Book REVIEW: GWEN & ART ARE NOT IN LOVE

TITLE: Gwen & Art Are Not in Love

AUTHOR: Lex Croucher

410 pages, Wednesday Books, ISBN 9781250847218 (hardcover, also e-book and audio)

MY RATING:  4 stars out of 5

I am sucker for anything Arthurian, and especially these days for anything that tweaks the Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot triangle, so a title like Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, with appropriate medieval dress characters on the cover, was bound to attract my attention. Especially so if the book posits queer relationships for the titular king and queen. I somehow missed the part of the book description that says this novel takes place “hundreds of years after King Arthur’s reign.” And you know what? I’m not disappointed at all.

In college, as part of a course on science fiction, I created my version of a world in which Camelot never fell. It was very different from the world Lex Croucher created for Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, but that didn’t stop me from really enjoying the world Croucher did create, and the characters they populated that world with.

In the present day of the novel, Arthur’s descendant line no longer rules Britain, and the city of Camelot is a shadow of its former self even though it is still the capital. King Arthur’s descendant Arthur is well known as a womanizer and gadabout. He’s also engaged to the current Princess of England, Gwendolyn, and neither of them is happy about it. Especially not when they’re forced to spend the summer together as a lead-up to their nuptials, where they quickly discover that Arthur likes men, and Gwen has a crush on the only female knight of the realm, Lady Bridget. Add in Bridget’s bookish brother Gabriel, next in line for the throne, Arthur’s man-at-arms and confidante, Sidney, and Gwen’s lady-in-waiting Agnes, and you have a fine group of main characters with sometimes-competing agendas and interests who find they have to work together to survive not just the summer tournaments but bigger problems.

Because there is also political upheaval across the land. A group of cultists who want a return to the “pure” ways of King Arthur are making increasingly bold moves against Gwen’s father, the current King. This starts as background world-building but slowly builds to being a major part of the book’s climax. Croucher seeds this development well. Near the end, I found myself thinking back and going “Oh, that’s what that was about...” a couple of times.

All the main characters are well-developed. The book is not in alternating first-person (as so many queer romances seem to be), but the primary points-of-view are Gwen and Art’s, allowing us to see events through both their eyes (sometimes, the same event). Even with chapters focused on the two of them, I felt like we got to also see complexities in the personalities of Bridget, Gabriel, Sidney, and Agnes that fleshed them out as real people rather than love interests and sidekicks. I can’t say the same is true for the older adults of the book – Gwen and Gabriel’s parents, Arthur’s father, and the other members of the King’s Court that we see are for the most part one-note. But that’s okay. They perform the function tertiary characters are supposed to perform and don’t necessarily need to have deeper inner lives in an alternate-historical romance like this. (I hesitate to call the book a fantasy romance (or “romantasy”) because other than the difference in history, I don’t recall any truly “fantasy” elements in the world-building.)

In addition to characters I cared about, the book was paced well. There are just enough sub-plots and side-encounters to keep the ultimate outcome of the romances and the political intrigue delayed without feeling like they are just delaying tactics. The book is just the right length for the story Croucher wants to tell, neither too short nor too long.

If you’re looking for an Arthurian romance that takes place outside of, and builds on, the known Arthurian lore, with queer protagonists and plenty of swordfights and happy endings all around (well, except for the bad guys), then Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is for you. Check it out.

I received an electronic advance reading copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I received the e-ARC well before publication date but never posted the review. Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is available now wherever books are sold.

Book Review: PERILOUS TIMES

TITLE: Perilous Times

AUTHOR: Thomas D. Lee

485 pages, Ballantine Books, ISBN 9780593499016 (hardcover; also e-book and audiobook)

MY RATING:  4 stars out of 5

Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee blends Arthurian tropes with a near-future, post-climate change dystopia which asks, among other ideas, how bad things need to become before King Arthur returns as prophesied. The “once and future king,” said to be destined to return in the time of England’s greatest peril, has yet to reappear – despite two world wars and multiple other conflicts that surely could have benefitted from Arthur’s strength and expertise. Along the way, the novel also investigates the nature of heroism, the ways in which doing the right thing sometimes leads to the wrong result, and how hard it is to alter our own ingrained beliefs and sense of self-worth.

Lee tweaks the “Arthur will return” trope by giving us a version of our world in which it is not Arthur but his core knights, ensorcelled by Merlin, who secretly return when England is in peril. Kay, Lancelot, Galehaut, and others find themselves occasionally revived long enough to do what needs doing to preserve the realm. This time, Kay and Lancelot, who have a not-pleasant history, find themselves on opposite sides of a battle between a group of environmentalists (and other revolutionaries) and the oil barons and oligarchs who control a collapsing political state and whose policies have resulted in a flooded, impoverished, crippled “United Kingdom.” Equally important to the narrative are Miriam, the idealistic but insecure environmentalist Kay rescues from death when he first awakens; Regan, an older friend of Miriam with secrets of her own; and Lancelot’s also-immortal government spymaster Marlowe (yes, that Marlowe).

Into the already near-apocalyptic world the characters inhabit (Lee’s descriptions of flooded towns, disease- and prejudice-plagued refugee camps, and massive oil rigs are viscerally palpable) comes magic that may save the world or may doom it. The magic is as much of a threat as the changed climate is, depending on who ends up wielding it. At the heart of many Arthurian retellings is the idea of “Might for Right” (as opposed to “might makes right”) and Lee plays with that concept throughout the book, with characters debating the proper use, if any, of force to solve problems. The various POV characters allow for a nuanced discussion in the context of many of our current societal problems – not just climate change, but white supremacy, xenophobia, misogyny, and more.

Lee also gives us a more diverse cast than traditional Arthurian retellings (a trend I’ve noticed the past handful of years and for which I’m happy): Miriam is a woman of color; her peers include an older woman, a transgender character, and a lesbian couple; Kay, Arthur’s adoptive brother, is a man of color with pagan beliefs; Lancelot is homosexual (and yes, Lee does give us an in-flashback tweak to the standard Camelot love-triangle). This allows the author to explore the idea of who gets to be a “hero” and how that might be perceived by less open-minded people. Through Kay and Lancelot, the author also gets to investigate how we process grief and grudges and what both might look like for the eternally reincarnated.

Arthurian purists, who want the king and his knights portrayed only in the noblest of lights, may want to pass this one up because the author does not shy away from showing the characters’ flaws. But for those like me who enjoy retellings in which “infallible” legends are revealed as having been fallible/human should pick this up, as should those who like their fantasy creatures mixed with modern real-world concerns.

I received an advance reading copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Perilous Times published on May 23, 2023.

Book Review: HALF SICK OF SHADOWS

TITLE: Half Sick of Shadows

AUTHOR: Laura Sebastian

448 pages, Ace Books, ISBN 9780593200513 (hardcover, also e-book and audio)

DESCRIPTION: (from the back cover): Everyone knows the legend. Of Arthur, destined to be a king. Of the beautiful Guinevere, who will betray him with his most loyal knight, Lancelot. Of the bitter sorceress, Morgana, who will turn against them all. But Elaine alone carries the burden of knowing what is to come--for Elaine of Shalott is cursed to see the future.

On the mystical isle of Avalon, Elaine runs free and learns of the ancient prophecies surrounding her and her friends--countless possibilities, almost all of them tragic.

When their future comes to claim them, Elaine, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Morgana accompany Arthur to take his throne in stifling Camelot, where magic is outlawed, the rules of society chain them, and enemies are everywhere. Yet the most dangerous threats may come from within their own circle.

As visions are fulfilled and an inevitable fate closes in, Elaine must decide how far she will go to change fate--and what she is willing to sacrifice along the way.

The Lady of Shalott reclaims her story in this bold feminist reimagining of the Arthurian myth from the New York Times bestselling author of Ash Princess.

MY RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

MY THOUGHTS: I’m not sure that there are any truly “new” ways to reinterpret the core of the Arthurian mythos, but Laura Sebastian introduces some interesting tweaks to the most commonly accepted/popular versions of the story that are out there, including a couple of large and unexpected changes to character histories. These changes will probably not please readers who expect every story about Camelot to march to the standard beats of the childhood of Arthur, the Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot love triangle, the Arthur/Morgana/Mordred history, the quest for the Holy Grail, and the final battle between the forces of Arthur and Mordred. But I found Sebastian’s rearranging of relationships and histories intriguing and would love to know more about how she made the story choices she made. To say “this is not your grandfather’s Camelot” is probably accurate. And I think that’s perfectly okay. (Your mileage may vary, of course.)

Sebastian riffs on the traditional idea that Arthur’s childhood was spent away from his father’s court – but instead of Arthur being unaware of his true heritage and raised by Sir Ector as younger brother to Sir Kay, Arthur is traded by King Uther to the magical island nation of Avalon as a hostage to prevent further war between Albion and Avalon (a fairly common practice in medieval times), and grows up with a half-fae Lancelot as well as fellow human transplants Guinevere and Elaine along with half-sister Morgana. She deals with the on-going confusion about Arthur’s half-sister’s name (sometimes Morgan le Fey, sometimes Morgana, something Morgause) by giving him two half-sisters, twins named Morgause and Morgana.  These are foundational changes that add new breath to the story without veering too far from the familiar. She also takes the somewhat daring step of making Mordred Arthur’s bastard half-brother rather than his bastard son. I’ll admit that this particular change threw me, as it didn’t seem to add anything to this narrative other than giving Arthur a blood relative rival for his father’s throne. I didn’t hate this change, but it didn’t seem as smooth a fit as the other changes Sebastian makes, especially since Mordred is pretty ineffectual as a foil, appearing in a bare handful of scenes. Likewise, the expected Arthur/Guinevere romance is present but is somewhat tangential to the Elaine/Lancelot romance. In a book inspired by The Lady of Shallot, this should not surprise anyone. Also fair warning: Merlin fans will be disappointed. He’s in a couple of key scenes, but he is not the master manipulator/mentor figure he’s usually portrayed as.

Elaine is the narrator, and she tells the story in three time frames, only one of which is linear. The “present day” time frame starts with the friends being told it is time to leave Avalon because Arthur’s father had died and it’s time for him to claim the throne. The flashbacks to how Elaine came to Avalon, met the others, and studied under Avalon’s head oracle, Nimue, are revealed when current events inspire Elaine to remember key moments of their past – thus, not in chronological order but mirroring the way we all tell people about our pasts: “Oh, then there was the time we…” And then there are Elaine’s disjointed and sometimes contradictory visions of the future, of the ways in which Arthur will come to that final battle, and even what will happen after. These are of necessity also not linear/chronological, because in this world the nature of visions is to change as present-day decisions strengthen or weaken the possibilities the future holds. This is the way I prefer to see prophecies handled in fiction: not as a single immutable “must happen” event, but as something open to interpretation and change. One of the central ideas of the book is that the future is only solidified once it is in the past. Jumping across these time frames, sometimes in mid-chapter, kept the book interesting for me.

I’m also not sure just how much this qualifies as a “bold feminist retelling” the way the cover copy claims. Yes, Elaine is the narrator of the story, which focuses equally on her friendships with Morgana and Guinevere and touches slightly on her mentoring by Nimue. But an oft-repeated refrain in the book is that the friends must do “All For Arthur” – meaning whatever it takes to get him on the throne of Camelot. Throughout the book, the female characters (and Lancelot) subvert their own needs, sacrifice their own happiness, to assure Arthur meets his destiny – even though Arthur himself doesn’t seem really capable of accomplishing the tasks set for him without his friends’ interference. Half Sick of Shadows is definitely a bold, one could even say controversial, take on the Arthurian legend – but I’m not convinced it’s really “feminist” in the way the cover copy claims. (In fact, I’d go out on a limb and say that it possibly fails the Bechdel test, as most of the conversations between the female leads are about the two guys.) That being said, I do wonder if this is just the first book in a series, and that the major decision Elaine makes at the end of the book will in fact lead to a much broader reinterpretation that further centers the female characters. If this is a series, I’ll definitely be signing on for book two.

I received an Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.