The Child of the Holy Grail (Guenevere Novels) [Hardcover]

Rosalind Miles (Author)

Book Description

Series: Guenevere Novels | Publication Date: July 17, 2001

Guenevere ...
Last in a line of proud queens elected to rule the fertile lands of the West, true owner of the legendary Round Table, guardian of the Great Goddess herself . . . a woman whose story has never been told — until now

Brokenhearted at her parting from Lancelot and anguished over the loss of the sacred Hallows of the Goddess, Queen Guenevere reconciles with Arthur, although the fragile bond between them is threatened by a new presence at Camelot. Prince Mordred, Arthur's son by Morgan Le Fay, has come to stay and to be proclaimed heir to Guenevere and Arthur's kingdoms. Arthur has even designated for his son the Siege Perilous, the one unoccupied seat at the Round Table — the seat reserved for "the Son of the Most Peerless Knight in All the World."

But at the knighting, when Mordred takes his seat, the great Round Table, owned by the Queens of the Summer Country since time immemorial, cracks down the center. A terrible darkness falls over Camelot and in the midst of the chaos appears a new knight, Sir Galahad. Barely fourteen, he may hold the key to the mystery of the stolen Hallows, which the Christians believe to be the Holy Grail. The scene sets into motion the final brilliant cycle of the Arthurian legend-the Quest for the Grail and the fall of Camelot-which brings Guenevere to the brink of the most dreaded tragedy of all . . . and may ultimately complete her destiny as the greatest and most powerful Queen of the Isles.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The third and final installment in Miles's feminist-inflected Guenevere trilogy set in Camelot boasts characters whose practice to deceive creates a tangled web indeed. Queen Guenevere is poised to be the good-hearted, long-suffering heroine, but she is more like a star-crossed black widow spider. Her beauty entraps both King Arthur and her knight, Sir Lancelot; once bitten, they are doomed to betray and be betrayed by Guenevere. Long ago, King Arthur fathered a son, Mordred, with his witch sister, Morgan Le Fay. After he and Guenevere reunite, an angry Morgan sends an adult Mordred to his father's court to gain admittance to the Knights of the Round Table and steal the crown from his aging father. As he is a living symbol of the affair, Guenevere is understandably cold toward Arthur's son, and finds comfort in cuckolding her husband with Lancelot. But even her most trusted knight is not without sin. Years ago, while escorting the sacred Hallows of the Goddess, or Holy Grail, Lancelot spent a night at the creepy Castle Corbenic. His hosts, the evil King Pelles, the king's beautiful, abused daughter Elaine, and the odd, elderly Dame Brisein, seemed all too eager for his company. When a new knight, 12-year-old Galahad, arrives to rival Mordred for a seat at the Round Table, Lancelot has a lot of explaining to do. Predictable melodrama and an overlarge cast of characters mar the tale, but fans of the series will yearn to know Guenevere and Camelot's fate. (July)Forecast: As the last volume in a popular trilogy, this book will be eagerly awaited, advertised by a teaser chapter in the paperback edition of The Knight of the Sacred Lake and by a colorful jacket matching those of the previous two volumes.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

After the somewhat lackluster second volume in her "Guenevere" trilogy, Knight of the Sacred Lake, Miles returns to Camelot with a vengeance. Both Arthur and Guenevere are older and sadder, though no wiser. Much to the dismay of his queen, Arthur is falling further under the influence of the Christians, but the kingdom doesn't truly begin to disintegrate until Mordred, Arthur's son by the embittered Morgan Le Fay, is accepted at court and acknowledged as Arthur's heir to the throne. Into this tense atmosphere comes young Galahad, the son of Lancelot conceived through the evil machinations of Morgan Le Fay. The presence of Galahad and the destruction of the Round Table spur the older knights to go on a pilgrimage in search of the Holy Grail, leaving Camelot and Arthur alone with Mordred and his followers. Treachery ensues. Like the first two novels in this trilogy, this is destined to be a best seller and certainly adds a new and entertaining perspective to the massive quantity of Arthurian legends already in existence. Jane Baird, Z.J. Loussac P.L., Anchorage, AK
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Crown; First American Edition edition (July 17, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609606247
• ISBN-13: 978-0609606247
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,211,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A surprising (and beautiful) ending to an old story!, July 17, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Child of the Holy Grail (Guenevere Novels) (Hardcover)

I am a big fan of the Guenevere trilogy and I bought CHILD OF THE HOLY GRAIL as soon as it was available and read it in one sitting! One of the big questions in Arthurian literature is what happens to all the characters after the fall of Camelot. Rosalind Miles invents a wonderful and different ending that is nonetheless completely plausible. And Ms. Miles' lovely lyrical storytelling wrapped it all up beautifully. This was a really satisfying end to a series that has brought me a lot of reading pleasure!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Vivid Vision of the Past, October 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Child of the Holy Grail (Guenevere Novels) (Hardcover)

While I'm still a Morgan le Fay fan, this series really changed the way I look at Guenevere and her role in the Arthurian story. In Marion Zimmer Bradley's vision of Camelot, she comes across as colorless and almost insignificant, which I always felt was a bit unfair--I mean, you can't exactly promote matriarchy and female power with one character and completely undercut it with another. But Rosalind Miles' Guenevere came across as true to the legend without the New Agey twist that MZB takes for her Arthurian characters. She is fully fleshed out--a strong, confident, sexual woman who is unfortunately at the mercy of fate and the bad decisions of the men who surround her. Her ultimate triumph (and the triumph of all the female characters) after the Fall of Camelot is the true untold story of King Arthur's court. Malory never answers the question: after Arthur's death, what happens? We're left to believe that he slumbers and awaits his rebirth. But the women survived where the men did not, and they weren't sleeping an eternal sleep--they were rebuilding, replenishing and renewing the kingdom in a way that the male rulers never did. Rosalind Miles celebrates their role, and their triumph, in a way that I found enlightening and encouraging to all women.

This is a beautifully told tale that illuminates some previously hidden parts of the Camelot legend, and does so in a way that champions the cause of peace, wisdom and womanhood. A really superb read, with plenty to enjoy and reflect upon.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh and memorable ending to an age-old tale!, September 7, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Child of the Holy Grail (Guenevere Novels) (Hardcover)

I was skeptical about how the Guenevere story would end...I've really enjoyed this series but I know how the story of King Arthur ends, so I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this conclusion to the trilogy. Fortunately, Rosalind Miles' storytelling skills did not let me down! CHILD OF THE HOLY GRAIL was every bit as lyrical/edgy/intelligent/affirming/entertaining as the previous books in the series, which I highly recommend. I hope to see more from Ms. Miles.