The Rose Knot

by Kari Sperring

Set during the time of King Arthur, Rose Knot is a powerful, richly textured tale featuring some of the lesser known members of King Arthur’s court: the sons of Lot, the Orkney royal family.

Following the violent death of their mother, Sir Gaheris finds himself the reluctant focus of sibling tensions and squabbles; the suspicion of guilt hangs over him, not least because he will offer no explanation or defence. When Gaheris is tasked with escorting his brother’s wife, Llinos, home from court, neither suspect the tragic consequences that will result, as they lose their way and become stranded within an enchanting and beguiling forest.

Told by Llinos of Kinkenadron, wife to Sir Gareth of Orkney, this is a gripping saga of love, infidelity, loyalty, misguided intentions and the price of nobility.

The fifth entry in our stand alone novella series is presented by historian and award-winning fantasy author Kari Sperring and takes place in the same Arthurian milieu as the author's excellent Serpent Rose (NewCon Press, 2019).

Genres: Fantasy

64 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 19, 2021

About the author

Dr Kari Maund lectures and writes on the medieval history of the Celtic countries. As Kari Sperring, she also writes fiction.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another entry in the Newcon novella series - and I will admit one that I enjoyed the least. Now the writing style and penmanship is not at fault - I think for me it was the use of historic names, this story after all is set in the world of Camelot and the knights of the Round Table and as such I did struggle with both the pronunciations and more simple tasks like keeping track of them all.

I think also is this is people story in that it revolves around the various motives and interactions between various characters and the impact these have on those around them. This is a time of loyalties and chivalry as well as jealously, insecurity and personal grief.

so as a result this is a book about people with very little fantastic elements and with a few subtle changes you could turn this in to a historic story just as much as it a fantasy one.

Ironically I would had added that it felt like this was part of a larger story which I now realise is the case, I believe it is connected to the Newcon novella Serpent Rose however at the time of me typing this I am not sure what - something to check out later.

So yes not the most enjoyable of the series so far but considering the incredibly high standard of the series to date - it had very high standards to meet indeed

[Eamonn Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not many people connect the Orkneys to Arthurian legend but King Lot of Orkney was married to Arthur’s sister, Morgause, it seems and the sons of Lot were in King Arthur’s court. They are Agravaine, Medraut, Gaheris and Gareth, who is married to Llinos, the narrator of this tale.
The opening is rather off-putting with Llinos dressing up for a feast and talking to Esslytt, Queen of Cornwall, about past events, uttering a cascade of names that mean nothing at this stage. Persist, reader, for it will become clear in time. Llinos is happily married to Gareth, a knight. He has a sometimes fractious relationship with his brothers but the Orkneys are essentially a tight-knit family.

Llinos loses a child shortly after this. Grief-stricken, she retires to her home at Kinkenadron, leaving her husband for a year. She has to return when summoned by Queen Guinevere for a feast. Sometime earlier, a prank had been played in which the ladies of Camelot were tricked into a fidelity test. Perhaps in revenge, Esslytt arranges a similar test for the men. She sends Guinevere a magic horn. Only those men who have been faithful to their lady for the past year and a day can make it sound. A few fail. There are repercussions.

As the author holds a B.A. and a PhD in medieval history from Cambridge University, the reader is in safe hands for authenticity. She knows the ropes, dresses, armour, customs and weapons of the time. Camelot isn’t real history, of course, but the background furniture is the same. The book is a pleasant, easy read and the characters are realistic, flawed human beings who do things they regret and pay the price. The theme is love, which is nice.

For doing, singing and being where you’re meant to be, love is all you need, they say, but romance is not really my thing. Offered something Arthurian to review, I was expecting more swords than seduction. Even so, I read it with pleasure and do not regret the experience. It’s wise to widen your horizons now and then and ‘Rose Knot’ is a good story.

Had it been longer, I might have grown bored but, at a hundred pages, these Newcon Press novellas are just perfect. Long enough for a tale to sink your teeth into but still succinct and sharp. I note, too, that Newcon is doing the ebook versions much cheaper than the paper. It’s worth checking a few out, including ‘Rose Knot’ by Kari Sperring.

[Jacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kari Sperring's prose is clean, elegant and has not one wasted word. In this novella she returns to the time of King Arthur, to the sons of Lot, the Orkney Royal family, who fight and squabble amongst themselves. The sons are Gawain (Gavin), Agravain (Agrin), Gaheris (Heris), Gareth (Gari), and their half-brother Medraut. In Ms Sperring's last 'Orkney' novella she concentrated on Gaheris and Lamorak, this time it's Gaheris again, but told by Llinos, the wife of Gawain. Gaheris is given the task of escorting Llinos home. Gaheris has the best of intentions, but then they enter an enchanted forest. It's a story of love, infidelity and loyalty. Highly recommended.