Hawk of May [Hardcover]

Gillian Bradshaw (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1980

Haunted by his mother's evil Darkness, Gwalchmai wields a sword of great magic and strives to serve the Light and his king, Arthur Pendragon, as civilization dies and men fight a noble battle against evil. Reprint. LJ. NYT.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bradshaw's Hopwood-winning series starter returns to shelves 30 years after its original release. Gwalchmai, aka the legendary warrior Gawain, tells the story of how he came to King Arthur's court. In boyhood, he studied sorcery with his mother, Morgawse, nearly falling under the spell of darkness before devoting himself to the light. He believes the powers of good want him to follow Arthur, but his path is blocked first by enemy Saxons and then by the king's own rejection. Bradshaw paints a Roman Arthur, determined to rebuild the fallen empire, against a backdrop of Irish mythology. Gwalchmai is an honest narrator who allows hindsight to creep in only rarely; his voice is simple and earnest. Written when the author was a teen, this engaging and enchanting retelling of the Arthur legend will appeal to adults and younger readers alike.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

Fights, battles, loyalties, magic, wonder, family ties and so much more. (Night Owl Romance 20100913)

Courage, darkness, magic, cruelty and kindness, justice and liberation... all the things that you have come to relish in the tales of King Arthur and his brave knights. (Terra Yankee Romance Reviewers 20100915)

A brilliantly told fantasy novel swirling in the mythical land of King Arthur's Britain... A must read for Arthurian legend fans. (Alaine Queen of Happy Endings 20100915)

The book is stock full of adventure, magic, and struggles and leaves you feeling like you are one of King Arthur's retinue. (The Book Tree 20100920)

Hawk of May makes an excellent start to an unusual Arthurian trilogy. (Hilary Williamson BookLoons.com 20100920)

compelling and magical. The character of Gwalchmai pops off the pages and shines... Beautifully descriptive, a must read for any Arthurian fan. (Anna Anna's Book Blog 20100922)

This fantastical legend is a rich one, and I'm enjoying Gillian Bradshaw's presentation of it. (Laura The Calico Critic 20100929)

Gillian's a truly talented writer with an amazing ability to entertain. I can't wait to read the other two books in this trilogy! (Readaholic 20101101)

Bradshaw has done an excellent job of making Irish mythology and the legends of King Arthur come to life. (Debbie's Book Bag )

What a great writer Gillian Bradshaw is... one of the most vivid books I've read in ages. (She Read a Book )

Beautifully written, great characters and a wonderful story for anyone of any age. (http://www.books4moms.com/2010/10/hawk-gillian-bradshaw/ ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 313 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (April 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671250930
• ISBN-13: 978-0671250935
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,899,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully Written Arthurian Fantasy, May 18, 2000

By 

Carol Dickman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hawk of May (Paperback)

I am disappointed that this novel is currently out of print, as it is one of the better written of the Arthurian novels. The first Gillian Bradshaw novel I have read, this will not the be last.

The Hawk of May is Gwalchmai, son of Lot (possibly) and Morgawse, sister of Arthur and daughter of recently deceased High King Uther. At the beginning of the novel, Gwalchmai has met neither of his more famous relatives, but he knows that both are greatly hated by his parents. Gwalchmai, more familiar to students of Arthurian romances as Gawain, is here the middle son, between his older brother Agravain, and his younger brother (and definitely not the son of Lot) Medraut. Gaheris, normally Agravain's twin, and Gareth are noticeably absent in this rendition. Unlike Agravain, Gwalchmai is not good at the manly arts of war. He is a gifted bard and horseman, but the Celts have not yet adopted battle on horseback yet. Gwalchmai is disappointed in himself and he knows that Lot and Agravain despise him. Finally deciding that he will never be man enough to be a warrior, Gwalchmai agrees to study the black arts from his mother, and discovers that he has a talent for them. He hates his choice, and desperately tries to protect his beloved younger brother, Medraut from them. Medraut, unlike Gwalchmai, has demonstrated that he will be an excellent warrior. When Gwalchmai realizes he failed in preventing Medraut from taking up the black arts, Gwalchmai flees his father's palace, and after a meeting with the forces of the Light, Gwalchmai decides to become one of Arthur's followers.

Until this point, the book is fascinating and can't be put down. Gwalchmai's meeting with his ancestor, Lugh, is one of the best written set ups for the Celtic Otherworld I have read in a while. Gwalchmai is likeable and the conflicts he describes growing up in his dysfunctional family are well written and presented. However, once he catches up to Arthur, the story takes on some false elements that cannot be remedied easily. Arthur treats Gwalchmai shabbily, even when Gwalchmai, suddenly turned into a formidable warrior by virtue of the gift of Lugh, the sword Caledvwlch (with which, for the first time, Gwalchmai is able to beat his brother Agravain), proves his capabilities and loyalties to Arthur. Arthur can't allow himself to accept Gwalchmai is truly out of his mother's control, until the very last, in an unconvincing ending. It is hard to believe that first Arthur, the good Celtic lord, would treat a man so rudely and inhospitably, and that second, Arthur's warriors would want to follow a man of such ignoble actions. Arthur's behavior is very un-Celtic like; so is the behavior of his soldiers.

However, most of these are the same liberties taken by the writers before and after Bradshaw. I eagerly look forward to finding her other, unfortunately out-of-print Arthurian novels.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A new look at the sons of Lot, November 1, 2003

By 

S. E. Kennedy "ocinnedeagh" (Minnesota, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hawk of May (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was a double winner for me. I bought it used on Amazon.com for about $1 and it was GREAT! I liked the new perspective on the sons of King Lot. If you are familiar with the basics of Arthurian legend, you know King Lot's sons have played key roles in the legends in one form or the other. They go by different names, the quantity of sons differs occassionally, as does the name of their mother. In this case, there are 3 boys mothered by Morgawse and fathered by...???...well, raised by King Lot. Hawk of May focuses on the second son...Gwalchamai or "Hawk of May". In perhaps typical middle child uncertainty, he doubts his ability to follow his elder brothers warrior prowess and seeks his own identity by bonding with his beautiful yet frightening mother. However, the author takes us to the brink of darkness and sorcery only to deliver Gwalchamai to a more divine destiny. The journey is not nearly that simple, however.

The book is an enticing and enjoyable read. The author provides a beneficial note on the pronounciation of the Welsh spellings used and I found them to be not the least bit daunting. In fact, I liked the change to an otherwise very familiar legend. I found that the name and location variances kept me from "assuming" I knew where the story was headed. I like the author's descriptions of key characters and was excited that Guenevere received barely a nod in this book with no sign of Lancelot yet. Too many authors put too much into the love triangle and miss the mark when describing Arthur. Bradshaw has done a marvelous job...I found myself torn between disliking Arthur and sharing in the feeling of awe that he inspired amongst his men and his people. There is a trace of magic introduced, but none of the Merlin shape changing and time travel that bogs down too many Arthurian attempts. The lore and myth seems more believable - as if the door really stood open at that time in history and we, today, have simply drifted too far away from it. At any rate, the book is excellent. I see many copies on Amazon for a bargain - GET ONE!!!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gawain as we've never seen him before., January 27, 2003

By 

Tom Knapp "Rambles.NET editor" (Lancaster, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hawk of May (Mass Market Paperback)

Much of the book adheres to a style of historical realism I find compelling. At times, unfortunately, it clashes with the overuse of magical elements -- I would have preferred a Gwalchmai who didn't need a magical sword, a magical horse and magical guidance to become a hero. And, oddly, this Arthurian story is packed with sorcery and yet has no Merlin -- I suppose Bradshaw thought we'd be content with Taliesin, chief bard to Arthur and a member of the Sidhe -- nor does Morgan le Fey make an appearance.

The book's only other failing is a tendency to be a little too "talky" at times, wandering far afield as Gwalchmai wrestles with his internal darkness and ponders the nature of Light and religion. But the action, when it occurs, is well handled.