Customer Reviews

Grail Prince

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the tale of Galahad, son of Lancelot. In the beginning, Galahad, poisoned in mind against Lancelot, learns to hate his father. His mother Elaine, with the help from a "priest" Aidan, work together successfully to turn Galahad against him. While Elaine has her own reasons, some of them her own fault, for hating Lancelot, she enlists Aidan in her plans to shame him, not knowing that he has his own reasons for revenge.

From all of this, Galahd has learned to despise his father and desires to avenge himself on Lancelot for the perceived cruelness imposed on his mother over the years. He finally breaks free to go to Camelot to serve Arthur, the High King, but peace eludes him there also. Eventually, he learns that all he was taught by his mother and Aidan was false and he then turns his mind against women, judging them all to be liars and the weaker of the sexes. He also continues to hate his father but after awhile of gradual maturing he comes to understand Lancelot but finds it difficult to forgive him until he himself commits the same mistakes as his father did.

He goes on a quest for Arthur to find the treasures that will heal Britain and once again make her invincible to invaders. For awhile, he travels with his cousin Percival who worships him as a hero figure. Galahad's pompous, aloof behavior changes when he meets Dane, the twin sister of Percival.

Things then begin to change his preconceived ideas and he learns to eventually love and to quest for something more tangible and earthly to bring him peace of mind. The novel switches back and forth between Galahad's past and his present life and shows how he matures in mind and body over the years.

This is a real page turning yarn that will delight and enthrall any follower of Arthurian Literature. I thought this would be a boring saga of the saintly character Galahad, but was pleasantly surprised to find it anything but. Galahad is portrayed as a man struggling with what he has always been taught to believe is right and what the true reality really is. A totally believable human being is showcased here with faults of his own that he must learn to conquer in order to find true happiness. Read it, you will not be disappointed!

Galahad, the oldest son of Lancelot knows his father loves King Arthur's spouse Queen Guenivevre. Galahad also realizes that his weak mother despises her husband, but does nothing except rant to her children. Still he loathes his sire for giving his heart to the wrong person. He concludes that women are feeble and deceitful and vows to avoid all females, preferring abstinence to a woman's wiles.

When Arthur nears death following the battle of Canlann against his own son, he asks Galahad to fulfill a quest. He wants Galahad to unite Excalibur with the Grail and the Spear so that his beloved Britain will never be invaded. Galahad travels forever seeking the answers to what Arthur laid on him. If he learns how to love, he would find the treasures are near, but the truth is even the woman who apparently is his destiny cannot seem to reach his heart.

Mostly through Galahad's eyes, this fantasy is a strong look at Camelot after King Arthur's death. The story line is action-packed, but is more of a character study than the usual genre novel. Readers see inside into the soul of Lancelot paying the piper for his heroism and sacrifice. However, this is Galahad's tale as he struggles to overcome the lessons of his childhood that focused on his mother's hatred of his father for his unrequited love and subsequent family neglect. Arthur is more of a father to the troubled lad. The GRAIL PRINCE will enchant the Camelot crowd who will demand that this Yankee author provide more tales in King Arthur's Court.

Harriet Klausner

GRAIL PRINCE is undoubtedly one of the best Arthurian novels I have ever read. What sets McKenzie's writing apart is her sincere appreciation for the human struggle for goodness and meaning. While many books in the Arthurian genre concentrate too much on battle descriptions or cartoon-like magical elements, McKenzie spends her time plumbing the depths of the human heart. She escorts us into the souls of Galahad, Lancelot, Arthur, and Guinevere, and we sense that their passions and struggles are our own. We learn through them what it truly means to be good and holy. There were quite a few moments in the last few chapters that brought me to tears, so be sure to have some tissues handy. Anyone looking for great Arthurian literature that deeply touches that heart and mind as well as entertains, should look no further than Nancy McKenzie.

This book follows the life of Galahad, Lancelot's son, from early childhood until he is an adult. Galahad is on a quest to secure three relics for Britain, a grail, a spear, and a sword. If he does, Britain will be forever invincible. In the beginning of the book, Galahad is intolerant, self-righteous, misogynistic and lacking in compassion. Through flashbacks to his childhood, the author allows us to understand why he became this way. Although there are battles, this book is less an adventure story than it is the story of one man's transformation. By slow degrees, Galahad comes to a better understanding of the world and especially of his father, Lancelot. He is finally able to be the great knight he had already believed he was. Nancy McKenzie does an excellent job portraying this transformation and making it real and believable for the reader. If you are looking for bloody battles, you may be disappointed, but if you like Arthurian legend and enjoy a well-written story with complex characters, give this a try.

Prior to this book, Galahad has always been kind of a boring and one-dimensional character. He was the Perfect Knight, the stainless, the pure, the winner of the holy Grail. In this story, we see a more human portrayal of this character--more human, and more interesting. Galahad is by no means perfect in this story. He cannot forgive his father Lancelot for his past, he harbors hatred for Queen Guinevere, and struggles with lust. This is chiefly the story of a rigidly idealistic young man looking for the real meaning of life, love, and honor.

The battle of Camlann is over, Arthur is dead and Britain is shattered into pieces once again. Guinevere has retired to a nunnery and a heart-broken Lancelot returns to his Kingdom across the sea. Lancelot's young son Galahad was charged by Arthur to find the buried treasures that can reunite Britain once again and is joined by his twelve-year-old cousin Percival, now King of Gwynedd upon his father's death (although his uncle rules as regent). The lads are soon following the clues and legends of the hill men, the *ancient ones*, hoping to find the grail and spear of Macsen Wledig that can reunite Britain and make it whole again.

"If I cannot love my fellow-men, however dirty their hands, how can I love the God who made them?"

The book then backtracks to Galahad's childhood, when he was raised to hate his father and Queen Guinevere (see more of Elen's story in the first book, Queen of Camelot), by an embittered mother and a vicious priest with an agenda of his own. Lancelet eventually brings Galahad to Camelot to train for his knighthood and his hatred of Guinevere continues to grow and spreads to a disdain for all women, especially those who have been *cheapened* by unclean acts - including rape. The third part of the book backtracks to events leading up to the Battle of Camlann covered in the previous book in the series, albeit this time from Galahad's viewpoint.

The latter part of the book continues as Britain is rudderless upon the death of Arthur and the Saxon threat continues to grow. The wheel of fortune spins around once more and Galahad finds himself committing the very sin in the flesh that he has so loathed his father for desiring only in his heart, and in doing so dishonors his greatest friend and ally. Galahad continues to wander Britain without purpose until he can face his true self and turn the circle 'round again - will there be happiness or sorrow at the end of end of his quest? Can he find the grail and spear and reunite Britain?

This was a highly entertaining follow-up to the first in the series, Queen of Camelot, and I found it the perfect blend of myths and legends, dreams and just a *wee* bit of magic. Highly recommended for Arthurian fans, although I suggest you leave a goodly period of time between this and book one as there's a lot of story back-tracking in the middle. A solid four star read until the last 100 or so pages, I was riveted and needed the tissue box handy for a few of them. Despite this being part of a trilogy this book covers enough of the previous history that it could stand well enough on its own. The third book in the series is called Prince of Dreams: A Tale of Tristan and Essylte. 4.5/5 stars.

Having read and loved Queen of Camelot, I had to give this new part of the Grail series a whirl. Nancy McKenzie throws a very interesting spin on the King Arthur tale using its secondary characters and creating a new tale for them. This time it is Galahad, son of Lancelot, and he tries to do what Arthur asks of him just before he dies. Galahad grows up hating Lancelot. His mother, Elaine, does whatever is possible to turn him against his father and succeeds when she sees that Galahad wants nothing to do with Lancelot. When he discovers that his mother has told him lies, he decides he hates women and goes to live with Peredur, Percival's cousin, where he meets a woman who challenges his prejudice against the fairer sex. But all Galahad wants to do is find the items that will save Britain: Arthur's sword as well as the Grail and Spear. He has no idea where those items are, but he won't stop his search. There are various twists throughout the novel.

Phew! It's not easy writing a quick summary of a 500-something worth of (small print) pages with more twists and turns than a steep mountain. McKenzie has created another enthralling installment that will keep you turning those pages until the wee hours of the night because you'll want to know how Galahad resolves his issues. McKenzie creates a flesh and blood man with a great deal of depth and conflicting emotions. His relationship with Lancelot here is very interesting because he has years of pent-up anger toward him because of his mother's manipulations. As for the hating women part, the whole misogynist thing has been done quite a lot in Medieval (or in this case, more like fantasy) literature and I feel that his reaction toward women is kind of over the top, especially since Aidan, a so-called priest, also takes part in bad-mouthing Lancelot. Perhaps the author wanted to add some conflict when Galahad meets Dane, but I still think that this storyline is kind of overdone. Also, though it is important to understand Galahad's relationship with Arthur, the recount of the battle of Camlann is too long-winded. There are details that, in my opinion, should have been omitted because it makes no advancement in the story. The Arthurian characters are given a quite a unique perspective in this retelling and I enjoyed them very much. The Grail Prince isn't as great as Queen of Camelot (Guinevere's story), but it is still wonderful, better than most retellings I've read. I recommend this most highly, but not before you read Queen of Camelot.

For a long time, I did not touch this book. Its precedessors, The Child Queen and The High Queen (later combined into The Queen of Camelot), had been my favorite books since high school when they were first released. I read them numerous times throughout the years, but then did not return to them for a long time while my life was busy with other things. Recently, I read them again and it felt like coming home. I had always been afraid that reading this book about Galahad, one of my least favorite characters, would sully them somehow.

But, I took a chance after finishing the others and desiring not to leave Nancy McKenzie's world just yet and, I must say how wrong I was to ever doubt McKenzie! She is still a master storyteller, weaving magic with every word. Truly underrated as far as authors go.

The character development where Galahad is concerned was natural and meaningful and painful as lessons are learned. We get to see the end of everything from Arthur's/Lancelot's/Galahad's view, where the previous two books are from the Guinevere's view back at Camelot--really a lot of fun. Old favorite characters return in this reminiscing, but also in parts that are added on during Galahad's travels after Camlann. Not only that, but new characters are added and come into their own in a seamless way, as you watch a new generation struggle with the aftermath of Arthur's death and the battle at Camlann (which basically killed all men but twelve from Arthur's Camelot). It was fascinating to see a glimpse of Galahad's childhood and, therefore, a glimpse into the life and Lancelot and Elaine had together.

A very well-rounded book with a very lovely ending, which has quickly become a favorite of mine. I feel silly to having waited so long to read it!

I desperately want this series of books to be made into movies.

Only disappointment: In the Kindle edition, there were a couple sentences cut off a few words early at critical parts, which was kind of annoying and disconcerting.

Beautiful read and whether it officially is a sequel to Queen of Camelot - it should be. This is the story of Lancelot's son, Galahad who we met in Queen of Camelot. We read about him in Guenevere's words as she so beautifully tells the story of Arthur, her beloved husband, and Lancelot, her first and always love. Queen of Camelot is my favorite of the Arthur legend books I have read, and Nancy McKenzie wrote of true and unselfish love like I have never experienced in this wonderful legend.

Galahad came into the previous book as the five year old son of Lancelot brought to Camelot after he had five years at the hands of a mother who hated both Lancelot and Guenevere and who was aided by an evil priest bent on destroying Lancelot through his son. There we see Galahad as a talented youngster devoted to Arthur, hating his father, a religious fanatic who looks upon women as evil. In the previous book we experience Arthur's last campaign and death through Guenevere's eyes as she waits in Camelot for word. On to Grail Prince where we experience some of that same story from Galahad's perspective who was there and witnessed it all. I learned more of the things I had wondered about, and I loved that in this book it was the same Arthur and Lancelot that I knew from the other book. They are definitely not portrayed the same by all authors.

But I skip ahead. This book is not written in the first person, and we see Galahad's life and his quest for the grail in several sections of this story. I was comfortable with the way the book went at times from one era and then back to an earlier time. The author did a fine job with this, because part of this story is understanding the complexities of Galahad. In many books I find myself irritated with the main character and impatient with them when they do things I don't like or don't understand. Galahad is a very troubled young man, driven by demons that were put into his mind by manipulative people all through in his young life. How he deals with them, the sometimes terrible mistakes he makes, all make for an amazing story. This is a story about love - a lot of different kinds of love. Galahad who has sworn himself to chastity and to never marrying of course does fall in love, but he is not ready for it and his actions almost cause him to lose the amazing woman he knows he will love forever.

I could go on but just let me say, read Queen of Camelot first, and then in this book you will find out answers to some of the things you wondered about because that story is through one participant's eyes. If you love the Arthur legend, there are no better books out there and that includes the Crystal Cave series and the Mists of Avalon series, both of which I love. In these books I found out just what a truly great King would be, what loyalty to that king would mean, and a whole lot about real love between man and woman and between men who are comrades at arms. I will read these books again.

I think that Nancy McKenzie is the best modern day novelist of Arthurian legend.
I thought Queen of Camelot was fantastic, and Grail Prince is just as wonderful, in this rich, intoxicating page turner.
This one takes up the narrative of Galahad, son of Lancelot King of Lanescol, who Arthur has chosen to find the Holy Grail, and the the redeeming spear and sword as the only way that Britain can be saved.
Galahad is absorbed by his hatred of his father who he believes to have cruelly treated his mother Elaine. He bears a hatred of Guinevere, who he see's as a wanton seducer and enchantress. His bitterness against his father and Guinevere have been planted by Elaine and the evil priest Aidan, who, unknown to Elaine, aims to destroy Lancelot and his family.

His quest is covered in various books with a shifting timeline, beginning with his journeys with his best friend Percival , Prince of Gwynedd and shifts to Galahad's childhood.
Later we follow his journey filled with people he meets and learns from, and his quest helps him to learn the truth, and see through his misguided contempt of women, lack of a merciful heart and bitterness, as well as to reunite him with his beloved Dandrane, who he has cruelly betrayed. Galahad slowly sees what his father has experienced, as well as the truth about Guinevere.
An enthralling page turner, focused much human nature and relationships, although the struggle against the invasion of Britain by the Saxons is also a part of the richly descriptive tapestry. Galahad's standard is described as the red cross on a white shield like the cross of St George. Filled with exciting characters and thrilling twists and turns,events and action. It is a fantastic read, which you genuinely will find hard to put down.
I am looking forward to reading Mc Kenzie's Prince of Dreams.