Teenaged Lady Lynet sets out for Camelot, looking for a champion to free her family's castle from the siege of an evil knight. Along the way, she befriends several mysterious companions, none of whom is exactly as he or she first appears. Scattered throughout Lynet's saga are droll, unusually modern portrayals of many familiar Arthurian characters. The heroine, nicknamed the Savage Damsel, is a take-charge kind of girl. Noble Sir Gareth appears as a "clothheaded ninny," whose turbo-charged sense of honour forces him into an ...
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Teenaged Lady Lynet sets out for Camelot, looking for a champion to free her family's castle from the siege of an evil knight. Along the way, she befriends several mysterious companions, none of whom is exactly as he or she first appears. Scattered throughout Lynet's saga are droll, unusually modern portrayals of many familiar Arthurian characters. The heroine, nicknamed the Savage Damsel, is a take-charge kind of girl. Noble Sir Gareth appears as a "clothheaded ninny," whose turbo-charged sense of honour forces him into an unnecessary duel with every knight he stumbles across, while brave Sir Lancelot has burned out on chivalry and admits he has become a media creation. The third novel in The Squire's Tales series, The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf is a highly comic tale of enchantment, hidden identity and damsels in distress.
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I really like Arthurian legend, and was really excited when I found these books. Gerald Morris takes a really interesting view on a lot of the well-known tales, and has a great sense of humor. All of the Squires Tales are good books, but I think this one is one of my favorites because of the strong characters, plot twists, and witty dialogue. I think everyone loves the knights who conquer and the beautiful damsels of the stories, but in reality, is that the way things truly are in life? This book makes the every-day characters the heros and makes you think that you could, perhaps be a hero too, and still day dream, with the fantastical Other World.
GoluxGirl
Jan 17, 2008
Fabulous retelling of a Round Table tale
This is the story of the Kitchen Knight, but he's not the hero. Normally, when someone retells this tale, they focus on Lyonesse, trapped in her castle by her murderous suitor, and Beaumains, the knight in disguise who comes to rescue her. (Check out Margaret Hodge's beautiful picture book "The Kitchen Knight: A Tale of King Arthur", for example.) But Gerald Morris stands that formula on its head by focusing instead on the less-than-grateful sister, Lynet, and the kitchen knight's guide, an irascible dwarf he calls Roger. Like the previous title in this series, Morris gives his no-longer traditional characters new life, allowing them to make mistakes as they learn that appearances are often deceiving, and that refusing to follow society's expectations can be harder than you think. Humor, insight, adventure, magic, and even a bit of true love. A worthy addition to the Arthurian cycle.
