Grail (The Pendragon Cycle, Book 5)
by Stephen R. Lawhead

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Book Reviews of Grail (The Pendragon Cycle, Book 5)

Book Review: This whole series has been disappointing
Summary: 1 Stars

For this particular book, the main mistake Lawhead makes is not reading his other books in this series, or at least not remembering what he said in them. At the end of "Arthur", it is noted that "the Grail was never found". Um...but in this book, it was found, and lost, and recovered, and at the end of the book a shrine to it is made in the Northern end of Britain. Since there is no indication anywhere else that the Grail disappeared from Northern Britain, one would have to assume it's still there. This makes me realize how inconsistent of a writer Lawhead is. This guy could be a great writer, but it's mistakes like these that keep him from becoming such. Lawhead is definitely no Tolkien.

Another major mess-up is in his inability to keep Loth and Lot straight. Loth is Lot's father in "Arthur", and by the time the book starts introducing Lot it is clear that Loth is already long dead. By the end of "Arthur" it is clear that Morgian seduced Lot to produce the twins Gwalchavad and Gwalcmai, and in this book Morgaws. Yet in this book Lawhead keeps calling Lot "Loth", although it is pretty clear that it is Lot that is being referred to and not Loth. It also is not clear to me why Morgian's relationship with Lot is considered incestuous, since Lot is the son of his father Loth and his first wife, and Morgian was Loth's second wife. Lot is not her flesh and blood; she's his stepmother. Although it's weird to be sleeping with your stepmother, it's definitely not incestuous is she's no blood relation.

It was very pointless to make Gwalcmai and Gwalchavad twins. This did not serve any literary purpose. The fact that Gwalcmai gets sent off and doesn't return until the end of "Arthur" is testament to his uselessness. I honestly thought that "Grail" would be about Gwalcmai, but was sorely disappointed. We are never given the story of his wanderings, although according to "Arthur" he's been gone for 17 years. The other thing is that it is not revealed until the last book of "Arthur" (the chapter that Aneirin narrates) that it is revealed that Gwalchmai and Gwalchavad are the result of a union between Morgian and Lot. So how is it that Gwalchavad already knows this by "Grail"? According to Lawhead, "Grail" comes before the last book of "Arthur". Gwalchavad can't know it. It hasn't been revealed yet. Gwalchavad states Merlin told him--how did Merlin find out? I would think that in "Arthur" Gwalcmai and Gwalchavad wouldn't be surprised by Morgian revelation if they already heard it from Merlin, yet they are shocked to hear it when she says they are her sons in "Arthur". And why is it Merlin can't figure Morgaws out at all, if he knows about Gwalcmai and Gwalchavad? I couldn't understand that at all.

I am still not convinced that Morgian was any great threat. She seems way too easily defeated. I don't think that Morgaws (who never existed in any Arthur tales and is a figment of Lawhead's imagination) is that threatening either. I'm still trying to figure out why Charis was so freaked out by her but refused to say anything.

I recall one of the opening statements Morgian makes in this book is "Not for nothing am I called the Queen of Air and Darkness". The first thing I thought was, "Oh, yes, you are". Lawhead has not really developed Morgian much, and even though he finally does so here, it's not enough. Fine, so we finally know why she's so pissed off. It doesn't strike me as any reason to get so vengeful towards someone she hardly knows--ie. Arthur. She also seems very ineffectual. She tries to kill Charis and fails, and never tries again. She tries to kill Merlin and fails, and never tries that again either. Every attempt she makes is doomed to failure. So it wasn't that surprising that she failed again here.

There is also a scene where some of the Cymbrogi are supposedly dead. If you're like me and read the last chapter of "Arthur" before reading "Grail", this scene is ruined for you. There's no surprise to it.

I read somewhere that Lawhead believed that the King Arthur tales needed to be brought back to "their Christian roots". Um..guess what. The King Arthur tales started out as part of Celtic mythology, and authors such as Geoffrey of Monmouth and others are the ones responsible for inserting Christian lore into a tale that was never Christian to begin with. I have done some reading on what past editors of these tales have done, and most of them edited these stories with a particular goal in mind--ie. for Monmouth it was turning Arthur into a Norman hero, and emphasizing the fact that he fought battles against the Saxons, who were the Normans' enemies. These tales have been subject to so much manipulation over the years--isn't it time to say "enough's enough"? Apparently not, for Lawhead has decided that the legend needs even more manipulation. I can't say he's done a good job.

I suppose I only have myself to blame. I really should have done more research before buying these books. Now I can't even give them away--most people I know weren't that impressed with the series either.

Summary of Grail (The Pendragon Cycle, Book 5)

The legend of King Arthur has been told many times?but never with the strength and resonance, passion and richness granted it in Stephen R. Lawhead's masterful

Pendragon Cycle

Drought, plague, and war have left the Isle of the Mighty battered and its heart, the beloved Arthur, grievously injured?until a secret relic is brought before the dying KIng; a Holy Grail that heals his wounds and restores his vigor.

But soon evil enters the royal court in the guise of a beautiful maiden; a soulless, malevolent force capable of seducing the King's loyal champion, confounding the sage whom some call Merlin, and carrying the sacred Grail?and Arthur's adored Queen?off into the dark unknown. And now Arthur faces the greatest challenge of his sovererignty: a quest of recovery that must lead the noble liege through realms of magic and the undead, on a trail that winds inexorably toward a grim confrontation with his most foul nemesis . . . and his destiny.

Drought, plague and war have left the Isle of Mighty battered and its heart, the beloved Arthur, grievously injured. But, astonishingly, the High King lives?his wounds healed and vigor restored by a sacred and secret relic: the Holy Grail.At Ynys Avallach, a dying Arthur was miraculously renewed. And now, in this time of rampant disease and death, the great king wants to share the Grail's curative powers with all who require it. A shrine will be built to house the holy treasure?and Arthur's fabled Kingdom of Summer will at long last come to be.But evil has entered the royal court in the guise of a beautiful maiden. Unbeknownst to Arthur, to his devoted warriors, to his adored Gwenhwyvar. . .even to the bard Myrddrin, the sage Emrys whom some have called "Merlin," malevolent forces, soulless and cunning, seduce the King's most loyal champion. And in an unthinkable unguarded moment, the Grail is carried off, vanishing somewhere into the dark unknown.Now Arthur faces the greatest challenge of his sovereig.

This is a straightforward story; there's less intrigue than I expected. Evil Morgian's passages of gloating are nearly over the top, but the honest, steadfast knights are good fellows all. Read previous volumes first!

Mythology Books

• Subjects > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Mythology
• Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Epic
• Historical