Spear

by Nicola Griffith

She left all she knew to find who she could be . . .

She grows up in the wild wood, in a cave with her mother, but visions of a faraway lake drift to her on the spring breeze, scented with promise. And when she hears a traveler speak of Artos, king of Caer Leon, she decides her future lies at his court. So, brimming with magic and eager to test her strength, she breaks her covenant with her mother and sets out on her bony gelding for Caer Leon.

With her stolen hunting spear and mended armour, she is an unlikely hero, not a chosen one, but one who forges her own bright path. Aflame with determination, she begins a journey of magic and mystery, love, lust and fights to death. On her adventures, she will steal the hearts of beautiful women, fight warriors and sorcerers, and make a place to call home.

The legendary author of Hild returns with an unforgettable hero and a queer Arthurian masterpiece for the modern era. Nicola Griffith's Spear is a spellbinding vision of the Camelot we've longed for, a Camelot that belongs to us all.

• ISBN10: 1250819326
• ISBN13: 9781250819321
• Publish Date: 19 April 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 5 April 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Tor Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 192
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

If you love Arthurian retellings (especially those with an LGBT twist), you've got to check out Spear by Nicola Griffith.

She grew up in a cave – in the wild. Yet her whole life, she knew she was destined for the court. Destined, but perhaps not desired. Yet she can't resist the temptation to test herself and see the limitations of her powers, so off on this adventure, she goes.

Naturally, much of what is about to follow feels familiar. Knights, battles, stolen and broken hearts. But several twists make this tale quite different from what one might expect. It is her story to tell, after all.

Okay, Arthurian fans should take note – Spear is a different take on this world. So if you're craving another retelling, please make a point of picking it up! Best of all, Spear is very LGBT+, which is so refreshing it isn't even funny.

I'll confess that I have been getting a little tired of Arthurian retelling lately (there are just SO MANY of them). So when I say that I enjoyed Spear, I want you to understand the full weight of that statement. I enjoyed Spear, despite not knowing how I would feel about it when I first picked it up.

Okay, the fact that our leading lady wants to become a knight and break hearts is amazing, so I probably would have fallen in love with it regardless. I'm pretty sure there's a rule about that somewhere.

I will cut this review a bit short because I feel like anything else I say will run into spoiler territory. So I'll leave it at this: check out Spear if you're looking for a novella with fierce characters and unique takes.

Thanks to Tor.com and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub]

Lyrical with a fairy-tale cadence, Spear is the adult version of the Arthurian tales I loved as a child. Spear follows a girl without a name, one whose quest for an identity leads her to Caer Leon (Camelot), to The Lady of the Lake, and beyond. Each encounter and every experience serve to add another facet to the girl, as she discovers who she is and where she belongs.

The girl- Peretur- is raised nameless in a cave with only her mother for company. Her mother has hidden Peretur, her treasure, and only mutters their history in bits and pieces. One day the girl discovers Artos’s Companions and her destiny is set. She will become a King’s Companion and find her true name. Disguised as a man, Peretur (the girl) sets out to do just that, breaking her mother’s heart- and the geas that has kept them hidden from a powerful enemy.

I loved how the book began, with the story of a nameless girl and her life as she grows. The glimpses of her dreams and aspirations and the chance encounters that set her on her path drew me in. The way the first bit of the book was descriptively and beautifully written kept me entranced.

However, once Peretur left the cave to find her fortune, the language and cadence of the book changed. The book became bigger, with less of the beautiful prose and more of a “normal” fantasy writing style. This is in no way a bad thing, but I did miss the way the first little bit of the book flowed.

While there seems to be a split in writing style, I was engrossed by both halves of the book. The characters Peretur meets are all very familiar to me because I’ve loved stories of King Arthur and his knights for a long time. Author Nicola Griffith fleshed them out and took them from larger-than-life characters to realistic people with their own fears, loves, and interests, while still somehow retaining a bit of that fairy-tale magic that often comes with Arthurian tales.

After reading (and loving) several chonkier books, the shorter length of Spear was a great palate cleanser. The story moved along nicely and took me with it into a land rich with adventure, promise, and magic. I recommend this beautiful shorter novel for those who want a new twist on familiar lore.

https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2022/05/16/spear-by-nicola-griffith/