Yesterday I finished reading the novel Lancelot by historical fiction writer Giles Kristian. I've always loved the Arthurian legends, so as soon as my eye caught the name "Lancelot" in the bookshop I made a beeline for the stand it was on, grabbed it and devoured the blurb with wide eyes and an excited smile. Stories from past centuries never really delve into characters, you don't get to know them, just read what they do, so I like more modern novels or screen adaptations where the author creates people with personalities, who come to life and you can get to know and care about. (More modern language helps, too, where they mostly talk like people would today and you can understand and relate to them easily.) I don't think anyone's developed Lancelot before, and this book is well written and an enjoyable read, if a little bittersweet from the tragedy and loss that you can't really avoid with these stories.
I went out to the New Forest for a barbecue with my friend yesterday evening and, having finished the book, it got me thinking, again, about the conditions people used to have to deal with. Even on a summer evening, there was a slight chill in the air and even more so in the shade of the woods. In the sixth century, they would have slept on the open ground or in tents where they got little protection from the cold and rain, or in cold stone halls (or sometimes warmer smoke-filled ones), they would have either sweltered in their layers of clothing or been freezing cold, they would have had to wear the same clothes for days on end, stinking of damp fabric, sweat, blood, mud, smoke, and whatever else. Etc. I'm grateful for the simple comforts many of us have these days.
Anyway, so yeah, if you like the stories of King Arthur and company, I recommend this book, Lancelot. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer-Bradley is also excellent, though very different, a heavier read, told mainly from the perspective of Arthur's sister and full of feminist and pagan themes. I need to re-read that soon, haven't done for several years. Less well known are The King's Name and The King's Peace by Jo Walton. These I discovered through the "Recommended for you" feature on Amazon Kindle six years ago, and they're really good, an interesting re-imagining of the Arthur stories, from the perspective of a woman called Sulien serving in the army of King Urdo.
I need to find and read more historical fiction. I'll check out some of Giles Kristian's other novels - he has a Viking trilogy called Raven, some others that look cool, and I've just found out he recently co-wrote a novel with one of my favourite authors Wilbur Smith (an early Courtney novel called Golden Lion, which follows on from Birds of Prey if anyone knows those books). I've heard Bernard Cornwell is also good. I also need to read The Lost Queen by Signe Pike; the first in a trilogy about a forgotten sixth-century queen who was the twin sister of the man who inspired the legend of Merlin. Oh and I need to carry on reading the Outlander series too! And if anyone knows of any good Robin Hood novels I'd be happy to hear those suggestions, too - I love those stories as much as Arthur's ones! Ahh there's so many! I already have an uncountable number of books on my to-read list.
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