The Squire’s Tale by Gerald Morris
The Squireās Tale is what I love to see out of kidsā fantasy. Itās charming, itās well-told, itās entertaining for a number of age groups, and even as it simplifies and plays with the mythology it uses, it remains lovingly respectful of the original texts.
I was actually surprised by how closely the novel sticks to the Arthurian legends. The Squireās Tale introduces the character of Terence, Sir Gawainās squire, and gives the magical end of things more of an Irish mythological slant, but beyond that scope itās clear that Morris has read Maloryās Le Morte DāArthur, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and probably a lot of other material as well. This firm grounding in the tradition gives his work a feel of casual authenticity. Yet Morris is also careful never to let his own clear interest in the original legends get the better of his efforts to write his own story. He alters characters and events freely, while still maintaining some whisper of the originalās feel. I canāt praise him enough for that achievement.
I admit, Iāve grown a bit tired of the recent trend in childrenās fantasy toward using rich traditions of story as merely a kind of perfunctory spice, little considered for any merit it might have beyond filling a gap. That may have somewhat influenced my enjoyment of Morrisās text, as, I admit, a lot of my thinking when reading it boiled down to tremendous geeky satisfaction that someone was out there making the Arthurian legends I know and love accessible to a young audience. Still, for anyone who (like me) is already an Arthur fan, this is a must-read.
All of that aside, itās not a perfect novel.Ā The Squireās Tale is very much a set-up for a series rather than a standalone, and Iāll admit that those who are not quite as interested in the King Arthur stories as I am might be a little bemused by some of the tongue-in-cheek jokes Morris makes about certain characters. Was this not a King Arthur book but merely a fantasy on its own (in other words, taking the intertextuality out of the equation) I would still say that it was a great, fun read, but Iāll admit that it might not be a particularly memorable one in the entire range of fantasy.
Taking everything into account, though, I canāt remember the last time I had this much fun with a childrenās retelling. It really is a goofy, funny, well-meaning little story, and Iād give it to a young reader (or even a few older ones) in a heartbeat.
Squireās Tales ā (1998-2006) Ages 9-12. Publisher: In medieval England, fourteen-year-old Terence finds his tranquil existence suddenly changed when he becomes the squire of the young Gawain of Orkney and accompanies him on a long quest, proving Gawainās worth as a knight and revealing an important secret about his own true identity.
I really enjoyed this book. The lack of melodrama (as "plot") was a feature, not a bug, I think. Parts…
good points Mariion-. I actually had meant to talk about the ham radio but the review was getting long (I…
You got your review up before I could even write one. I loved this book--one of my favorite reads of…
Hey, any book with a ghost, a goat girl AND a vampire can't be all bad, right?
Whoa! Cool.