Customer Reviews

The Ill-Made Knight

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This is the third book in The Once and Future King pentalogy (after The Sword in the Stone and The Witch in the Wood _also called The Queen of Air and Darkness_ and before The Candle in the Wind and The Book of Merlyn).

The Ill-Made Knight tells the story of the life of Sir Lancelot, an ugly young man, fervent admirer of King Arthur, who comes to Camelot to become a Knight of the Round Table.

It won't be long until he and Arthur's Queen, Guenever, fall in love with each other. And soon Sir Lancelot is tormented by a devastating inner struggle. He is thoroughly ashamed of this love, which he considers a sin. So for his redemption, he swears to become the best knight in the world.

As for King Arthur, his knights have been busy restoring peace in all Europe, but soon the situation gets out of hand again, and he has to find something to keep them from fighting each other. He'll send them on a quest for the Holy Grail.

I was quite surprised by this book, which I enjoyed much more than the previous two. There's action at last, the characters are better defined, the story more gripping. I wonder what the last two have in store for me.

If you like King Arthur and even if you don't you should read The Once and Future King. Especially Ill Made Knight. The most moving and compelling account of Lancelot's affair with Guenivere ever written.

An incredible view of Lancelot. Here, he is stripped down as a self-loathing, hideous, knight who struggles between his love for his idol and his love for the only woman who paid him attention. One of the more brilliant books I have ever read.