, at the back of her mind, is the nagging doubt that whatever she does is already set in stone, and nothing she can do will change his future which is already her past.
Danger lurks in the most unexpected places, and long-hidden secrets threaten to rise to the surface. After a long cold winter in their hilltop fortress, Gwen's pleased to welcome travelling players to Din Caden. But these players are hiding secrets of their own, and one of them has come with black deeds in mind. Gwen will have to fight harder than she's ever done to save herself and thus her husband. And all evidence points to the hand of Morgana, Arthur's wicked sister, manipulating everything from afar.
Throughout all of this, simmering in the background, is young Medraut, Arthur's nephew. Unnoticed, despite still being only a boy, he's been exerting his malignant influence over those around him, in particular, Gwen and Arthur's son and heir.
MY REVIEW
I loved this book so much that I'm going to buy the rest in the series. As usual, I haven't started with book one, but instead, number five! But that didn't matter. It far from ruined the story. The Quest for Excalibur has so many stories running through it, from suspicious travellers to simmering jealousies and heroic feats. Fil sets the scene beautifully and catapults the reader back to that time. Yet, this isn't any ordinary adaptation of the famous legend. With a twist, Guinevere, or Gwen, is originally from the 21st century. So, there is a bit of time-travelling going on which gives the story of King Arthur another dimension of intrigue.
Thank you LiterallyPR and Fil Reid for inviting me to join the book tour. I can't wait to read the next in the series.
NEXT REVIEW
9th November: Stranded, written by Ævar Þór Benediktsson and illustrated by Anne Wilson
Join me on November 9th for my next review. In the meantime, here's the blurb for Stranded.
This is a story about my grandfather:
how he got stranded
on a volcanic island,
was almost turned into barbeque
and found the most important moment in the world.
The illustrations alone are wonderful and with this intriguing book-blurb, I couldn't wait to read Stranded.
Until next time,
Happy reading!