Customer Reviews

The Knight of the Sacred Lake (Guenevere Novels)

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

 

 

This book did not live up to its hype. It tries to do for Guenevere what Mists of Avalon did for Morgan le Fey, but it fails sorely because the title character is an embittered shrew. The plot repeats itself endlessly over the course of three novels. Guenevere loves Arthur, she hates Arthur, she forgives Arthur, she loves Arthur again, no wait, she hates him.... Arthur, by the way, is a weak, feeble-minded, doddering simpleton. This is not the great king of Arthurian legend at all. Lancelot is still a tasty dish, but there is no apparent reason why he would love a bitter, jealous, middle-aged woman who repeatedly casts him away. Morgan le Fey starts out as a promising character, but becomes a demonic harpy-type creature. And the tone is excessively anti-Christian. I'm not a religious person at all, but even I was offended by the way Christians are depicted in this novel. It's just not a pleasant read. If you want a great trilogy told from Guenevere's point of view, read Persia Woolley's Guenevere trilogy or Nancy McKenzie's Queen of Camelot. They're well worth the time and effort.

THIS SECOND NOVEL IS A WONDERFUL CONTINUATION OF "THE QUEEN OF THE SUMMER COUNTRY". IT WAS A FAST AND EASY READ , EACH PAGE TOOK YOU TO WANTING MORE.THE STYLE SHE USED KEPT U FLIPPING AROUND EACH OF THE CHARACTERS,WHICH MADE IT SUSPENSFUL AND INVITING, I CANT WAIT TO READ THE NEXT ONE.

"The Knight of the Sacred Lake" is the second novel in Rosalind Miles' Guenevere Trilogy. Miles paints a beautiful and enrapturing portrait of the love triangle between Guenevere, Lancelot and Arthur. By the beginning of this novel, Arthur has had his incestuous relationship with his sister, Morgan Le Fay, and produced their son, Mordred. Guenevere, heartbroken, turned to Lancelot for comfort. "The Knight of the Sacred Lake" covers Lancelot's return to Camelot, Merlin's obsessive quest to further the line of Pendragon rule by finding Mordred, and the Christian monks attempts to further erode the worship of the Mother and destroy Avalon.

Miles' Guenevere Trilogy is quite an interesting take on the Arthurian legends. The story is told through many viewpoints, through primarily through Guenevere's. Miles does an excellent job of painting Guenevere as a strong woman and follower of the Goddess, as opposed to the more popular literary Guenevere of "The Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley, who is weak-willed and simpering. The reader connects to Guenevere and her pain in a deep way. Miles has created a moving and deep portrait of the famous Queen and her consorts.

Rosalind Miles takes quite a different slant on the Arthur legends. Rather than the traditional tale with the Round Table at the centre, this book focuses on Guenevere and her conflicting relationships with Arthur and Lancelot. Of particular mention is the conflict of faiths between the Dark Age Christian monks and the Celtic faith with the Mother Goddess at its centre.

Guenevere: The Knight of the Sacred Lake is a modern retelling of an age-old tale. Feminist readers will probably enjoy it more than I did; nevertheless it is not a bad read.

While I somewhat damned the first book in this trilogy as being full of erotic love scenes and a somewhat shallow telling (though quite entertaining), this book was exceptional!
In it, Guenevere seems to have grown up a bit- she's more mature, there are less love scenes (always a plus), a revealing tell-all with Morgause (half-sister of Arthur, sister of Morgan), and very, very entertaining parts- most of the book, in fact!
One part that makes the heart split in two is the fact that Guenevere is morning Lancelot's departure so greatly- Arthur still keeps things from her, and you truly can empathize with a lost woman who seeks her religion (the pagan one of the Mother) as her only solace and comfort.
Of course, what would a Guenevere book be without Merlin, so he shows up in odd chapters to let us know that he is still around.
The sons of Morgause and Lot come alive in this book; you also hear more from the "underdog" characters, such as Morgause (already mentioned), Lamorak, the knight Bedivere, the maid Ina, and, of course, more and more of Morgan le Faye. And........Mordred.
So, fasten your seatbelts for a fascinating journey into the Guenevere series- I would advise reading the first one quickly, then turning to this one- a book so good it completely makes up for the first's blunders. :)

If you haven't read Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country--which is the first book in this series--you should buy it right away. Rosalind Miles' vision of Camelot through the eyes of Queen Guenevere is lyrical and romantic without seeming sappy or trite--in fact, she's got a wonderfully sharp feminist edge, not to mention real talent as a storyteller. Like the first book, this was a delightful read. I can't wait for the third book in the series!

This book was a fantastic continuation of Guenevere: Queen of the Summer Country...full of the passion and chivalry which kept me reading late into the night and loving every word. This author writes so splendidly - vivid descriptions of the landscape of Guenevere's world and of her soul. I read slowly so I could make it last and can't wait for the third novel to appear.

I've always been a great fan of any Camelot story but found this whole series extremely disappointing and frustrating. Here is this queen, supposedly very powerful and carrying on the last of a long Mother-worship religion--and she can't do anything, seemingly can't even think logically. She lets her husband decide everything, even after he's just specifically agreed to first consult her--and she let's him. She feels guilty for following her Mother religion, yet her husband doesn't seem to be all that twisted up for commiting incest (not to mention having and affair). Everyone in these books seemed weak from Merlin down to the little maid Ina who could have been far more influential. The only one that seemed to be doing any thinking was Morgan, and she was more a phantom then a real person. It was also never clearly explained how Morgan learned all her extremely proficient magic. Save your money; re-read Mists of Avalon or the Crystal Cave series instead.

Queen Guenevere has made peace with Arthur and has sent Lancelot away. She tries in all her power to make the kingdom a cheerful place, as it once was. However, havoc soon returns. Morgan le Fay is back again to haunt and harm Arthur. Merlin desperately searches for Mordred, Morgan and Arthur's son, as heir to the throne as High King. The four sons of Arthur's other half-sister, Morgause, plan more mischief. Lancelot has returned, and Guenevere must face him again. Can order be restored, once again? Can Guenevere come to accept Arthur's illegitimate son, Mordred?

I found The Knight of the Sacred Lake more enjoyable than Guenevere: Queen of the Summer Country. Guenevere herself seems stronger and wiser. The story holds more suspense and emotion and left me wanting to find out what happens next in The Child of the Holy Grail. I recommend this to anyone who liked Queen of the Summer Country and even to those who did not; the story becomes much more interesting!

I rate the first book in the Guenevere series 3 1/2 stars. This second one leans towards 3 3/4 stars. It's not quite a 4, but it's a bit better than GUENEVERE Queen of the Summer Country, because it's more suspenseful somehow. It was rather good. The only thing that I felt bogged this book down was the repetition. In the early chapters especially, we read about a lot of things that we already know from Book One.

In fairness though, I really liked the way author Rosalind Miles handled the story so that I anticipated what was going to happen next, even though King Arthur's tale is already widely known. As the reader, you find yourself excited at the unfolding of little events, like how Guenevere gets out of her trial, etc. It's not the "if" really, because those familiar with this same story as told in other books already know the answer to that. Reading Miles' take on the legend makes us want to know the details of her version of the story.

If you were enthralled by the first book in this series, read this second one. I myself am almost halfway through the third!