Guinevere's Prayer
by S. Alexander O'Keefe
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Just released: September 6, 2016
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
Genre: Historical, Mythology
Hardback: 376 pages
Rating: 5
Return of Sir Percival series:
Guinevere's Prayer, Book 1
book 2 - tba
First sentence(s):
Aldwyn Potter stared at the Frankish coast from the stern of the Mandragon, his eye fixed on the walled settlement drifting in handout of the morning fog a league to the south.
Seven years after the death of Arthur Pendragon, Sir Percival, the last surviving knight of the Round Table, returns to Albion after a long and futile quest for the Holy Grail. The peaceful and prosperous home that he left a decade earlier is no more. Camelot has fallen, and much of the Pendragon’s kingdom has been subjugated by the evil Morgana and the Norse invaders who once served under her banner.
Although the knight desires only to return to his ancestral lands and to live in peace, he vows to pursue one last quest before he rests—to find Guinevere, the Queen of the Britons. This journey will force the knight to travel the length and breadth of Albion, to overcome the most fearsome and cunning of enemies, and to embrace a past that is both painful and magnificent.
My two-bits:
Loved this premise in general - of Sir Percival's story.
Although familiar with King Arthur and his Round Table via movies, I have not actually read any of the Arthurian tales. However, this was not a problem. The story does well in describing some of the past history to understand the present that Sir Percival finds himself in when he returns from his Holy Grail quest.
This story is a good start to a series with an introduction to Sir Percival and his heroics while he was on his quest for the grail. He is one of those characters that gets you at "Hello".
As with many hero stories a sidekick is at hand. Capussa plays that part and is a formidable character in his own right. The pair ooze unbeatable.
Sir Galahad also makes an appearance and goes through interesting transformations of his own after the Round Table's fall.
I was a bit surprised to read about Guinevere's interactions with these two Knights of the Round Table. I knew about her and Sir Lancelot, but never knew how she got along with the others - makes me curious.
And so, some romance. The relationship between Sir Percival and Queen Guinevere begins (or continues).
The villain of the tale, Morgana, does her damage (or tries).
BUT, Merlin and his magic are at hand to bring some lively action to the story.
* review copy courtesy of author and Author Marketing Experts
