Peretur is a good protagonist, but she’s not iconic.īut you shouldn’t expect Spear (or any book) to be something it’s not. There’s romance, but it’s not a big romantic book.

The only thing… as much as I enjoyed Spear, I think it’s gonna be hit or miss for the average reader. Griffith talks a bit about them in the Afterword, which is a thoughtful inclusion. It’s also a really smart retelling, and it’ll be easy to miss (and therefore appreciate!) some of what Griffith’s achieved here if you don’t know much about the various renditions of King Arthur. Spear also breaks away from a uniformly straight and white and male and non-disabled cast. Griffith’s prose is lyrical, but not carelessly: every word feels carefully wrought, but not overwritten. Spear is compact and concise, and Griffith does a lovely job setting up Peretur’s quest and an equally good job tying things up in a satisfying way. Not so much it’s boring to read about her fights, but we’re halfway through before something acts as a counter to her talent. However… for the first half, Peretur is a little TOO good. When she meets the Companions and asks to fight for Artos, they tell her they can’t take a nobody with no deeds to her name into their rank, so she goes out and DOES DEEDS. We follow Peretur as she grows and follows her destiny. Man, Spear is slim, gorgeous retelling of Arthurian lore, breathing new life not only into the leading character of Sir Percival-here named Peretur-but to others as well. (Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!) – You need need some knowledge of King Arthur legends to really appreciate what Griffith has done here – Sometimes Peretur is a little too talented, and this isn’t balanced until later on

– If you need your books to constantly entertain you, you won’t like this – Retelling with effort to represent underrepresented groups – Compact and concise without ever feeling too short – Genuinely feels like reading a legend or myth – Thoughtful, seamless blending of numerous King Arthur legends Implied rape of a supporting character (historical.) Mild depictions of consensual sexual content. Parental death (on page.) Genre-typical depictions of blood, violence, wounds, and death. Published by Macmillan Publishers | Tor.com Imprint Griffith’s genderbent/swapped retelling of Sir Percival from the legends of King Arthur is a breath of fresh air wrought in lyrical prose-but it won’t impress every reader.

Spear by Nicola Griffith