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Merlin's Harp #3
Percival's Angel
Lili, an apprentice of the Lady of the Lake, is the childhood friend of Percy, the boy who will become one of Arthur's greatest knights. But as they grow older, Lili begins to see their differences. She has otherworldly magic while he has the magic that lives within the Human Heart. Lili dreams of knowing human love while Percy dreams of finding the Holy Grail. Neither can succeed without the other.Once again Crompton weaves together nature, feminist perspective, and Arthurian legend for a tale that is sure to appeal to readers of all ages.Praise for Percival's Angel: "Crompton succeeds in incorporating the mysticism of medieval romance into her fantasy... This well-written fantasy can be compared to Katherine Paterson's Parzival." -Voya
227 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1999
3 people are currently reading
214 people want to read
About the author
Anne Eliot Crompton
22 books18 followersAnne Eliot Crompton was a critically acclaimed writer of fiction for children, teenagers, and adults. Many of her novels draw from legends and folktales. Three are based on Arthurian legends: Merlin’s Harp, Gawain and Lady Green, and Percival’s Angel. Crompton created new fictions out of old by concentrating on the perspectives and emotions of characters who are slightly removed from the traditional plots. Crompton raised Shetland and Welsh ponies on her farm in Chesterfield, MA, and wrote a series of horse stories for girls which focus on the emotional bonds between humans and animals. In The Sorcerer, she imagined the artistic development of a prehistoric cave painter.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 17, 2012
'Percival's Angel' is set in the same world as 'Merlin's Harp,' (see my review of that book for feelings that apply equally to this novel) but it works very well as a stand-alone novel. Readers will benefit to a degree from having some of the background of the world, and backstory on minor characters if they've read the previous book, but it's not at all necessary.
The story is loosely based on the tales of the Knight of the Round Table, Percival, and the quest for the Holy Grail - but it's really about clashes between cultures, conflicts between people, and the search for meaning in life... like so many 'quest' stories.
The novel follows Lili, a girl of the fey, as she follows her childhood friend, Percy, out of the protected forest where her people live in isolation. Percival's mother took him into the forest as a babe, hoping to keep him from ever becoming a knight - a calling that proved the death of all her previous children. Regardless, Percival seeks to break free of his mother. Lili seeks to help him, and discover the power of the human heart, which Merlin has told her about, and which, as a member of the fey, she feels that she lacks.
Soon enough, Percival is recruited into the Quest for the Grail... which is simply a story that Merlin made up, to keep troublesome knights occupied in peacetime. But where humans believe, power is lent...
I didn't like this book quite as much as Merlin's Harp, but it's still a beautiful work of mythic fiction, rich in layers of meaning.
I liked it enough that, as soon as I finished it, I ordered Crompton's third book based on Arthurian tales (Gawain).
The story is loosely based on the tales of the Knight of the Round Table, Percival, and the quest for the Holy Grail - but it's really about clashes between cultures, conflicts between people, and the search for meaning in life... like so many 'quest' stories.
The novel follows Lili, a girl of the fey, as she follows her childhood friend, Percy, out of the protected forest where her people live in isolation. Percival's mother took him into the forest as a babe, hoping to keep him from ever becoming a knight - a calling that proved the death of all her previous children. Regardless, Percival seeks to break free of his mother. Lili seeks to help him, and discover the power of the human heart, which Merlin has told her about, and which, as a member of the fey, she feels that she lacks.
Soon enough, Percival is recruited into the Quest for the Grail... which is simply a story that Merlin made up, to keep troublesome knights occupied in peacetime. But where humans believe, power is lent...
I didn't like this book quite as much as Merlin's Harp, but it's still a beautiful work of mythic fiction, rich in layers of meaning.
I liked it enough that, as soon as I finished it, I ordered Crompton's third book based on Arthurian tales (Gawain).
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March 15, 2023Pretty good I read it just recently and thought the King Arthur stuff was good.
May 1, 2011
Percival’s Angel had a rich history, a merging of the human world and the fey world that I enjoyed. Naturally, I was more drawn to the fey world. Lili’s forest – her home – was exquisitely marvelous. I found myself entranced with the ways of the Good Folk. One of the things that really struck me was the Night of the Flowering Moon during which the Fey danced and mated. I found this very inhuman, disturbing and intriguing. In the fey forest, Alanna, Ivie and Percy lived. They were the only humans there, hidden from Arthur’s Kingdom and his Knights, isolated because of the rule of the forest: once you enter, you may not leave.
Outside the forest, Lili discovered that the Kingdom was harsh and cruel and that the Human Heart was not easy to find. It came at a high price. Once she gets it, she would know pain and sadness like never before. She would sympathize and share others’ pain with her own heart. Percy found the Knight within himself but he was made of ice, basking and enjoying his victories throughout the novel. He was incompetent and unprepared but he managed to take on the challenges of the world, proving himself worthy of his title.
In the beginning I struggled but after the first 25 pages, it had my attention. The narrative was not something I was used to but after being able to read The Children of Hurin by Tolkien and several historical novels, I adjusted to it quite easily. The story came from the perspective of Lili and Percy, passed from one to the next so I suggest that readers pay attention to it otherwise it would be hard to keep track of what was happening. I did not have a hard time with it though.
At times, I was surprised and even shocked at the way things turned out. This was the advantage of the cut-off or breaks of the narrative. But on the other hand, I wished that I could have seen the entirety of the development of Lili and Percy’s relationship as it transitioned from friendship to something more. The unfolding of these feelings was usually only explored in Lili’s narration and only subtly in Percy’s.
Percival’s Angel was an enchanting story of strength and love in a world where death, danger and pain dwells. The feminist perspective was enough to satisfy me – especially from a female fey. The strong trio of the fey forest – Nimway, the Lady of the Lake, Alanna, Percy’s mother and Lili – had very strong emotions: of pain, of sadness, of love, of hope and of despair. Each of them had their own stories and I loved reading about them. I recommend this to readers who like retellings and the Arthurian legend, to patient readers and to those who like this kind of narrative.
Outside the forest, Lili discovered that the Kingdom was harsh and cruel and that the Human Heart was not easy to find. It came at a high price. Once she gets it, she would know pain and sadness like never before. She would sympathize and share others’ pain with her own heart. Percy found the Knight within himself but he was made of ice, basking and enjoying his victories throughout the novel. He was incompetent and unprepared but he managed to take on the challenges of the world, proving himself worthy of his title.
In the beginning I struggled but after the first 25 pages, it had my attention. The narrative was not something I was used to but after being able to read The Children of Hurin by Tolkien and several historical novels, I adjusted to it quite easily. The story came from the perspective of Lili and Percy, passed from one to the next so I suggest that readers pay attention to it otherwise it would be hard to keep track of what was happening. I did not have a hard time with it though.
At times, I was surprised and even shocked at the way things turned out. This was the advantage of the cut-off or breaks of the narrative. But on the other hand, I wished that I could have seen the entirety of the development of Lili and Percy’s relationship as it transitioned from friendship to something more. The unfolding of these feelings was usually only explored in Lili’s narration and only subtly in Percy’s.
Percival’s Angel was an enchanting story of strength and love in a world where death, danger and pain dwells. The feminist perspective was enough to satisfy me – especially from a female fey. The strong trio of the fey forest – Nimway, the Lady of the Lake, Alanna, Percy’s mother and Lili – had very strong emotions: of pain, of sadness, of love, of hope and of despair. Each of them had their own stories and I loved reading about them. I recommend this to readers who like retellings and the Arthurian legend, to patient readers and to those who like this kind of narrative.
May 21, 2011
Percival's Angel is a very odd book. I'm torn about how I feel about it. The story was not bad but it was very different and I had a very hard time getting into it. It's just a very weird book and this review is really hard for me to write.
Lili has never known life outside the Fey forest. She has never had the urge to know it either until Merlin tells her about the powers of the Human heart. Lili sets out on a quest to get a Human heart along with her best friend, Percival, who is on his own quest to become a knight. Along the way both Lili and Percy will face great trials and their friendship will be tested. Will Lili get a Human heart? Will Percy become a knight? Will their two quests tear them apart?
Anne Elliot Crompton's writing style is very different. It seemed disjointed to me. Also, the point-of-view switched a lot and sometimes it took me a while to ever realize ti was a different person. There was absolutely no warning. So not only did the writing confuse me, so did the point-of-view switching.
The characters were just okay. Not bad but definitely not great. Lili was a bit contradictory. She said she wanted a heart because she didn't have one but her actions made me think that she did. Percival just seemed kind of dumb. Nothing he did endeared me to him. I don't know how else to explain it.
Overall, Percival's Angel is definitely a book I recommend getting from the library. It just did not do anything for me and I honestly just did not like it.
Lili has never known life outside the Fey forest. She has never had the urge to know it either until Merlin tells her about the powers of the Human heart. Lili sets out on a quest to get a Human heart along with her best friend, Percival, who is on his own quest to become a knight. Along the way both Lili and Percy will face great trials and their friendship will be tested. Will Lili get a Human heart? Will Percy become a knight? Will their two quests tear them apart?
Anne Elliot Crompton's writing style is very different. It seemed disjointed to me. Also, the point-of-view switched a lot and sometimes it took me a while to ever realize ti was a different person. There was absolutely no warning. So not only did the writing confuse me, so did the point-of-view switching.
The characters were just okay. Not bad but definitely not great. Lili was a bit contradictory. She said she wanted a heart because she didn't have one but her actions made me think that she did. Percival just seemed kind of dumb. Nothing he did endeared me to him. I don't know how else to explain it.
Overall, Percival's Angel is definitely a book I recommend getting from the library. It just did not do anything for me and I honestly just did not like it.
July 12, 2011
Eh. This book has a lot going for it: an Arthurian retelling that's not centered around King Arthur, a fantasy plot that appeals to more than just King Arthur fans, and a perspective on the Arthurian legend other than a knight's. There's not much action to the plot, but it's not boring. What makes this novel "eh" is that it can be confusing. Maybe I should have read another version of the legend first (Wolfram von Eschenbach's 400+ page Parzival is sitting on my shelf), but there were places in the book that just didn't make much sense. They weren't really random, it was just that their importance in the story, as well as how the story had led up to them, was left unexplained. It became frustrating after a while, especially since Crompton's otherwise a good author and writes an interesting retelling. It's left me with mixed opinions on Percival's Angel.
Review originally posted on my blog: http://susie-bookworm.blogspot.com/20...
Review originally posted on my blog: http://susie-bookworm.blogspot.com/20...
April 5, 2011
Lili is fey, once part of the Children Guard. She yearns to learn about the human heart and this power called "Love", that Merlin speaks of. Her friend Percy is a human that was raised in the Fey Forest. Never knowing of King Arthur or his Knights. They embark on a journey together to the human world to seek out what they most desire.
Percival's Angel is the third book in Crompton's Arthurian series and my first time delving into the series. A mystical and magical tale. The writing is like nothing I've read before. It's written in such a way that is almost poetic, which made for a delightful story. I was most intrigued and in the end enjoyed reading it. I have always loved the King Arthur legends, especially from the female point of view. I think fans of Fantasy and Arthurian Legends will like this one too.
Percival's Angel is the third book in Crompton's Arthurian series and my first time delving into the series. A mystical and magical tale. The writing is like nothing I've read before. It's written in such a way that is almost poetic, which made for a delightful story. I was most intrigued and in the end enjoyed reading it. I have always loved the King Arthur legends, especially from the female point of view. I think fans of Fantasy and Arthurian Legends will like this one too.
April 29, 2011
I did not enjoy this author's style of writing. I did like the story but the broken sentences and dialog were very hard to follow. I found myself having to go back and re-read too many sentences to enjoy this story as I felt I could have if it were easier to read. The relationship between the two characters, Percival (human) and Lili (Fey) was indescribable. I didn't know if they were real friends or just two companions on a journey and I definitely didn't see a love story here so the ending didn't make much sense to me. I love the cover and the characters are interesting to say the least but this just wasn't my type of story. If you're a fan of the Arthurian Legend you may enjoy this different twist.
November 14, 2016
This is a strange book with odd shifts in deixis, verb tense, and perspective. It's dream-like in its confusions, and while this works and I enjoyed it, I can't help but imagine what someone with more resources might have done with the ideas. I might read it again, to think about the strangeness (especially odd syntax without a subject), but I can't say why.
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April 9, 2011I had a hard time with this book. I did not care for the presentation of the story. The changing points of view were jarring and the narrative felt extremely disjointed. The last 100 pages finally reeled me in, and kept me interested until the end, but it was a struggle to get that far.
May 29, 2011
Read Mecheles Review at:
http://readforyourfuture.blogspot.com...
http://readforyourfuture.blogspot.com...
June 20, 2011
This story is an interesting take on King Arthur, the Round table and his Knights. I really liked this book. read more reviews at
readforyourfuture.blogspot.com
readforyourfuture.blogspot.com
August 1, 2011
Terribly boring and inaccurate
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews