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King Arthur Trilogy #2
Die Abenteuer der Ritter von der Tafelrunde, 3 Bde., Bd.2, Galahad
A retelling of the adventures of King Arthur's knights, Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad, Sir Bors, and Sir Percival, as they search for the Holy Grail.
When the mysterious knight, Galahad, came to Camelot—and pulled from the stone the sword meant only for the best knight in the world—King Arthur and his court knew that things would never be the same again. The high and shining days of Camelot were over. Something new was ahead.
And with the appearance of the Grail—the cup of the Last Supper—the fellowship of the Round Table was scattered. Lancelot, Gawain and the others had to ride in search of this most holy relic—even though their quest might end in failure or death.
For, in the end, the Holy Grail could only be approached by one person—the world's most perfect knight.
Rosemary Sutcliff again uses her superb narrative style to bring to life a great ancient legend: the quest for the Holy Grail.
Contents:
The new-made knight -- The thunder and the sunbeam -- The shield of King Mordrain -- Sir Lancelot fails his testing -- Sir Percival : kings and demons --- Sir Bors fights for a lady -- Sir Gawain sees a vision and slays a friend -- A hair shirt and an uphill road -- Sir Bors makes a hard choice -- The ship and the sword -- Death of a maiden -- Sir Lancelot comes to Corbenic -- The loosing of the waters -- The grail.
When the mysterious knight, Galahad, came to Camelot—and pulled from the stone the sword meant only for the best knight in the world—King Arthur and his court knew that things would never be the same again. The high and shining days of Camelot were over. Something new was ahead.
And with the appearance of the Grail—the cup of the Last Supper—the fellowship of the Round Table was scattered. Lancelot, Gawain and the others had to ride in search of this most holy relic—even though their quest might end in failure or death.
For, in the end, the Holy Grail could only be approached by one person—the world's most perfect knight.
Rosemary Sutcliff again uses her superb narrative style to bring to life a great ancient legend: the quest for the Holy Grail.
Contents:
The new-made knight -- The thunder and the sunbeam -- The shield of King Mordrain -- Sir Lancelot fails his testing -- Sir Percival : kings and demons --- Sir Bors fights for a lady -- Sir Gawain sees a vision and slays a friend -- A hair shirt and an uphill road -- Sir Bors makes a hard choice -- The ship and the sword -- Death of a maiden -- Sir Lancelot comes to Corbenic -- The loosing of the waters -- The grail.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
About the author
Rosemary Sutcliff
111 books698 followersRosemary Sutcliff, CBE (1920-1992) was a British novelist, best known as a writer of highly acclaimed historical fiction. Although primarily a children's author, the quality and depth of her writing also appeals to adults. She once commented that she wrote "for children of all ages, from nine to ninety."
Born in West Clandon, Surrey, Sutcliff spent her early youth in Malta and other naval bases where her father was stationed as a naval officer. She contracted Still's Disease when she was very young and was confined to a wheelchair for most of her life. Due to her chronic sickness, she spent the majority of her time with her mother, a tireless storyteller, from whom she learned many of the Celtic and Saxon legends that she would later expand into works of historical fiction. Her early schooling being continually interrupted by moving house and her disabling condition, Sutcliff didn't learn to read until she was nine, and left school at fourteen to enter the Bideford Art School, which she attended for three years, graduating from the General Art Course. She then worked as a painter of miniatures.
Rosemary Sutcliff began her career as a writer in 1950 with The Chronicles of Robin Hood. She found her voice when she wrote The Eagle of the Ninth in 1954. In 1959, she won the Carnegie Medal for The Lantern Bearers and was runner-up in 1972 with Tristan and Iseult. In 1974 she was highly commended for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her The Mark of the Horse Lord won the first Phoenix Award in 1985.
Sutcliff lived for many years in Walberton near Arundel, Sussex. In 1975 she was appointed OBE for services to Children's Literature and promoted to CBE in 1992. She wrote incessantly throughout her life, and was still writing on the morning of her death. She never married.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/rosema...
Born in West Clandon, Surrey, Sutcliff spent her early youth in Malta and other naval bases where her father was stationed as a naval officer. She contracted Still's Disease when she was very young and was confined to a wheelchair for most of her life. Due to her chronic sickness, she spent the majority of her time with her mother, a tireless storyteller, from whom she learned many of the Celtic and Saxon legends that she would later expand into works of historical fiction. Her early schooling being continually interrupted by moving house and her disabling condition, Sutcliff didn't learn to read until she was nine, and left school at fourteen to enter the Bideford Art School, which she attended for three years, graduating from the General Art Course. She then worked as a painter of miniatures.
Rosemary Sutcliff began her career as a writer in 1950 with The Chronicles of Robin Hood. She found her voice when she wrote The Eagle of the Ninth in 1954. In 1959, she won the Carnegie Medal for The Lantern Bearers and was runner-up in 1972 with Tristan and Iseult. In 1974 she was highly commended for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her The Mark of the Horse Lord won the first Phoenix Award in 1985.
Sutcliff lived for many years in Walberton near Arundel, Sussex. In 1975 she was appointed OBE for services to Children's Literature and promoted to CBE in 1992. She wrote incessantly throughout her life, and was still writing on the morning of her death. She never married.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/rosema...
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May 3, 2017Of the trilogy this is the volume that I have the tenderest memories of possibly because it was the first one that I read - our access to bookshops was haphazard as a child and with libraries and schools you get to read what you can get your hands on.
I was surprised when I was older and read the medieval The Quest of the Holy Grail just how close in tone this was to the original, although lacking the craziness of the original - I blame Malory and our terrible desire to take stories too seriously.
I was surprised when I was older and read the medieval The Quest of the Holy Grail just how close in tone this was to the original, although lacking the craziness of the original - I blame Malory and our terrible desire to take stories too seriously.
January 25, 2022
Book 2 of 3. I continue to be incredibly impressed by Ms. Sutcliff’s adaptations. Highly recommended for fans of Arthurian tales, myths/legends and children’s literature. Captivating.
June 21, 2021
I had thought of Sutcliff as realistic historical fiction, but "The Light Beyond the Forest" is different: an epic Quest for the Holy Grail, extremely faithful to its sources in the Matter of Britain. Deus ex machina isn't reserved for the conclusion, rather the Hand of God is very active, moving the knights to and fro across the dramatic chessboard. The writing is top notch. Only a few lines hint that the book isn't a direct translation from a medieval Latin source, and those enhance the interior life of the characters.
This volume serves as the middle of Sutcliff's Arthurian trilogy. I'll have to hunt for the others.
This volume serves as the middle of Sutcliff's Arthurian trilogy. I'll have to hunt for the others.
March 6, 2010
I do love Rosemary Sutcliff's writing style for this trilogy: gently magical, in a way that suits it very well. I actually like her Lancelot, which is a feat, because I'm not overly fond of Lancelot in general, and of his story, so the portrayals of him that I love are the odd ones out... I like the tenderness with which Sutcliff wrote about him and his feelings, and his difficulty with no longer being the best knight, and yet the relationship he builds with his son... It's lovely. I sympathised with him a lot, in this rendition.
I also like the way she treats Gawain -- he has the temper common to a lot of portrayals, and yet he's not unsympathetic.
I love the bittersweetness of this story: the brightness of Camelot and the honour of the knights and the sense of final great things before darkness. It's lovely.
I also like the way she treats Gawain -- he has the temper common to a lot of portrayals, and yet he's not unsympathetic.
I love the bittersweetness of this story: the brightness of Camelot and the honour of the knights and the sense of final great things before darkness. It's lovely.
July 10, 2024
Dit is zo amazing. Ik vind het vooral heel leuk dat ze met z’n allen op een quest gaan, maar op het begin splitsen, waardoor het verhaal de hele tijd gaat van: ‘now the story leaves sir Bors, and tells of sir Lancelot for a while’ en dan een nieuw hoofdstuk.
February 27, 2024
Read with my second grader. A well done retelling of the Arthurian legend and the quest for the Holy Grail.
October 6, 2013
The second of Sutcliff's Arthurian saga trilogy meant for younger readers.
This book focuses heavily on the otherworldly while weaving together, in chapters with alternating protagonists, the quests of those knights who followed the Holy Grail. The writing is magical in its ability to transport you an the Arthurian world rife with spiritual (both Christian and pagan) encounters. One of the greatest feats of this book is bringing to life mystical experiences in profound and moving ways; even as they are not entirely believable, they are relevant in symbolism for the Arthurian world as much as for us today.
I also enjoyed getting acquainted with many nuances of the Arthurian legend concerning many of the knights that I had not encountered before in other retellings of the Athurian myth.
As always, Sutcliff's subtle writing shines with beauty and precision and will leave you longing for more.
This book focuses heavily on the otherworldly while weaving together, in chapters with alternating protagonists, the quests of those knights who followed the Holy Grail. The writing is magical in its ability to transport you an the Arthurian world rife with spiritual (both Christian and pagan) encounters. One of the greatest feats of this book is bringing to life mystical experiences in profound and moving ways; even as they are not entirely believable, they are relevant in symbolism for the Arthurian world as much as for us today.
I also enjoyed getting acquainted with many nuances of the Arthurian legend concerning many of the knights that I had not encountered before in other retellings of the Athurian myth.
As always, Sutcliff's subtle writing shines with beauty and precision and will leave you longing for more.
August 1, 2018
3.5 stars.
I haven’t yet read The Sword and the Circle, the first part of Rosemary Sutcliff’s retelling of the legends of King Arthur, but the trilogy really doesn’t need to be read in sequence. The Light Beyond the Forest is a children’s novel, yet it’s one written with grace and poetic sensitivity (as is everything by Sutcliff), telling the story of the Grail Quest. Thereby it tackles some fairly weighty issues: trust, honour, truth, loyalty, temptation, sacrifice and evil. If I’d read it as a child, I think I’d have been deeply impressed by its grandeur; reading it now, I’m struck by its lyrical simplicity and by the way it boils down a complex mix of Christian and pagan legends into a highly readable story...
For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2018/08/01/t...
I haven’t yet read The Sword and the Circle, the first part of Rosemary Sutcliff’s retelling of the legends of King Arthur, but the trilogy really doesn’t need to be read in sequence. The Light Beyond the Forest is a children’s novel, yet it’s one written with grace and poetic sensitivity (as is everything by Sutcliff), telling the story of the Grail Quest. Thereby it tackles some fairly weighty issues: trust, honour, truth, loyalty, temptation, sacrifice and evil. If I’d read it as a child, I think I’d have been deeply impressed by its grandeur; reading it now, I’m struck by its lyrical simplicity and by the way it boils down a complex mix of Christian and pagan legends into a highly readable story...
For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2018/08/01/t...
June 18, 2026
Beautifully written, mysterious, absolutely brutal at times, and steeped in melancholy as Camelot falls apart, Lancelot’s powers wane. The idea that this is children’s literature is mad, it does not condascend and woukd be a challenging read for a lot of adults.
March 14, 2019
King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table embark upon the quest for the Holy Grail, ushering in the twilight of Camelot.
Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Götterdämmerung always saddens me. The grail quest marks the beginning of the end for King Arthur's court. So many of the best knights were lost or destroyed by it that I always found it tragic rather than heroic. Even Sirs Bors, who together with Sir Galahad and Sir Percival, achieved the Quest for the Holy Grail feels that it was more bitter than sweet upon his return to Camelot.
"... half the places at the Round Table were empty, and among those missing were many of the best who used to sit there. And of those who were there, many had wounds and scars, and most were changed in some way from what they had been before. And he thought that the high adventure of the Grail had been a costly one. He knew that the end had been victory, but he was too weary to see how." (page 148)
Because Sir Galahad is predestined to fulfill the quest, it never made sense to me that the other knights would attempt something at which they were destined to fail, but the author does her best to provide plausible motivation.
"Sir Galahad, who had been born in the Castle of Corbenic, and bred there through his first years, and whose grandsire was King Pelles, knew well enough where the Grail was lodged. Sir Lancelot knew it, too. But they knew also, as did every knight setting out from Arthur's court that morning, that simply to ride to Corbenic and beat upon the castle gate, demanding to see the mystery within, would serve but an empty purpose. They must cast themselves on fate, welcoming whichever way it took them, and trusting that when the time was right, if they proved worthy, the quest they followed would bring them to the place of their hearts' desire and the thing that their spirits reached out to." (pages 19 -- 20)
This story humanizes Sir Lancelot. Much of it is from his point of view, and the reader gets to experience his inner life rather than witness his great deeds. "Two things were most dear to him in life; one was his love for the Queen, and one was knowing that he was the best knight in the world; not merely the strongest, but the best, and not only that other men should say it of him, but that he should know it of himself" (page 36). To his own great sorrow, Lancelot loses both these thing during the Quest for the Grail.
Shortly before Galahad arrives at Camelot, a sword set in a stone mysteriously appears on the riverbank. Its crossguard bears an inscription stating that the only "the best knight in the world" shall be able to draw the sword from the stone. Prompted by misapprehension, Lancelot refuses to attempt to pull the sword from the stone, but his son Galahad, having taken the Seat Perilous, easily draws it forth, which declares him "the best knight in the world" in Lancelot's stead. Shortly thereafter, for the first time in his life, Lancelot suffers defeat. He is unhorsed by Sir Galahad, and then he is bested by other challengers in the encounters that follow. And so, he has lost one of the things that he holds most dear.
The discovery that God has denied him the Grail Quest because of his adulterous love for Queen Guenever follows close behind. Interestingly, in this retelling, it is never explicitly stated that Lancelot's and Guenever's love has been consummated, so he may be being punished for something on which he never acted. (Perhaps, this is what is meant by "sinning in one's own heart" or "sinning by thought.") Lancelot confesses his sin to a priest and forswears indulging his sinful passion by thought or by deed. Thus, he gains absolution but loses the second of the two thing most dear to him.
By the close of the story, Sir Lancelot is a broken man suffering intensely. He has physically deteriorated as decades worth of combat and combat-related injuries have caught up with him. He is no longer "the best knight in the world." His failure during the Quest of the Grail has taken a great psychological and emotional toll, and he is unable to find comfort in his illicit love for Guenever. I pitied him in his fall from grace as I have never done in other versions of the story that I read.
Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Götterdämmerung always saddens me. The grail quest marks the beginning of the end for King Arthur's court. So many of the best knights were lost or destroyed by it that I always found it tragic rather than heroic. Even Sirs Bors, who together with Sir Galahad and Sir Percival, achieved the Quest for the Holy Grail feels that it was more bitter than sweet upon his return to Camelot.
"... half the places at the Round Table were empty, and among those missing were many of the best who used to sit there. And of those who were there, many had wounds and scars, and most were changed in some way from what they had been before. And he thought that the high adventure of the Grail had been a costly one. He knew that the end had been victory, but he was too weary to see how." (page 148)
Because Sir Galahad is predestined to fulfill the quest, it never made sense to me that the other knights would attempt something at which they were destined to fail, but the author does her best to provide plausible motivation.
"Sir Galahad, who had been born in the Castle of Corbenic, and bred there through his first years, and whose grandsire was King Pelles, knew well enough where the Grail was lodged. Sir Lancelot knew it, too. But they knew also, as did every knight setting out from Arthur's court that morning, that simply to ride to Corbenic and beat upon the castle gate, demanding to see the mystery within, would serve but an empty purpose. They must cast themselves on fate, welcoming whichever way it took them, and trusting that when the time was right, if they proved worthy, the quest they followed would bring them to the place of their hearts' desire and the thing that their spirits reached out to." (pages 19 -- 20)
This story humanizes Sir Lancelot. Much of it is from his point of view, and the reader gets to experience his inner life rather than witness his great deeds. "Two things were most dear to him in life; one was his love for the Queen, and one was knowing that he was the best knight in the world; not merely the strongest, but the best, and not only that other men should say it of him, but that he should know it of himself" (page 36). To his own great sorrow, Lancelot loses both these thing during the Quest for the Grail.
Shortly before Galahad arrives at Camelot, a sword set in a stone mysteriously appears on the riverbank. Its crossguard bears an inscription stating that the only "the best knight in the world" shall be able to draw the sword from the stone. Prompted by misapprehension, Lancelot refuses to attempt to pull the sword from the stone, but his son Galahad, having taken the Seat Perilous, easily draws it forth, which declares him "the best knight in the world" in Lancelot's stead. Shortly thereafter, for the first time in his life, Lancelot suffers defeat. He is unhorsed by Sir Galahad, and then he is bested by other challengers in the encounters that follow. And so, he has lost one of the things that he holds most dear.
The discovery that God has denied him the Grail Quest because of his adulterous love for Queen Guenever follows close behind. Interestingly, in this retelling, it is never explicitly stated that Lancelot's and Guenever's love has been consummated, so he may be being punished for something on which he never acted. (Perhaps, this is what is meant by "sinning in one's own heart" or "sinning by thought.") Lancelot confesses his sin to a priest and forswears indulging his sinful passion by thought or by deed. Thus, he gains absolution but loses the second of the two thing most dear to him.
By the close of the story, Sir Lancelot is a broken man suffering intensely. He has physically deteriorated as decades worth of combat and combat-related injuries have caught up with him. He is no longer "the best knight in the world." His failure during the Quest of the Grail has taken a great psychological and emotional toll, and he is unable to find comfort in his illicit love for Guenever. I pitied him in his fall from grace as I have never done in other versions of the story that I read.
August 25, 2023
my review from April, 2023, which I posted on instagram, upon completing this book:
Book Review: The Light Beyond the Forest, The Quest for the Holy Grail, by Rosemary Sutcliff.
Second of Sutcliff's Arthurian trilogy.
Honestly: I love King Arthur, and these tales may well weave themselves into my "soul fabric" in a deep and meaningful way, but I don't especially love reading them. Even with Sutcliff's unparalleled scholarship, and her sparkling prose.
1. I personally don't care for short stories, as a rule. Just a preference. My kids love them, but I don't, for whatever reason. And, these are definitely "short stories."
2. I am puzzled somewhat by the Quest for the Holy Grail itself. They are delivering it back to Heaven, which I find astonishing. Also, some sacrifices along the way had me wondering. (see Sir Percival's sister's story, by way of example.)
3. The suffering that comes from their Faith, a lot of it self-imposed, is, ashamedly but frankly, not to the taste of this modern reader😂 I mean, am I supposed to do something equivalent??😅
All that said, I still love it, love the big questions that inevitably start rumbling around the mind and heart, and love the beautiful, valiant knights themselves. I will be finishing the trilogy after my next read, which is a "scheduled light" (I alternate between light and more "serious," 1:1.)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
❤❤❤
Book Review: The Light Beyond the Forest, The Quest for the Holy Grail, by Rosemary Sutcliff.
Second of Sutcliff's Arthurian trilogy.
Honestly: I love King Arthur, and these tales may well weave themselves into my "soul fabric" in a deep and meaningful way, but I don't especially love reading them. Even with Sutcliff's unparalleled scholarship, and her sparkling prose.
1. I personally don't care for short stories, as a rule. Just a preference. My kids love them, but I don't, for whatever reason. And, these are definitely "short stories."
2. I am puzzled somewhat by the Quest for the Holy Grail itself. They are delivering it back to Heaven, which I find astonishing. Also, some sacrifices along the way had me wondering. (see Sir Percival's sister's story, by way of example.)
3. The suffering that comes from their Faith, a lot of it self-imposed, is, ashamedly but frankly, not to the taste of this modern reader😂 I mean, am I supposed to do something equivalent??😅
All that said, I still love it, love the big questions that inevitably start rumbling around the mind and heart, and love the beautiful, valiant knights themselves. I will be finishing the trilogy after my next read, which is a "scheduled light" (I alternate between light and more "serious," 1:1.)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
❤❤❤
November 26, 2020
It was faithful to the original legend- complete with muscular Christianity, women who make good characters if they are mothers or better still virgins or best of all dead and knights who prove their faithfulness to their God by injuring and hurting each other and everyone they meet.
When I was a child I tried to get into King Arthur, I really did and I found it hard to understand why when I loved Robin Hood as well as I did I struggled with any versions of King Arthur. This one made it obvious to me that the plot really is as illogical as it seemed to me as a kid. They go off to seek the grail. They know where the grail is but they can't go simply from a to b they have to ride around aimlessly for a while first having all sorts of misadventures. It's already foreordained who will succeed and who will fail and every time anyone happens theres a Deus Ex Machina moment.
Sutcliff is a skillful writer who knows her material but even she couldn't make it work. It is what it is. Probably worth reading before anyone attempts to write their own sword and sorcery for all that you would not do plot and characters like that these days (Thomas Malory got away with it because of his time).
When I was a child I tried to get into King Arthur, I really did and I found it hard to understand why when I loved Robin Hood as well as I did I struggled with any versions of King Arthur. This one made it obvious to me that the plot really is as illogical as it seemed to me as a kid. They go off to seek the grail. They know where the grail is but they can't go simply from a to b they have to ride around aimlessly for a while first having all sorts of misadventures. It's already foreordained who will succeed and who will fail and every time anyone happens theres a Deus Ex Machina moment.
Sutcliff is a skillful writer who knows her material but even she couldn't make it work. It is what it is. Probably worth reading before anyone attempts to write their own sword and sorcery for all that you would not do plot and characters like that these days (Thomas Malory got away with it because of his time).
August 7, 2026
This is a perfect book for those who love Arthurian mythology. It definitely has the flavor of medieval fantasy! The action centers around four of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table, including Sir Lancelot. All three are on a quest to locate the Holy Grail, which appears and disappears as needed to encourage people. As with all legends from that era, there are a lot of supernatural events. The entire story is historically inaccurate—but it’s interesting to get a glimpse into the mindset of the medieval people and the stories they entertained themselves with.
One thing I liked in this version was that Sir Lancelot repented of his love affair with Queen Guinevere, Arthur’s wife. Other versions I’ve read have glorified his love for her.
One thing I liked in this version was that Sir Lancelot repented of his love affair with Queen Guinevere, Arthur’s wife. Other versions I’ve read have glorified his love for her.
October 1, 2021
The second book in Sutcliff's Arthurian trilogy. It was good to read; I hadn't heard most of those stories before. Split narrative, of Lancelot, Bors, Percival, and Galahad.
Sutcliff's writing is good, but in a number of ways the overall story isn't the best. The knights wander all over the place (but not more than a few days from Camelot), and uncover chapel in the woods after chapel in the woods, and powerful knights and damsels and enchantments and all that.
There is much in the way of Christian mysticism here, and the deus ex machinas and the purity of Sir Galahad can get boring, unfortunately. On the plus side, Lancelot gets a very human and charitable interpretation; one that I much appreciated.
Sutcliff's writing is good, but in a number of ways the overall story isn't the best. The knights wander all over the place (but not more than a few days from Camelot), and uncover chapel in the woods after chapel in the woods, and powerful knights and damsels and enchantments and all that.
There is much in the way of Christian mysticism here, and the deus ex machinas and the purity of Sir Galahad can get boring, unfortunately. On the plus side, Lancelot gets a very human and charitable interpretation; one that I much appreciated.
February 5, 2024
I preferred the first in the trilogy, but only because I found the quest for the Grail less interesting, and that’s down to the content of the original legends, not Rosemary Sutcliffe’s writing which remained compelling. This middle book is important in bringing the earlier quests to their prophesied finale, and also setting up the third, when, we are told, the order of the Round Table will fall, and doom will come upon Britain.
September 16, 2024
I enjoyed this book immensely. The way Rosemary Sutcliff handled the Holy Grail quests was the first time I've read the Grail quest and it actually made sense. Told in quick POV chapters, it presented adventure but especially the turmoil within as each knight wrestles with conviction of guilt and surrender. It was surprisingly faith-filled, which I appreciated as well.
June 27, 2018
MAGIIIIIIIIIC!
May 17, 2020
A beautiful continuing of the Arthurian legends. I think Sutcliff is my fav children's version.
April 25, 2022
144 pages Nice little book
December 5, 2022
An interesting retelling, although its sequencing threw me a bit at times. Probably should read Book 1 and Book 3 to make a firm conclusion.
December 19, 2024
The Grail Quest written by Rosemary Sutcliff. That is endorsement enough. Stop reading this review and read this book instead.
February 1, 2025
It seemed a bit of a let down.
January 22, 2026
The second book in the trilogy was just as well done.
April 19, 2026
Excellent. Fabulous. Don't miss it.
March 21, 2017
Disjointed. Some wild tales in there, but not a satisfying story.
February 14, 2014
Even the wonderful Rosemary Sutcliff cnnnot ultimately save the tale of the quest for the Holy Grail, though her characterization of most of the knights is compelling and gripping. Except for Galahad, of course. Her Galahad is a beautiful young man, and still annoying with his unearned, and often unproved, goodness. Since he is destined to be the Grail Knight, the rest of us can follow along and enjoy the deeds of the knights who are flawed and doubt themselves. Why do so many awful things happen to knights whose actions don't warrant such suffering?
The question may be addressed by the Celtic sources Ms. Sutcliff urges the reader to consider while reading her rendition. Referring in memory to my beloved novel by Naomi Mitchison To the Chapel Perilous deepened The Light beyond the Forest for me. I don't know that the Grail Quest in any version is merely a ham-fisted Christian morality tale--the mystical Celtic or pre-Celtic antecedents usually are evident. But Galahad achieves by grace alone, apparently, what no other knight can, and it seems like an unfair predestinarianism, and boring too.
But please read Rosemary Sutcliff's book. I could scarcely put it down.
The question may be addressed by the Celtic sources Ms. Sutcliff urges the reader to consider while reading her rendition. Referring in memory to my beloved novel by Naomi Mitchison To the Chapel Perilous deepened The Light beyond the Forest for me. I don't know that the Grail Quest in any version is merely a ham-fisted Christian morality tale--the mystical Celtic or pre-Celtic antecedents usually are evident. But Galahad achieves by grace alone, apparently, what no other knight can, and it seems like an unfair predestinarianism, and boring too.
But please read Rosemary Sutcliff's book. I could scarcely put it down.
September 7, 2016
This is a book of the King Arthur legends. The main character is Sir Lancelot, Percival, Bohrs, and Galahad. Lancelot finds out that the knight Galahad was his son. He pulled a sword out of a rock that was meant for best of all knights and sat at the chair that he was destined to sit in the Round Table. The story goes on about a quest to get a grail. It follows Sir lancelot, Percivals, and Bors. The story ends with Lancelot and Galahad spending time together. Theis is a very good book. I would recommend this book to someone.
May 14, 2007
I am a little bit of a King arthur obsessive, and have read more versions of the tales than I can remember, but this is probably my favourite one. reading this is a magical experience, you will be transported to another world and will not be able to shake it off until long after you've finished the last page.
May 20, 2016
This is a very high quality adaptation of the tale of Galahad for young readers. It is neither too childish, not too adult. It still manages to treat with gravitas those Christian mysteries and moral lessons in the grail stories without being salacious or simplistic. The characters are graceful in language and actions, multi-faceted and credible. I'm so glad we found this book.
November 15, 2025
Good history book for young girls. I loved Sutcliff's historical novels as a child and young teenager, she was one of my favourite authors. I am not going review them all individually because all her books are good. If your looking for children's historical novels, just start at the beginning of her books and read them all. This is how I learned British history.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews