Customer Reviews

The Squire's Tale (The Squire's Tales)

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was browsing the "stacks" one day when I came across this book. Being the "judger of covers" as I am, I picked up, thinking,"Hey, it's pretty, I'll give it a go." I thought it would be ya know, the usual, every day, semi amusing book.(I mean, there's only a knight sitting backwards on a horse, totally cleche).

Now that I've read this book, i deserve to be slapped. The Squire's Tale is now my favorite book. Every time I went to the library, I found myself searching for a sequel! And there you go! There is now three books written by this author, set in the authorian times.

It's about a fourteen year old boy named Terence. He "coincidentally" met the great Sir Gawain. Terence finds out later that he is destined to be the great knight's squire.

So the two set out to Camelot, where the whole adventure begins.

For anyone searching for a fun-filled(sorry, had to say it...I'm sorry...)book, full of knights,magic,comedy and adventure...HORRAY! you've found it! This is one of the BEST books I've ever read. Hope you like it too! ;)

~*MicheeDee*~

Gerald Morris' writing does not have the depth and description of many books, but I do love the story and the characters, especially Terence. The story has a slight mystery to it: who is Terence really? It is adventurous and set in the time of King Arthur, in fact Arthur is a part of this story as is Merlin and the greatest knight of all: Sir Gawain. As the story goes, Terence becomes Gawain's squire and later Gawain becomes a knight of the round table. It very quickly becomes apparent that Terence has faery blood in him, and he makes an excellent squire for the good knight Gawain, as they both go questing and encounter several adventures. And eventually, Terence does find out who he really is. "The Squire" has its bit of humor and is a book worth reading, very fun and charming.

Here there be humor! Unlike the humorless, preachy Arthuriana that usually gets ground out these days, Gerald Morris produces lighthearted, humorous little stories about quirky knights and sensible young squires. "The Squire's Tale" is a charming little fantasy story based on an old Arthurian legend, with plenty of wit and adventure to go around.

Terence lives with a rather befuddled out hermit in the woods... until the day he encounters a young Irish knight named Gawan, whom the hermit says will soon have Terence as a squire (the hermit can see the future, but only dimly knows of the past). When arrogant Sir Hautubris arrives and threatens the three, Gawain fends him off with a stewpot - and soon ends up going to his uncle's castle, Camelot, with his new squire.

Shortly thereafter, at a banquet, a white hound and hart (deer) go bounding through, followed by the most hideous woman anyone there has ever seen. Somehow she manages to get Sir Tor, Sir Gawain and Terence to go a-hunting for the hound and hart. They meet knights and ladies, dwarves and enchanters -- most of whom are one bean short of a pound -- and eventually bump into the Seelie Court...

The book is based heavily on a traditional Arthurian story, "Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady." But Gerald Morris avoids the excessively "realistic" approaches of most Arthurian fiction -- instead he goes back to the medieval Anglo setting of the old Malory retellings, and mixes them together with some faerie stuff and plenty of humor.

Morris has a light, smooth humorous style with plenty of hilarious moments (Gawain beating up Hautabris with the stewpot!), but also some eerie moments and a very odd romance. If there's a flaw, it's that his writing style hasn't fully flowered, but there's plenty of potential and some very evocative moments in there as well.

Terence is a thoroughly likable protagonist -- smart, funny, intelligent and a great foil for Gawain, a sexy wry knight (whom I visualize as looking like a young Liam Neeson) who is treated far better here than in many traditional stories. Sir Tor is also a likable guy, being a field-hand who dreams of becoming a knight -- and while Queen Guinevere is a twit, Morris gives a loveable human edge to old favorites like King Arthur himself and Merlin.

"Squire's Tale" deftly mingled Malory's Arthurian tales with a fun, quirky sensibility and some likable, fully-fleshed characters. A fun, endearing little story.

This is the first of a great series of books. Knights & squires, quests & fairies, action & discovery ---- old stories re-told in an easy-to-read style with a dose of dry humor. Geared towards older children (my daughter LOVES them all), they don't insult the intelligence of the reader (I enjoyed them more than much of the "grown-up" fiction I read). The series is best when you read them in order, as you meet the characters again in future books. The books were such a hit, I actully purchased them in hardback (gasp!) so that the rest of my kids can read & re-read them as they get older. We're eagerly waiting for the 7th book (and the 8th...) to come out in print!

John Morris (no relation to author)

My preteen little sister received this book as a gift from our aunt, absolutely loved it, and insisted that I read it as well. Unfortunately, my college-student self laughed and didn't take the request too seriously. Regardless, she left the book out to tempt me, and eventually her scheme paid off--the week before finals, after studying my face off and deciding I needed a quick break, I picked the book up to read a page or two and get my mind off my work.

It wasn't until an hour and a half later, after reading through the book in one sitting, that I finally put it down. This book somehow manages to take boring old Arthurian stories and turn them into light-hearted tales with simple storylines and remarkable wit; Morris writes in such a way that I can only describe as "intelligent yet stupidly simple." Sheesh, I was even literally laughing like crazy at some of the stuff in there...how did something that's supposed to be a kids' book entertain me so much??? Maybe that's saying that I'm childish (not too unlikely) but I'm more inclined to think that the book was just beautifully well written.

Long and short of it is that this book is absolutely perfect for kids--it's down-to-earth, easy to understand, and very basic in form, yet it has enough intelligence behind it to help them grow in their reading ability. And for those of us old geezers in college who need something lighter than Shakespeare, this really hits the spot. Confession: I just bought the sequels...for me...not my little sister.

The Squire's Tale, by Gerald Morris, is an action packed book from going on quests to saving damsels in distress. It is an awesome book. This fantasy story begins with a young man named Terence living with his hermit friend Trevistant. When a great knight shows up at their door named Gawain and says he needs a new squire, Terence says that he will become a squire for him. They leave on a trip to Camelot for Gawain to be knighted by King Arthur the ruler of England. After being knighted, Gawain and Terence go on many dangerous quests battling knights and kings. Then Terence becomes an awesome battler and begins to wonder why he has these natural abilities. Gawain tells him that his parents before they disappeared were very important people and had a high power in England. Will Terence be knighted by Arthur and will he ever find his parents. To find out you've got to read this suspenseful thriller. After reading this awesome book I couldn't stop reading the books that came after it like The Damsel and the Dwarf, Parsifal's Page and The Squire His Knight and His Lady. If your one of those people who loves action and adventure this is the book for you and mostly for grades 5th - 8th. If you would ask me what I think about this book I would have to say it is my favorite book ever, so go out and try this page-turning book.

I must have read this book when it first came out and I have gone back and read it several times (and the sequels). This is a great book for any age (I'm 21), so do yourself a favor and check it out.

A Nice Read! Good for People who like Fantasy!

This is a fairly good book. Not the best, but definitely one you should read. It is especially good for people who are into fantasy and adventure. If you enjoy books about Arthurian times you will enjoy this book. Fans of the Harry Potter series or of the Lord of the Rings might enjoy this book. I would not recommend this book for people who are into more realistic books, because this book is definitely not realistic. Great for people who do like fantasy though!

The plot of the story revolves around fourteen year old Terence and the knight of the round table, Gawain. Little does Terence know that even though he grew up with a hermit, he himself is royalty. WHen Terence and Gawain arrive at King Artuer's court, they are quickly sent on a quest to find a white hart (stag). The frivolous journey includes much more than they could ever imagine including two stupid lovers, faeries, and a perilous crossing to a faery enchanter's castle. When they get back to court though, things are in disarray. King Arthur is on the verge of death. The court is about to fall apart. And it all has to do with a mysterious dark sorceress. For fans of Harry Potter or of the Lost Years of Merlin series, read this book!

First thing: This book is awesome!!! Mr. Morris captured my attention like no other author has been able to do.

"The Squire's Tale" is a wonderful book based around Terence, a boy searching for his past, who comes to be Sir Gawain's squire, and soon encounters more adventure than he ever thought he would! Sharp, witty dialogue and absolutley lovable charaters (Like Tor, Polgrun, Gawain, Robin, Lori, Ganscotter, Authur, Kai, and, of course, Terence himself!) made this book one of my favorites (Bested only by it's sequal, "The Squire, His Knight and His Lady).

After Gawain, a young man seeking to be Knighted by King Authur has a(rather humorous, stewpot) fight with Sir Hautubris, he recrutes a Squire out of young Terence (With the help of the Hermit of the Gentle Wood, Trevensent.)

The two set out to Camelot, on the way meeting young Tor, who also wants to be a knight. Gawain gets his wish of being knighted,(Poor Tor doesn't, yet!) but only after Terence tells of the fight with Sir Hautubris. ("I have an ill-mannered squire." Gawain replied. "Will you punish him for telling of this deed?" Gawain hesitated, then shook his head. "No, sire. How could I punish him for telling what I wish to be known?")

After a wonderful fight scene with the five kings, who were threatening Camelot and Aurthur, Gawain, Tor (He's knighted, yay!), Kai and Terrence are all rewarded by the king.
A few months later, King Authur is married to Guinevere. During the party, a hart and hound, both almost compeletly white, wreak havoc. Soon after them, a hag on a white mule appears. A brief quarrel causes the hag to have Gawain pursue the hart and Tor follow the hound. ("King Aurthur," The woman said, "Send Sir Gawain after the hart." She looked at him through the corner of her eye. "Perhaps he will find adventure where he saw none before.")

Gawain and Terence set out Questing. In the course of three months, they encounter quarreling brothers, rude men, one beautiful, but unusually blood-thirsty girl, one quiet knight who befriends them after a quick jousting competition, Gawain's "autie" Morgan Le Fay, ("You always were a twisted wench, Morgan.") two love-sick fools, The Lady of the Lake, Ganscotter the Enchanter, Lorie, his daughter (Also the hag from the feast), and many others. (I won't say who else! Surprise, Surprise!)

All around, I'd say this is one execllent book for young readers. I'm 13, and even though I've read it many, many times, it still enchants me! HIGHLY RECOMENDED!!!

The Squire's Tale is one of the best novels I've ever read. Before I read this book I didn't have much interest in King Arthur's court. Now I'm eager to read his second novel (The Squire, His Knight & His Lady). And his book about to come out The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf. There are many detailed and exciting adventures in this book. I would recommend this book to anyone.