A breathtaking and heartwrenching study into the legendary Arthurian anti-hero, Lancelot by Giles Kristian is a remarkable addition to the Arthurian retellings subgenre. Set in Sub-Roman Britain, a period of change and unrest for Britain, this novel is filled with battle and death but also magic and myth. In it we follow our protagonist Lancelot throughout his life, as he meets Guinevere the girl he falls deeply for and Arthur the man he pledges his loyalty for, and get to see how his life is filled with devastating choices. The story is beautifully written as much as there is tragedy there is a lot of love that we get to experience as a reader. This novel isn't a fast-paced story filled with complicated battle scenes, instead Giles Kristian delivered an extremely intimate coming-of-age story about a gentle, sensitive child growing up in a cold, unfeeling world as he slowly becomes the legendary warrior we have all heard of.

Lancelot’s character was extremely well handled. Having the story told from his perspective broke down the label of 'the betrayer' that he is known for in the legend, in this novel we see just how much he loved both Arthur and Guinevere and how torn he was between his love for Gwen and loyalty for Arthur. I loved the way the author handled ‘the betrayal’ in this novel, making it a matter of a terrible circumstance rather than uncaring callousness. This added to tragedy of the story because it made the readers empathise even more with the characters, but it also added to the beauty of the story because of it.

I really want to highlight the writing style of this novel because it was splendid. It was as if the story was told by a bard, every word used added to the magic of the world and the characters on the page. There was something so tender and melancholic about the way language was used that really helped draw out the sensibility of Lancelot’s character which will inevitably find its way into the reader’s heart. Without spoiling the plot of the story, loss follows Lancelot in every stage of his life, but the way he pushes forward each time and seeing with how much tenderness and devotion he has for those he loves made me want the absolute best for him. I loved that despite his faults, his character has so much multidimensionality in this novel. 

I will say this story is quite slow-paced with the action really picking up in the last third of the novel. Personally while there were some instances I felt the action could have moved along quicker, overall it worked really well for me as the quick change towards the end felt more impactful. The main weakness for me was that not much reconciliation happens in Lancelot’s mind about some events that occur very early in the novel which really propel Lancelot on his path. But this did not take at all from my enjoyment of the novel, and everything else about the novel was so impeccably done that I cannot wait to delve into the second book of this series.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, low fantasy or anything Arthurian I cannot recommend this book enough. It is such an underrated gem that I hope more readers find out about and give a try.

Favourite quotes:

“Arthur would fight for Britain. I would fight for Arthur. And Guinevere would always own my soul. The gods are cruel.”

“Perhaps I was a fool but I felt neither fear nor regret. And as for Guinevere, I loved her and she loved me; I believed that was enough.”

“To talk would be to lie, for I could not tell Arthur all of it. For Guinevere’s sake and Arthur’s sake and my own sake too, I could not.”