The bestselling author of the Valdemar novels pens a classic tale about King Arthur's legendary queen.
Gwenhwyfar moves in a ... read full description
Gwenhwyfar moves in a ... read full description
reviews
Sep 28, 2010
Wealhtheow
rated it: 
Lackey has been writing Mary-Sues in fantasy crack-fic for decades now, so this book came as a surprise to me. She's clearly put in research into early Celtic life and tales--her Gwenhwyfar serves mead and ale with her own hands in a great hall filled with dog shit. This is probably the best book she's ever written--certainly it's the most controlled. But still, sadly disappointing. If you tackle Arthurian legend after centuries of people messing with it, you'd better have something new and
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Nov 27, 2011
CasadeSlutne
rated it:
If you like the various re-tellings of the Arthurian legend, this is an interesting take on it.
Ms. Lackey apparently found period poetry that implies Guinevere was, in fact, 3 different women. This is the story of the 3rd Guinevere (Gwenhwyfar) from childhood to warriorhood to bride.
Caution: there is not a lot of story re: Arthur and his Round Table in here. The jacket sleeve gives homage to Marion Zimmer Bradley. I would disagree. Just b/c it's about women, doesn't More...
Ms. Lackey apparently found period poetry that implies Guinevere was, in fact, 3 different women. This is the story of the 3rd Guinevere (Gwenhwyfar) from childhood to warriorhood to bride.
Caution: there is not a lot of story re: Arthur and his Round Table in here. The jacket sleeve gives homage to Marion Zimmer Bradley. I would disagree. Just b/c it's about women, doesn't More...
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Jan 09, 2012
Colleen
rated it: 
I'm not an Arthurian scholar, or even much of a fan. I think the Mary Stewart trilogy, The Sword and the Stone, Camelot, and The Once and Future King are about it for my knowledge of the topic. But I do enjoy a good Lackey story about 4 times in 5, so thought to give this one a try.
In this version of the Arthur legend, there were three queens of the same name. Our heroine is the third of those queens. Gwen is a warrior's daughter who chooses to become a warrior herself. The book sp More...
In this version of the Arthur legend, there were three queens of the same name. Our heroine is the third of those queens. Gwen is a warrior's daughter who chooses to become a warrior herself. The book sp More...
Aug 30, 2011
Kathy
rated it: 
The Story
This Gwen was the third of four daughters of a subject king of Arthur's while the mother was magic. Gwen had been blessed by Epona and the Ladies meaning she could perform well as a warrior or be taught to use her magic by the Ladies. Choosing the warrior's role, Gwen advanced to the role of war chief for her father. Intelligent, canny in the way of war, Gwen was happy in her life.
Oh, yes, there were stumbles along the way. Her youngest sister, Gwynhwyfach, was a spoiled More...
This Gwen was the third of four daughters of a subject king of Arthur's while the mother was magic. Gwen had been blessed by Epona and the Ladies meaning she could perform well as a warrior or be taught to use her magic by the Ladies. Choosing the warrior's role, Gwen advanced to the role of war chief for her father. Intelligent, canny in the way of war, Gwen was happy in her life.
Oh, yes, there were stumbles along the way. Her youngest sister, Gwynhwyfach, was a spoiled More...
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Mar 12, 2011
Twilight
rated it: 
Ugh. UGH. I like retakes on the Arthurian legend, but I was not happy with this. I was appalled to see (after I bought it) that the author's mentor was Marion Zimmerman Bradley, who wrote "The Mists of Avalon". I HATED that book and hoped that this would be better.
Initially there's some potential and a spin on the legend I had not considered. But Lackey spends WAY too much time on Gwenhyfar's childhood and training. It took forever to get to the actual Arthurian legend, and h More...
Initially there's some potential and a spin on the legend I had not considered. But Lackey spends WAY too much time on Gwenhyfar's childhood and training. It took forever to get to the actual Arthurian legend, and h More...
Feb 22, 2011
Jennifer
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Sep 02, 2010
Ksenia
rated it:
I am so glad I got to read this. I was worried that with the short time that the library gave me, I wouldn’t be able to, but I decided to put aside Beautiful Creatures to read this tale. This was my first time reading a Mercedes Lackey book and I am so thrilled it was this one. In the tradition of her own mentor, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Ms. Lackey writes a beautiful story about the Arthurian myth. One of the most intriguing parts of this story is that, as the author mentions, Arthur might have ha
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Dec 01, 2009
Nancy
rated it:
In this Arthurian novel, Lackey focuses on the Welsh tales of Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere), in which King Arthur has three wives in succession, each named Gwenhwyfar. The Gwenhwyfar of this novel is one of four daughters of a Celtic King. Intended by her mother to go and serve the Ladies, learning the magic of the old pagan rites and becoming a Priestess, Gwenhwyfar is much more interested in horses and in becoming a warrior. At the encouragement of Braith, one of her father’s warriors, and because
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Dec 04, 2010
Linda
rated it: 
Hands down my absolute favorite retelling of the ancient Arthurian legend. Lackey draws on an obscure source for core of her plot, allowing her some freedom with Gwenhwyfar's character. I loved the way she made Gwen a strong and confident warrior without depriving her of her womanhood, or of her sense. I especially love how cleverly she brought the tale to its resolution, moving all the parties into their inevitable positions but in a way that is utterly new. As a scholar of medieval literature,
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Nov 18, 2011
Kara
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Dec 07, 2011
Shomeret
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There are three types of Arthurian novels that I have encountered. There are the Christian grail books which have to take an unusual approach to interest me. There are the de-mythologizing novels that explain away the magical elements of the myth in realistic terms. These can be well-written, but they aren't the type of Arthurian fiction that I prefer. Among them are books that focus on Arthur as a military leader and are mainly composed of battle scenes. Lastly, there are the Arthurian fant
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Dec 31, 2011
Elizabeth
rated it:
Calling this "A Novel of King Arthur" is a bit misleading. Almost all the stories we expect from an Arthurian novel take place offstage. Utilizing a lesser-known Welsh tradition of three different Queen Guineveres, Lackey's take on the Arthurian legend is to write a story about the third one. Gwenhwyfar, daughter of one of Arthur's war chiefs, grows to adulthood as the familiar events take place in the larger world around her, only becoming Arthur's third wife well towards the end of t
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Jan 10, 2010
K
rated it:
I have always loved the legends/tales of King Arthur and his knights. From Mallory to Zimmer Bradley, books to movies, I never get tired of hearing the tale. Because of that, I couldn't resist reading Lackey's story. What I found most interesting was that whereas other authors focus on 1 queen, Lackey's story is based on the speculation that Arhtur in fact had 3 queens throughout his reign, ironically all w/ the same name. Lackey's story focuses on Arthur's third, and last, queen who in this
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May 15, 2011
George
rated it:
Gwenhywfar is the second Mercedes Lackey novel I’ve read and like the first it is a competently rendered piece of story telling. This novel is a tale of Arthur’s queen and is a fair deviation from the traditional tale. Gwen is a warrior who becomes feared by the Saxons who dub her the white spirit long before she ever meets the legendary king. The tale coincides with the standard legend as Arthur battles Medraut at Camlann where he kills his traitorous son, but suffers a mortal blow in the proce
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Jul 27, 2011
Lynda
rated it:
I finally got a chance to rea Mercedes Lackey's "Gwenhyfar", and was very surprised to find out that it was a young girl with the same name as King Arthur's wife. So, when I thought I was reading an Arthurian tale told from the point of view of the younf Queen - it turned out I thought I was wrong, but then I was right! ****************spoliers*********************
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Jul 14, 2011
Liz
rated it:
Following in the footsteps of Bradley, Lackey has written the Arthurian legends from Gwenhwyfar's point of view. She takes her story from some bits of the Welsh tradition and crafts a story that, while good, doesn't have the same life as early Valdemar and Elemental Masters books. I couldn't really connect with Gwen who seemed to be sometimes overly male and at others a girl longing to break free of her warrior path.
Annotation: Gwenhwyfar is the third of four daughters of King Lleudd, More...
Annotation: Gwenhwyfar is the third of four daughters of King Lleudd, More...
Jun 11, 2010
Steven
rated it:
I've been a fan of Mercedes Lackey for a long time (but have actually managed to read few of her more recent books), as well as a fan of Arthurian-age novels since I first read The Once and Future King way back in my teenage years.
So when I spotted this book in the "new" section of the library, I picked it up to see Lackey's take on an old familiar story.
She did a great job. Taking the point of view of Guinevere led to a wonderful narrative, and following her fr More...
So when I spotted this book in the "new" section of the library, I picked it up to see Lackey's take on an old familiar story.
She did a great job. Taking the point of view of Guinevere led to a wonderful narrative, and following her fr More...
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Jan 23, 2010
Debbie
rated it:
It was with some trepidation that I started this book. I had not liked Lackey's recent stuff, and thought this would be more of the same not-well plotted, shown not told, cliched, soapboxing stuff she has churned out in recent years. I originally was not going to read it but the library had it. So it is with real amazement that I conclude: Gwenhwyfar did not suck. The story was fresh, the main character was complexly developed, the narrative was compelling, and I could not put the book down. Wha
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Jun 02, 2011
Heather
rated it:
Lackey has never impressed me as much as she's done here. I found out early on that she was mentored by the late and great Marion Zimmer Bradley. Knowing this, I tried to remind myself that she is NOT Bradley, and will more than likely see the Arthurian legends differently.
And I was right. The names were spelled differently, and she took her work based on poems, rather than too many legends. I'm very impressed with how she wrote the story.
I love the story of the three Q More...
And I was right. The names were spelled differently, and she took her work based on poems, rather than too many legends. I'm very impressed with how she wrote the story.
I love the story of the three Q More...
Feb 01, 2011
Rea
rated it:
I picked this book up at my local bookstore, which has a very limited English-language section. Lackey is a fantasy writer that I've seen around an awful lot but, up until now, have avoided for no particular reason. This book, however, gives me good reason to avoid her in future.
The protagonist is a thinly veiled Mary Sue. King Arthur hardly features at all, and when he does he's portrayed as a bit of a bastard. At no point does part 1 sound like the narrative of a nine year old. The a More...
The protagonist is a thinly veiled Mary Sue. King Arthur hardly features at all, and when he does he's portrayed as a bit of a bastard. At no point does part 1 sound like the narrative of a nine year old. The a More...
Jul 15, 2010
Jessi
rated it:
The language of the book is a little hard to get into at first with expressions and words that are unfamiliar. Plus, lackey's use of commas is really grammatically annoying and a distraction!!! But enough with the English gripes. There are also characters named Gwenhwyfar (times three), Gwenhwyfach (aka Little Gwen), and Gynath. Very similar unusual names makes things confusing for a while as well as you muddle through the new language. The store then moves along like "Harper Hall of P
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Jan 11, 2010
Arian
rated it:
A solid enough outing from Ms. Lackey, though it doesn't quite sparkle like the other worlds she's made hers. The emphasis on horsemanship was expected, and it's a neat take on the Matter of Britain. Perhaps I've just ... had enough of those, finally?
I will say that Lackey's Arthur was perhaps the best drawn character, for the simple fact of the unwitting devotion that he is always recounted as inspiring. It was nice to see this iconic figure as something other than strictly heroic More...
I will say that Lackey's Arthur was perhaps the best drawn character, for the simple fact of the unwitting devotion that he is always recounted as inspiring. It was nice to see this iconic figure as something other than strictly heroic More...
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May 22, 2011
Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms)
rated it:
This is a 3.5 stars for me and decided to be generous and give it four. I love reading just about anything relating to the Arthur legend and this time period, so this was an interesting variation of the Arthur story. Actually Arthur played only an indirect role in the story, and it was based around Gwenhwyfar and the premise that Arthur actually had three wives during his reign, all with the same name. The author quoted some references at the end that brought her to exploring this theory of t
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Nov 21, 2010
Jeanette
rated it:
I really enjoyed Gwenhwyfar, and was sad when it was over. I wanted more! I find myself still thinking about the story (and main character) in odd moments, even a couple days after I've finished it. That is one of my personal tests for a good book (or movie, for that matter)....am I still thinking about it a couple days later?
While this is "another" Arthurian tale, it is unlike any I have read so far, making it feel fresh. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't More...
While this is "another" Arthurian tale, it is unlike any I have read so far, making it feel fresh. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't More...
Nov 10, 2009
Mandy
rated it:
Mercedes Lackey's take on the Arthurian legends centers around a different version of Guinevere - that Arthur married three women by the same name. The story centers around the third wife, starting as a young girl, third-born and allowed to follow the Warrior's Path instead of that of the Ladies, and follows her through her time as War Chief and into an arranged marriage with Arthur, old enough to be her father. Along the way, we meet most of the famous characters of the Arthurian legends, seen
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Dec 26, 2009
Kris
rated it:
I really liked this book. Of course, that was probably not hard to guess, since Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorite authors. It's an Arthurian story, inspired by some obscure Welsh legends that tell of King Arthur's three wives named Gwynhwyfar. Lackey's version is centered on the third Gwynhwyfar, one of the daughters of a minor king. She is trained as a warrior and serves as one of her father's war chiefs until she is given in marriage to the much older Arthur. Add in supernatural allie
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Nov 22, 2009
Cris
rated it:
It wasn't what I expected. Calling it 'a novel of King Arthur' is a little misleading. Although the Arthurian legends are woven into the story, they really aren't the focus of most of the plot. Mostly.
Stylistically it was very different from Lackey's usual writing. I can't articulate exactly how it was different, but it felt noticeably different.
There were a lot of ends left loose. I think it was a deliberate choice as part of Lackey's unusual style. But while the 'works' More...
Stylistically it was very different from Lackey's usual writing. I can't articulate exactly how it was different, but it felt noticeably different.
There were a lot of ends left loose. I think it was a deliberate choice as part of Lackey's unusual style. But while the 'works' More...
Oct 28, 2010
Sophia
rated it:
I have read several fictional accounts of King Arthur and Gwen many times but I loved this take on it, a scrappy tom boy princess who never really wanted to be anything but a warrior changes the whole story! A fascinating what if based upon a very well known legend that leaves you wondering if it was possible that Gwen never wanted to be Arthur's queen but married out of duty to her Kingdom and family. Very well written and full of interesting tidbits, the fully developed characters have such de
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Apr 21, 2010
Cindi
rated it:
Mercedes Lackey is my "comfort" author; I was always a reader but when a guy in a used bookstore turned me on to her and Jack Chalker, my world view changed drastically. I was affected deeply by Misty's "Magic's Promise" series and so read everything by her that I could get my hands on.
In recent years, I have not been as fond of her collaborations but have continued to read Misty when I saw new books by her at my library. Gwenhwyfar is one of those books. As she More...
In recent years, I have not been as fond of her collaborations but have continued to read Misty when I saw new books by her at my library. Gwenhwyfar is one of those books. As she More...
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Jul 24, 2011
Francine
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Well, I would love to say I enjoyed this book, and I did, in the beginning. It was very well-written, and Mercedes Lackey certainly did her part in performing a cursory overview of the old ways, including adding parts from the Mabinogion and the Welsh triads, and even a bit from Gildas' De Excidio and Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regum Brittaniae. She did a good job in providing a very broad strokes overview of the Arthurian legend, and from a very different perspective. I also appreciated
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