#the squire's tale

[wondereads]

Weekly Reading Update (11/17/24)

I'm back! And hopefully I'll keep up with this once again.

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik (★★★★★, reread)

Ostensibly, I was reading this for my thesis, and I was keeping a close eye out for any way that Novik uses language and magic to signify power. Things like the incantation track being the most popular and certain languages being more valued. However, nothing can keep me distracted from El and Orion for long. I absolutely adore their romance, and they're such fun characters on their own too. Reading for my thesis allowed me to really get into the nitty-gritty of the worldbuilding, my second favorite part of this book, and even while annotating and taking notes I burned through this in only a few hours overall. As always, I highly recommend it!

More under the cut

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine (★★★★☆, reread)

I only vaguely remembered this book from my childhood, but it remains a cute story about beauty under the surface. I think that thematically it's a bit more heavy-handed than Levine's other works, but it's still sweet. Aza is a character that is both kind and selfish, and her desire for beauty is one many young girls can relate to. The whole concept of a singing kingdom is lovely, though it does contradict Char's account from Ella Enchanted where he claims they are largely silent outside their sings. I liked the romance for the first part, but Ijori turns on Aza too quickly for my taste, and I know it's a children's book but Ivy getting off scot-free when she nearly caused a rebellion and attempted murder doesn't sit right.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (★★★★★, reread)

I mean, do I really need to say more about this book? This reread was as an audiobook, as I had a friend hostage in the car for a road trip and seized on the chance to make her listen. I had as much fun as I ever do, and the audiobook is fun. It's narrated by an older English woman, and her attempts at a Welsh accent for Howl are...not great, but her voice for Calcifer was spot-on and humorous.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (★★★★★, reread)

Another audiobook I held my friend hostage for, I stand by my assertions that this is the best Cinderella retelling out there. Ella's obedience is supernatural, but her abusive family, tough social situation, and refusal to bow her head are all things that occur perfectly naturally. Her romance with Char develops naturally and is just absolutely adorable, probably one of my earliest romances personally. I will say that for some reason they had a prepubescent narrator, even though Ella is 15/16 for the majority of the book, which, while I got used to it, was quite annoying.

The Squire's Tale by Gerald Morris (★★★★☆, reread)

Yes, another reread. This one I've been working on for a while, and the influx of work I've been doing with Arthurian legend spurred me on. This book may seem a bit quick-paced and disjointed, but Morris does a great job of mimicking the style of Arthurian legend itself and the work of fantasy authors such as T. H. White. Despite being written by a man in the 90s with an almost entirely male cast, the story does its best to respect women and include a variety of characters that, even if exaggerated, rarely fall into stereotypes.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (CR: 29%)

I am being forced to take another go at this book by my thesis. I wouldn't say I dislike it, but I'm not enjoying it either. There are hints of things going on, but I need more than hints, and the main character is resolutely not picking up on any of them. The House itself is incredibly interesting, but I need more than statue descriptions to keep me engaged. I should be finished with this by the middle of the week, so wish me luck.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (CR: 4%)

This is a bit of a last-minute read for my book club. Despite the fact that I've barely read anything, I'm enjoying it so far. Miryem is already my favorite character; I love a ruthless woman. I also love that this is an explicitly stated Jewish fantasy, though I can't tell yet if it's set in our world or a world adjacent to ours. I'm excited to keep reading!

[joemerl]

I'm about to start that Squire's Tale series. I hope it's as good as everyone says.

[the-dust-jacket]

Marvelous books for budding medievalists.

[allthefoolmine]

My good dudes, I implore you to read Gerald Morris.

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

[sickfreaksirkay]

gawain is so empathetic <3

[treefey]

Dummies, you're supposed to follow for adventure!

[queer-ragnelle]

Squire's Tales fans you don't even know how good you have it.

[ironyscleverer]

The Ballad of Sir Dinadan by Gerald Morris has some of the best aro/acespec rep I’ve ever read send tweet.

[sweetteaanddragons]

Squire's Tales AU where instead of being escorted to the Other World after dying at Camlann, Gawain and Terence wake up in the past. Specifically, during the seven years they spent lost on the quest for the green knight.

Once they figure this out, their goal seems easy to figure out if difficult to accomplish: obviously, they need to hunt down Morgause and try to kill her before she can topple Camelot.

This is slightly hindered by them coming across Lancelot fighting himself.

Lancelot had also woken up in the past and had much the same idea as Gawain and Terence: go fight the person responsible for the mess that had gotten them all killed.

He just had different ideas who that was.

So now Gawain has to go fight Lancelot again, which is vastly complicated by the fact that, once again, neither of them really wants to hurt the other, only this time, it's not just a one on one duel, there's also an injured past!Lancelot trying to contribute to the fight but actually only getting in the way because future!Lancelot is quite sincerely trying to kill him, and Gawain keeps having to throw himself in between them.

I think what could really crown this scenario is if Arthur shows up, disguised style like he kept doing during that period, and is delighted because his nephew is alive after all! And then promptly confused out of his mind because that looks very much like two Lancelots, and while he secretly might not mind seeing Lancelot get beaten up a little bit, this does look like a concerning situation, he should probably intervene -

And poor Terence, on the sidelines, has to decide how in the world to explain this.

[iheartbookbran]

I’m obsessed with GRRM’s new not a blog post because he’s basically like “I need to hurry up and finish that pesky Winds of Winter thingie so that I can move on and concentrate on what’s really important… the Dunk and Egg novellas!”

[ladyminaofcamelot]

That scene in Squire's Tales where they're going through the lake with the eels is sooo good and hits so hard even today because Terence is fourteen, at most. He's cold, he's tired, and he's terrified because he's in a lake surrounded by poison eels and he's CRYING. I cannot emphasize enough how much I love love love when a character, especially a young character, cries because they're scared. We see screaming, we see freezing up, we see running away, but for some reason crying in terror is very rare in media even though every child I know does it. And then. And then Terence is still forging ahead. Still walking. He's so scared he's crying but he is doing it scared.

And Gawain sees this. He can probably hear him sniffling, hear the tears in the dark and mist, knows that in spite of those things Terence got down to WALK through that murky water to lead the horses. He's watching this boy do something that it is even rare for men to be able to do, not because of the physical task itself, but because a terror like that would normally be debilitating. And I think this is the moment. They've had their adventures before, have been getting to know and care for each other, but this is the moment that Gawain realizes he can trust Terence with his life. Because no matter the danger, no matter the terror, Terence will not break and run. He will stand firm, and he will do it scared.

When I was younger I didn't quite understand this. I didn't realize why Gawain was so impressed by Terence walking through a lake, but now I get it. It was never about the task itself. It was about Terence shivering and crying in terror, and taking the next step anyway, and I think that's beautiful.

[onaslansside]

Look, I know, I know, finishing the Squire's Tales requires reading The Legend of the King and having all the tragic finale part of the Arthurian Legends in one book. But consider: you get to read the beautiful trial scene.

[joemerl]

I finished Le Morte D'Arthur today.

One of the longest books that I've ever read, and unfortunately a slog by the end. I think my next Arthurian read will be The Squire's Tale. I've heard good things, and I could use something more modern.

[book--brackets]

Summaries under the cut

Lisel & Po by Lauren Oliver

Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice,until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.

That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.

Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.

Red Planet by Robert A. Heinlein

Jim Marlow and his strange-looking Martian friend Willis were allowed to travel only so far. But one day Willis unwittingly tuned into a treacherous plot that threatened all the colonists on Mars, and it set Jim off on a terrfying adventure that could save--or destroy--them all!

The Secret Seven by Enid Blyton

It's their very first adventure and the Secret Seven super-sleuths are already on the trail of a mystery! The gang are dressed in disguise, following a lead to a spooky old house in the snow...

Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray

"A road's a kind of holy thing," said Roger the Minstrel to his son, Adam. "That's why it's a good work to keep a road in repair, like giving alms to the poor or tending the sick. It's open to the sun and wind and rain. It brings all kinds of people and all parts of England together. And it's home to a minstrel, even though he may happen to be sleeping in a castle."

And Adam, though only eleven, was to remember his father's words when his beloved dog, Nick, was stolen and Roger had disappeared and he found himself traveling alone along these same great roads, searching the fairs and market towns for his father and his dog.

The Squire's Tales by Gerald Morris

Life for the young orphan Terence has been peaceful, living with Trevisant, the old Hermit in a quiet, isolated wood.

That is, until the day a strange green sprite leads him to Gawain, King Arthur's nephew, who is on his way to Camelot hoping to be knighted. Trevisant can see the future and knows that Terence must leave to serve as Gawain's squire. From that moment on, Terence's life is filled with heart-stopping adventure as he helps damsels-in-distress, fights battles with devious men, and protects King Arthur from his many enemies.

Along the way, Terence is amazed at his skills and new-found magical abilities. Were these a gift from his unknown parents? As Gawain continues his quest for knighthood, Terence searches for answers to the riddles in his own past.

The Seventh Tower by Garth Nix

Tal has lived his whole life in darkness. He has never left his home, a mysterious castle of seven towers. He does not see the threat that will tear apart his family and his world. But Tal cannot stay safe forever. When danger strikes, he must desperately climb the Red Tower to steal a Sunstone. He reaches the top... ...and then he falls into a strange and unknown world of warriors, ice ships, and hidden magic. There Tal makes an enemy who will save his life and holds the key to his future.

The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston

There are three children: Toby, who rides the majestic horse Feste; his mischievous little sister, Linnet; and their brother, Alexander, who plays the flute. The children warmly welcome Tolly to Green Knowe... even though they've been dead for centuries.

But that's how everything is at Green Knowe. The ancient manor hides as many stories as it does dusty old rooms.

And the master of the house is great-grandmother Oldknow, whose storytelling mixes present and past with the oldest magic in the world.

Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal

Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield are identical twins at Sweet Valley High. They're both popular, smart, and gorgeous, but that's where the similarity ends. Elizabeth is friendly, outgoing, and sincere—nothing like her snobbish and conniving twin. Jessica gets what she wants—at school, with friends, and especially with boys.

This time, Jessica has set her sights on Todd Wilkins, the handsome star of the basketball team—the one boy that Elizabeth really likes. Elizabeth doesn't want to lose him, but what Jessica wants, Jessica usually gets ... even if it ends up hurting her sister.

City Spies by James Ponti

Sara Martinez is a hacker. She recently broke into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers. However, instead of being hailed as a hero, Sara finds herself facing years in a juvenile detention facility and banned from using computers for the same stretch of time. Enter Mother, a British spy who not only gets Sara released from jail but also offers her a chance to make a home for herself within a secret MI6 agency.

Operating out of a base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world. When they’re not attending the local boarding school, they’re honing their unique skills, such as sleight of hand, breaking and entering, observation, and explosives. All of these allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults can’t.

Before she knows what she’s doing, Sarah is heading to Paris for an international youth summit, hacking into a rival school’s computer to prevent them from winning a million euros, dangling thirty feet off the side of a building, and trying to stop a villain…all while navigating the complex dynamics of her new team.

No one said saving the world was easy…

Carrie's War by Nina Bawden

Albert, Carrie and young Nick are war-time evacuees whose lives get so tangled up with the people they've come to live among that the war and their real families seem to belong to another world. Carrie and Nick are billeted in Wales with old Mr Evans, who is so mean and cold, and his timid mouse of a sister, Lou, who suddenly starts having secrets.

Their friend Albert is luckier, living in Druid's Bottom with warm-hearted Hepzibah Green and the strange Mister Johnny, who can talk to animals but not to human beings. Carrie and Nick visit him there whenever they can for Hepzibah makes life exciting and enticing with her stories and delicious cooking. Gradually they begin to feel more at ease in their war-time home, but then, in trying to heal the rift between Mr Evans and his estranged sister, and save Druid's Bottom, Carrie does a terrible thing which is to haunt her for years to come.

[filletedfennysnake]

I know I talk about gerald morris’ writing too much considering I know next to nothing about the man, but literally every narrative choice he makes is hilarious to me. this is the guy who decided to adapt sgatgk for 6yos, made the kissing game as (understandably) unhorny as he POSSIBLY could and still thought it was a necessity to make gawain and lord bertilak even more obsessed with each other. the evidence of which includes a debate on the merits of libertarianism and an intimate. protracted. sword fight. whereas in his version of the story meant for 12yos he kept the horniness, but tried (and failed) to make the kiss game no-homo. which was never going to succeed, but even if it had would have been entirely offset by the fact that earlier in the book, the protagonist’s love interest made him wear drag within a day of meeting him. and of course gawain was unnecessarily complementary and bisexual about the whole thing. because go figure. there’s more to say about this but for now I think the takeaway should be that arthuriana is inherently queer and some authors are just better at enhancing that, be it intentional or not! :)

[sickfreaksirkay]

why is gaheris always catching strays