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The Green Knight's Squire #2
Feast of the Elfs
Gilberic Parzival Moth is a strange and lonely boy who has grown up without a father, raised by a single mother who moves from town to town in fear of something she will not name. His only friends are animals, with whom he has always been able to speak. And although he has begun to learn about his true heritage, he also discovers that the modern world is not always friendly towards monster-killing knights errant, particularly when the police find them covered in blood.
But the long arm of the Twilight world reaches even into the jail cells of Asheville, North Carolina. Gilberic soon finds himself bound to the service of an ancient writ and a higher law, and traveling to eldritch places filled with enchanted creatures, immortal lords and ladies, and dangerous temptations. FEAST OF THE ELFS is the second book of THE GREEN KNIGHT'S SQUIRE, the first volume of MOTH & COBWEB, an astonishing new series about magical worlds of Day, Night, and Twilight by John C. Wright.
John C. Wright is one of the living grandmasters of science fiction and the author of THE GOLDEN AGE, AWAKE IN THE NIGHT LAND, and IRON CHAMBER OF MEMORY, to name just three of his exceptional books. He has been nominated for the Nebula Award, for the Hugo Award, and his novel SOMEWHITHER won the 2016 Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction Novel at Dragoncon.
But the long arm of the Twilight world reaches even into the jail cells of Asheville, North Carolina. Gilberic soon finds himself bound to the service of an ancient writ and a higher law, and traveling to eldritch places filled with enchanted creatures, immortal lords and ladies, and dangerous temptations. FEAST OF THE ELFS is the second book of THE GREEN KNIGHT'S SQUIRE, the first volume of MOTH & COBWEB, an astonishing new series about magical worlds of Day, Night, and Twilight by John C. Wright.
John C. Wright is one of the living grandmasters of science fiction and the author of THE GOLDEN AGE, AWAKE IN THE NIGHT LAND, and IRON CHAMBER OF MEMORY, to name just three of his exceptional books. He has been nominated for the Nebula Award, for the Hugo Award, and his novel SOMEWHITHER won the 2016 Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction Novel at Dragoncon.
- GenresFantasy
175 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 28, 2016
13 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
John C. Wright
146 books453 followersJohn C. Wright (John Charles Justin Wright, born 1961) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy novels. A Nebula award finalist (for the fantasy novel Orphans of Chaos), he was called "this fledgling century's most important new SF talent" by Publishers Weekly (after publication of his debut novel, The Golden Age).
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 7, 2016
This second entry in the series continues a typical Fantasy story arc in a way that seems new. Events and scenes represent a fulness of imaginations that continuously spills out. This entry again ends on a cliffhanger, but thankfully this series is being released on a quicks schedule.
As a young adult series, trying to look through the eyes of a remembered young reader - I know I would have greatly enjoyed it. Through much older eyes the same is true.
As a young adult series, trying to look through the eyes of a remembered young reader - I know I would have greatly enjoyed it. Through much older eyes the same is true.
November 18, 2017
Second book in the The Green Knight’s Squire trilogy. Serious spoilers ahead.
Starting with the way it starts with Gil in jail.
The redcap he dealt with at the end of the last book tries to get his cap back by freeing him, but Gil won't take it; instead he gets advice on how to reach the halls of the elfs. Then, he's taken out to talk with a man who sits in a dark room (you may have met him in another book, not by Wright) and is offered a job involving policework and swearing allegiance to King Arthur. The man suggests that he must train for knighthood with elfs, enemy though they are.
And so at liberty, he meets up with Ruff -- who can smell he's a policeman now -- and they set out. He learns a secret of Ruff's. And his quest to train as a knight goes on, involving spiteful squires, birds who help, the rule at the feast about how a certain dish can only be served after a marvel, rescuing a damsel in distress, not obeying an important command, the king's champion, the title Green Knight, and much more.
Starting with the way it starts with Gil in jail.
The redcap he dealt with at the end of the last book tries to get his cap back by freeing him, but Gil won't take it; instead he gets advice on how to reach the halls of the elfs. Then, he's taken out to talk with a man who sits in a dark room (you may have met him in another book, not by Wright) and is offered a job involving policework and swearing allegiance to King Arthur. The man suggests that he must train for knighthood with elfs, enemy though they are.
And so at liberty, he meets up with Ruff -- who can smell he's a policeman now -- and they set out. He learns a secret of Ruff's. And his quest to train as a knight goes on, involving spiteful squires, birds who help, the rule at the feast about how a certain dish can only be served after a marvel, rescuing a damsel in distress, not obeying an important command, the king's champion, the title Green Knight, and much more.
December 6, 2018
Although published as three separate novels, Swan Knight's Son, Feast of the Elfs and Swan Knight's Son are one story divided into three books, so I will review them all together.
Do you look around and think, is that all there is? What happened to all the wonder of the world, its romance, its mystery? Well, the answer lies in these books. The Elfs stole them. They pinched the world's wonders and all the best bits of the geography and hid them behind a mist of unknowing. Now this is an idea I have a great deal of sympathy with. Somebody certainly pinched it, and the Elfs are as good a bet as anyone else (although I suspect we mislaid it ourselves). These Elfs, while magical, supernatural creatures, are fay, Fallen creatures, the glamourous face of those damned forever to the Earth - which is probably why the Elfs are so keen on keeping all the best bits for themselves. (I could never get used to Wright using 'Elfs' as the plural form rather than 'Elves' but it's probably done deliberately to distinguish Wright's Elfs from Tolkien's Elves.)
Into this world is pitched young Gilberic Parzival Moth, a human (well, mostly) teenager, with all the inflexibility of a typical teenager, and a mother who turns out to be, well, something not so human (given her irritating habit of answering every question with a riddle, she's probably related to the Sphinx somewhere down the line). Gilberic becomes a squire, then a knight, mashing modern-day pop culture references with deep forays into mythology and folklore. If you like the idea of a more knowledgeable version of Percy Jackson, with fewer jokes but a more wide-ranging mythology, then these books might be for you.
There is some evidence of the books having been written in a hurry and edited loosely - too many typos and, at one point, Gilberic's mermaid love interest warns him to keep her secret from his canine companion (who can speak, naturally) only for the warning to be forgotten 50 pages later - but the sheer wealth of invention I find hugely enjoyable. The story itself has the same dream-logic of medieval romances such as Orlando Furioso, with not much regard for logic, but then, we're dealing with Elfs here: everyday reality is optional for them.
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable 21st-century take on the medieval romance.
Do you look around and think, is that all there is? What happened to all the wonder of the world, its romance, its mystery? Well, the answer lies in these books. The Elfs stole them. They pinched the world's wonders and all the best bits of the geography and hid them behind a mist of unknowing. Now this is an idea I have a great deal of sympathy with. Somebody certainly pinched it, and the Elfs are as good a bet as anyone else (although I suspect we mislaid it ourselves). These Elfs, while magical, supernatural creatures, are fay, Fallen creatures, the glamourous face of those damned forever to the Earth - which is probably why the Elfs are so keen on keeping all the best bits for themselves. (I could never get used to Wright using 'Elfs' as the plural form rather than 'Elves' but it's probably done deliberately to distinguish Wright's Elfs from Tolkien's Elves.)
Into this world is pitched young Gilberic Parzival Moth, a human (well, mostly) teenager, with all the inflexibility of a typical teenager, and a mother who turns out to be, well, something not so human (given her irritating habit of answering every question with a riddle, she's probably related to the Sphinx somewhere down the line). Gilberic becomes a squire, then a knight, mashing modern-day pop culture references with deep forays into mythology and folklore. If you like the idea of a more knowledgeable version of Percy Jackson, with fewer jokes but a more wide-ranging mythology, then these books might be for you.
There is some evidence of the books having been written in a hurry and edited loosely - too many typos and, at one point, Gilberic's mermaid love interest warns him to keep her secret from his canine companion (who can speak, naturally) only for the warning to be forgotten 50 pages later - but the sheer wealth of invention I find hugely enjoyable. The story itself has the same dream-logic of medieval romances such as Orlando Furioso, with not much regard for logic, but then, we're dealing with Elfs here: everyday reality is optional for them.
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable 21st-century take on the medieval romance.
August 21, 2017
A nice follow up of The Swang Knight's Son. I don't recommend starting here, but read the first before getting to this. it's got beautiful prose, great mythology, and actually expands it on that level to something that is truly beautiful and amazing in the worldbuilding. I like how this is progressing and have immediately gone to the third book in reading because I can't put it down.
That said, the pacing suffered a little bit in this volume. The great Elf feast was a bit slow and yes, it's the book title, but that took a little long all things considered in compared to the rest of the plot. Whereas the first book definitely ended on a cliffhanger, this one did as well, though it felt like this was less of a complete story, given the arc that was set up here. Viewing it as a middle chapter rather than a complete book is a must for enjoyment.
That said, this is fabulous fantasy, and I'm already comparing it to C.S. Lewis favorably. Worth the read!
That said, the pacing suffered a little bit in this volume. The great Elf feast was a bit slow and yes, it's the book title, but that took a little long all things considered in compared to the rest of the plot. Whereas the first book definitely ended on a cliffhanger, this one did as well, though it felt like this was less of a complete story, given the arc that was set up here. Viewing it as a middle chapter rather than a complete book is a must for enjoyment.
That said, this is fabulous fantasy, and I'm already comparing it to C.S. Lewis favorably. Worth the read!
March 30, 2018
Whimsical fantasy, but well thought out in terms of character and symbolism.
September 21, 2019
The most beautifully written novel where virtually nothing happens I've ever read. I got to the end and couldn't recall any of the plot.
October 16, 2016
Not as good as the first one
Firstly, the ending: there isn't one. The book just ends abruptly, like the author couldn't be bothered writing anymore. Also, the book doesn't actually really go anywhere. It's like a training montage from a movie just by itself. The most interesting part of the book, the rescue sequence, was really glossed over as if it was a draft that didn't get fleshed out in the final version. Not a bad book, just not great.
Firstly, the ending: there isn't one. The book just ends abruptly, like the author couldn't be bothered writing anymore. Also, the book doesn't actually really go anywhere. It's like a training montage from a movie just by itself. The most interesting part of the book, the rescue sequence, was really glossed over as if it was a draft that didn't get fleshed out in the final version. Not a bad book, just not great.
October 11, 2016
Delicious.
October 12, 2016
Another excellent work by John C. Wright. Looking forward to the conclusion of the series.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews