What do you think?
Rate this book
Knights' Tales #4
The Adventures of Sir Balin the Ill-Fated
Many years ago, the storytellers say, the great King Arthur brought justice to England with the help of his gallant knights of the roundtable. While most of King Arthur’s knights freely chose a life of duty, for Sir Balin the Ill-Fated, destiny was foretold in a prophecy. And seriously, "ill-fated" is right there in his title, so Balin’s not surprised when things go sour. Still, no matter how dire the task, a loyal and gallant knight never refuses adventure! Will Sir Balin finally discover his true destiny? And which ill-fated path will he have to choose? Join Balin on this, the noblest quest of all.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
8 people are currently reading
316 people want to read
About the author
Gerald Morris
24 books496 followersGerald Morris is an award-winning author, best known for his retellings of Arthurian legends for preteen and teen readers.
His first series, The Squire's Tales, focuses primarily on a squire named Terence, alongside his knight, Sir Gawain. The ten-book series began with The Squire's Tale, first published in 1998.
His second series, The Knights' Tales, is for younger readers and began with The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great, published in 2008, followed by The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short in the same year.
Morris was born in Riverside, California in 1963, the son of Russell A. Morris. He was educated at the Oklahoma Baptist University and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He married Rebecca Hughes, has 3 children, and now lives in Wausau, Wisconsin. He also lived for a short time in Oklahoma. Apart from writing, Morris teaches theology and serves as a pastor for church.
His first series, The Squire's Tales, focuses primarily on a squire named Terence, alongside his knight, Sir Gawain. The ten-book series began with The Squire's Tale, first published in 1998.
His second series, The Knights' Tales, is for younger readers and began with The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great, published in 2008, followed by The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short in the same year.
Morris was born in Riverside, California in 1963, the son of Russell A. Morris. He was educated at the Oklahoma Baptist University and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He married Rebecca Hughes, has 3 children, and now lives in Wausau, Wisconsin. He also lived for a short time in Oklahoma. Apart from writing, Morris teaches theology and serves as a pastor for church.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
May 28, 2019
Hey Gerald Morris, write more books in this series!
July 6, 2017
If you do believe prophecies, you better read this one 😂
October 22, 2024
A story I’ll read to my children! A short and simpler story than Morris’s novels, but just as twisty and funny.
December 9, 2012
Sir Balin, The Ill-Fated is the 4th book in the Knights' Tales series by Gerald Morris. They are stories of the knights of King Arthur's court that are easily accessible for younger readers (ages as young as 7). Hilarious and historically accurate to the time period and the lives and activities of the medieval knights, these books are a rollicking read-aloud for bedtime, in classrooms, or as an independent read.
My children (ages 8 and 10) and I read Sir Balin as a bedtime story (and are now in the process of reading all the rest of the books in the series). None of the three of us could stop laughing.
As an infant, Sir Balin and his parents are visited by the Old Woman from the Mountain. (The specifics of which mountain she is from is the subject of a very funny discussion between the Old Woman and Sir Balin's father.) The Old Woman foretells that Sir Balin will be an extremely successful knight in his endeavors but that he will bring bad luck with him wherever he goes and that bad luck will be visited upon everyone around him--especially those about whom he cares the most.
The wise and funny story follows Sir Balin--who absolutely believes in the Old Woman's prophecy--in his adventures. His brother, Sir Balan (Yes, the similarity of names is ALSO fodder for some extremely funny exchanges.), tries to convince him that the prophecy is just something an old woman said and that Sir Balin, himself, is the one in control of his life: his destiny is what HE determines it to be.
These stories are delightful to read and to share. They are short (only about 5 chapters) so they are less likely to intimidate young or reluctant readers than books with more volume. Adults who love Monty Python (as I do) will find a similarity in tone and humor; young readers will glory in the silliness and slapstick aspects of knights and their servants.
If you enjoy a good laugh and are interested in--or would like to teach or learn about--medieval knights and life in King Arthur's kingdom you cannot do better than Gerald Morris Knights' Tales series!
My children (ages 8 and 10) and I read Sir Balin as a bedtime story (and are now in the process of reading all the rest of the books in the series). None of the three of us could stop laughing.
As an infant, Sir Balin and his parents are visited by the Old Woman from the Mountain. (The specifics of which mountain she is from is the subject of a very funny discussion between the Old Woman and Sir Balin's father.) The Old Woman foretells that Sir Balin will be an extremely successful knight in his endeavors but that he will bring bad luck with him wherever he goes and that bad luck will be visited upon everyone around him--especially those about whom he cares the most.
The wise and funny story follows Sir Balin--who absolutely believes in the Old Woman's prophecy--in his adventures. His brother, Sir Balan (Yes, the similarity of names is ALSO fodder for some extremely funny exchanges.), tries to convince him that the prophecy is just something an old woman said and that Sir Balin, himself, is the one in control of his life: his destiny is what HE determines it to be.
These stories are delightful to read and to share. They are short (only about 5 chapters) so they are less likely to intimidate young or reluctant readers than books with more volume. Adults who love Monty Python (as I do) will find a similarity in tone and humor; young readers will glory in the silliness and slapstick aspects of knights and their servants.
If you enjoy a good laugh and are interested in--or would like to teach or learn about--medieval knights and life in King Arthur's kingdom you cannot do better than Gerald Morris Knights' Tales series!
April 8, 2012
Just as he did in the earlier titles in this series about King Arthurs's knights (The Adventures of Lancelot the Great, The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short and The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True), simplifies the tales for a young, modern audience. Since he focuses only on Sir Balin in this story, readers are able to follow his adventures from the time as an infant when he receives a prophecy of doom to his final circumnavigation of that doom. The book raises questions about destiny as Sir Balin tries to live up to the expectation that he will be the noblest knight of them all. There is much subtle humor to his adventures, found even in the interaction between his parents and Sir Balin and his brother Sir Balan. The brush and ink illustrations add to the humor of the story since several of them contain comedic elements.
October 2, 2013
Watered down version of his young adult novels. This format makes the knights' tales accessible to younger readers, but the stories lack spark and voice.
June 16, 2017
This last book is definitely my favorite in the quartet! Of course I'd like the one with the depressing sounding name: "Balin the Ill-fated!" Enough with the whole "Lancelot the Great" and the "Blah-blah the Undefeated" thing; I want a story tinged with melancholy. And this story had that. It was veiled, but definitely there.
Example:
A charming, light-hearted take on the legends of the Knights of the Roundtable, perfect for reading aloud to future knights and heroes.
Example:
A charming, light-hearted take on the legends of the Knights of the Roundtable, perfect for reading aloud to future knights and heroes.
June 28, 2017
A prophecy when Sir Balin is a baby sets him up for a life of bad luck. Will his life be full of destruction and calamity as foretold by the prophecy or will something else prevail? And will he marry a nice northern girl?
Join Sir Balin the Ill-Fated on his adventures as he becomes Sir Balin, the Knight with Two Swords, and see where destiny takes him.
I enjoyed the humor that the author managed to weave throughout this story even though things seemed to continually go wrong for poor Sir Balin. Sir Balin's dad and Sir Balan the Doughty had some great lines and I really enjoyed the feminine perspective and bit of romance added by Lady Annalise. I loved that she was a terrible cook LOL!
Join Sir Balin the Ill-Fated on his adventures as he becomes Sir Balin, the Knight with Two Swords, and see where destiny takes him.
I enjoyed the humor that the author managed to weave throughout this story even though things seemed to continually go wrong for poor Sir Balin. Sir Balin's dad and Sir Balan the Doughty had some great lines and I really enjoyed the feminine perspective and bit of romance added by Lady Annalise. I loved that she was a terrible cook LOL!
January 27, 2025
I've had a tumultuous relationship with Gerald Morris, but I'm pleasantly surprised to end it on a strong note. This book actually has a lot of the problems that have turned me off from his other books (subverting the point of the story that he's retelling, Flanderization, heroine who's Not Like Other Girls, etc.), but does them in a way that feels subtler and more purposeful. And it's actually pretty funny! So yeah, about on par with the Lancelot book.
May 16, 2020
A small little book I read while waiting in line somewhere, but rating it just so I can remember this series for my boys. This was humorous and great and would be a great complement to a more serious study of Arthurian tales. I’ll be checking out more of these. A great early chapter book option for boys (and to me far preferable than the more crude alternatives that seem to abound).
October 15, 2020
What a riot! I haven't read any other versions of the King Arthur stories, so I can't compare. But man, I had so much fun with this little book. It's clever, irreverent, and an exciting adventure with tons of gloriously funny twists. It's meant for younger readers, but that didn't matter at all, I had a blast.
March 17, 2024
This book may have been a little more interesting for me, since I was already familiar with Lancelot and Gawain but had never heard of Balin. I don't want to spoil anything, but I think the original tale had an ending that would've been pretty dark for children
September 2, 2017
My students loved the Balin and Balin characters. They found the book hilarious.
December 8, 2017
hah. Funny little knights prophecy tale that pokes fun at traditional "prophetic" stories. Short, cute, and has fun little illustrations too.
January 10, 2018
Not our favorite in the series, but we still loved it. Wish there were more books!
February 16, 2019
A fun, light-hearted read that my children enjoyed more than I did.
May 30, 2019
Hilarious!
February 19, 2020
This was super fun to read. And pretty funny. I just wish the series continued.
March 17, 2020
Short, but very funny. Both of my kids loved it!
April 3, 2020
A very quick, fun and funny read! Don't put too much stock in prophecy; your life and fate are your own to discover.
November 28, 2020
Fun quick read. The kids all loved it
March 13, 2021
Story and pictures are funny, full of happy twists. Balin fulfills bad luck prophecy until the Questing Lady Annalise agrees with his brother Balan to oppose predictions.
December 10, 2021
Such a delightful, funny read. I thought it was excellent, it made for a great read aloud and good conversation.
December 10, 2021
I thought it was really funny, and I loved using funny voices for the characters with my mom. The one thing we couldn't agree on was the brothers' names' pronunciation difference.
November 30, 2022
3.5 stars - silly and cute
August 24, 2023
Read aloud to the kids. They loved this series.
September 13, 2023
This has been a fun series to read. They do teach little life lessons and entertain at the same time.
December 31, 2023
Super fun and funny, but then all of these have been! Of you like tales of the Round Table and knights and quests this is for you!
June 18, 2024
Sometimes you need an audiobook for your monotonous lab tasks….in which case, you should look for a different audiobook.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews