I had a rough time reading this, for so many reasons. The majority of the early reviews are all extremely positive, so I wondered if I was reading the wrong book or something. Turns out, I was shooting myself in the foot because I didn't realize that this was a retelling of Arthurian Legends. Unfortunately for me, I don't mesh well with retellings as I never end up liking them, and this was no different.

I would take my review with a tiny grain of salt as I just couldn't get into this story (at all) but didn't want to put it down, so I wasn't in the best mood or headspace when reading this.

Let's get into the details.

 
WRITING:

I struggled with the way this was written right from the start and all the way through. There were no chapters in this, not even an opening one, so it just goes right into the story and keeps going until the end. I thought it was a rather abrupt and odd choice to format the story to not have chapters.

The story also started with a first line that made no sense to me. There were a couple of odd statements sprinkled throughout that I found to be oddly worded, such as the use of 'hard enamel blue of her eyes' as a descriptor. Overall, the writing, for me at least, was full of awkward sentences that didn't flow well and sounded like a badly written script or Shakespearean play.

This was written like it is coming from the perspective of a narrator and not the main character. A main character who did not have a name in the beginning and was referred to as 'The Girl', which was a bit annoying to have to read.


PLOT:

I simply didn't think the story was very interesting, which was sad considering the subject matter. The overall plot was a bit bland for me, and either nothing was happening or I was questioning why it was happening. It took a while for anything of substance to happen, which was an issue considering how short the book was. Even when the story started to pick up speed, I still wasn't interested in it.

I also found that the story went on a lot of tangents full of unnecessary descriptions. Considering how short this book is, I would have liked for some more, well, just more than what I got. For example, the opening for the story was a long tangent about what the girl does during the different seasons which wasn't very interesting to read about nor did it help set up the story.

In general, I felt very distant from the story, not necessarily because I don't connect with it (even though I didn't), but because I didn't feel like I was meant to. The way the story was written made me feel like I am not there in the present while it is happening, but am getting a second-hand account of it. It was almost like there was a wall between me and the story that I just couldn't breach.


CHARACTERS:

The characters would have made a lot more sense had I realized early on that the author was using the Welsh names of the Arthurian figures. However, I did not realize that until very far along into the story and, by then, it was too late to change how this impacted the story. Figures like Merlin and Guinevere are indeed in this, but they went by Myrddyn and Gwenhwyfar, so it went right past me.

That aside, this story follows Peretur, also known as Peredur in Arthurian legend. I didn't think she was a very interesting main character to follow as I just didn't care about her or her journey. All of the characters were rather unmemorable which, again, was sad considering who they are.


CONCLUDING THOUGHTS:

In all honesty, if I had known this was a retelling then I wouldn't have picked this up.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for giving me the opportunity to review this in advance nonetheless.

I received an ARC of this book from Tor in exchange for an honest review.

It's taken me a while to sit down and write this review, because it felt challenging to do justice to this book. Arthurian retellings are a dime a dozen, and I went in expecting something quick and forgettable. Instead I was delighted to find that despite the small page count, this was a book that rewarded slow, careful examination; after reading the author's note at the end, I had to go back and look at the details, the word choice, and a world that emerges slowly, like a landscape hidden behind a fog bank. Griffith has not so much retold the Arthur story we all know as approached it from the side, telling a parallel story that dances in and out of the parts of the myth we know. Her characters are beautifully drawn--I especially liked Llanza, her take on Lancelot, whose tangled relationship with Arthur and Guinevere is given a new and more positive look. Equally at home describing afternoons spent in quiet forest landscapes and a single intense moment of furious combat, Spear has a direct and naturalistic style that reminded me favorably of Andrew Krivak's The Bear, a very different book in many ways but also a similar myth-inflected tale of a girl who spends most of her time alone in the woods. The plot is interesting both for its own sake and to explore the contours of the Arthurian myth, parsing the unfamiliar Welsh names and references as the reader wonders which parts of the story we know will hold true in this lake-water reflection of the tale many grew up with. Spear is a different knightly tale than I expected, and one I look forward to returning to on many a misty morning.

Five out of five stars. A slim, focused novel full of beautiful imagery and interesting angles on familiar stories.

DNF at 50%

Sapphic. Arthurian. Retelling.

I love all three of those words, but couldn't love Spear. Over the course of weeks, I picked it up and read a few pages at a time, and just couldn't make myself read more or faster. The writing style is impersonal. I also found it difficult to feel connected to the main character or any character. I had high expectations for this one, but was disappointed. Perhaps I'll try reading/finishing it in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free arc in exchange for an honest review!

In Spear, Nicola Griffith subverts traditional tropes by gender bending an Arthurian legend, and adds a healthy dose of LGBTQ+ characters for extra satisfaction.

Nicola Griffith makes excellent use of her intense knowledge of Arthurian myth and legend, and its origins, in Spear. She has taken on particular knight, Perceval, and traced his origins through ancient lore and come up with her own iteration of the character through Peretur, a brilliant, lesbian, determined woman.

I thoroughly enjoyed Griffith’s characterisation of Peretur, who takes to gender fluidity like a duck to water. She becomes he when the time is right, when she breaks into the world of men and knights, but returns to she when she meets beautiful women she simply cannot resist. I loved the blend of Peretur becoming involved in the world of men, and fitting in seamlessly, with her moments alone as a woman, or with other women. She is always, incredibly, herself. She speaks her mind and takes the routes she knows to be destined for her, and she doesn’t let a simple “no” get in the way.

Naturally, as a novella, Spear is very short. I found it ended rather abruptly — there hadn’t been any particular wind down of the story — but its length was (almost) perfect for the story it was telling. Griffith adds a fantastic level of detail in such a short time which perfectly rounds out the world and brings the setting, and other characters, to life. I always love novels that bring the old world to life, especially though myth and legend.

For history nerds like myself, Griffith has added a section at the end explaining her choices for the characters and the story, and discussing the origins of the characters throughout her reading. It’s a lovely added extra for anyone with even a tiny interest in the medieval past.

Overall, Spear is a great, short read that brings a well-researched, beautifully subversive take on traditional legend to the table. The writing matches the legendary tone, while the LGBTQ+ characters give us something to think about when rereading our own histories.

I continue to be a big fan of Nicola Griffith, ever since reading Hild many years ago. I really enjoyed this novella, although I have to say I was most excited when I read in the author's note that Griffith has been working on the sequel to Hild!

Overall I really enjoyed this spin on the Percival legend. I thought the characterizations were very strong, and the blend of Arthurian legend and both Irish and Welsh folklore and legend made for a really rich setting. I thought it was well-plotted and overall enjoyable. Ultimately it was a very solid effort from Griffith. I'm not sure it's right for my library, where fantasy and novellas both struggle, and ultimately it may even be more appropriate for a teen audience in some libraries. Definitely recommended but probably not something I can justify purchasing at my library.

4.25/5 rounded down

This short queer gender-bent arthurian retelling was incredibly interesting. The writing was stunning and the characters were interesting.

The story is incredibly slow-paced in the beginning. I didn’t feel sucked in until the halfway point. After I hit that fifty percent mark I was very interested in the story.

The MC was interesting and I enjoyed following her story. Her motivations made sense, she was incredibly stubborn, and I overall just enjoyed her character.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. My only gripe was how slow it was in the beginning.

This was a fresh new (and queer) take on the legend/myth of King Arthur. I am usually a big fan of retellings and have almost always enjoyed the various takes on King Arthur I have experienced so far but this book just didn't click with me. It almost pains me to say that because it was one of my most anticipated releases for the year. The book got off to a slow start and for me the pace didn't really pick up enough to keep me fully invested in the characters. I am a major character driven person so if I can't get fully invested in at least one character while reading then the author has lost me. That being said, I did enjoy the author's writing and characters overall I just wish it was a little more fast paced and with a little more substance for the characters. This was my first Nicola Griffith story but I haven't written them off yet. I am willing to give them another try in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advanced digital copy.

Spear is the story of a young girl raised by her mother alone in the woods, who knows destiny is before her and hears the lake calling to her, knows she must find her way to Artos' court. It's excellent retelling of sorts; I really enjoyed my time with this. The writing is beautiful, and the setting vivid. The story was given exactly the length it needed.

I loved the way Peretur interacted with the world, how we saw her growth and several pivotal moments of change. Her magic and strength and empathy and self-confidence just made it a really fun perspective to read from. If I'm being honest, I very much enjoyed the fantasy of existing as a women but with others seeing and respecting her as a man. (And the fact that every time she chose to reveal herself, that respect remained.)

There's an understanding in this story that finding yourself means finding connection and community. There's acknowledgement of class differences and the inability to ever truly go back to where you came from. And yes it's sapphic (with a side throuple!) which was wonderful.

Even with how short this was, almost every named side character stood out to me. This may be my favorite rendition of Nimüe and Lancelot I've seen, but there were also less well known characters like Cei and Angharad who carved out their own space. The explanation of Cei in the author's note is spot on - that friendly asshole himbo you've probably met.

I'm not going to say much about the plot both because the book is short and because the plot was what mattered least to me. You'd probably have more fun picking out deliberate narrative choices if you had a better grasp on the typical story of Authur's court and this time in history than I do, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything.

I'd recommend this to anyone looking for an Authurian story or simply a quick read in a medieval setting with that classic optimistic hero's quest vibe.

I really, really liked this book. It is a retelling of one of the king Arthur myths (I won’t specify which one, but it is not hard to guess from the prompt) in a wonderfully historically rooted and queer way. This is what I was looking for the other day when I read a book that was billed to as a King Arthur retelling but all I got was a vague setting and no actual references to the Arthurian legends. My main complaint was that it was too short. The plot arc felt complete and was well done for a novella, but I wanted more about the other Arthurian characters. There are hints and great changes made but not fully explored, (esp. to the Guinevere, Lancet, Arthur story). Also, the ending with the whole parent revelation felt a bit rushed. It also reminded me of Terrance in Squire’s Tale, which was a fun connection to make with similar upbringings and parental history, but he stays a squire, and this story is different (no spoilers). Anyway, highly recommend but just wanting more.

SPEAR has all the aching beauty of HILD matched with a fast paced read full of action, romance, and mystery. I loved the combination of Arthurian legend with the old gods of the British Isles, the Tuatha De Danann. I loved the mystery at the heart of the main character and the unfolding truth about her parentage. I loved the way Griffith tears down the misogyny of Arthurian tales and creates a world seen through the eyes of women. it's about a mysterious girl who grows up outside of society's normal and doesn't hate or distrust herself. Her instincts are in tact -- and quite magical. This book is all consuming. Read it on a weekend or you'll lose sleep.

The only thing I love more than a retelling is a queer retelling. This female recasting of an Arthurian myth (from a Seattle-based author!) has beautiful, ancient-feeling prose that is incredibly immersive and situates the reader squarely in ancient Wales. A young woman lives along in a cave with her mother, lacking a name as her mother knows the power of names and seeks to keep them safe. But the young woman feels drawn to wander, to find a lake that calls to her, and when she leaves her mother finally gives her the name Peretur. Thus begins the retelling of the story of Peretur/Percival/Parsifal, and despite being a novella, it is full of adventure, love, community, and valor.

It is a short, quiet story that enchanted me to my very depths, with beautiful writing and an awareness of who has been left out of our legends and stories, not because they haven't existed throughout history, but because they've been intentionally omitted in many cases. Griffith's attempt to rectify that was enormously successful in my eyes. And I'm not just biased because my car is called Nimue.

CW: animal death, death

I loved reading this book! I found the writing to be very insightful and interesting. I was intrigued by the premise and I enjoyed reading it from start to finish.

Thank you, Tordotcom, for allowing me to read Spear early!

This is the first time I'm reading something by Nicola Griffith, but it's not the first time I heard of her. She has a reputation that precedes her because of her masterful storytelling and I must say that reputation is certainly founded on a strong basis. I inhaled Spear, filled my lungs with it and held my breath to let the gloriousness of it to be absorbed by my body so that it'd become a part of me and I would never have to let it go. Just excellent.

I loved this book! It both gave me nostalgia for my childhood when I read a LOT of arthurian fantasy, but this was SO much better. It is Arthurian fantasy but queer!!! I really enjoyed seeing the story played out here, with the tie-ins from Irish legend as well. The entire book is so lyrical, Griffith's poetic descriptions really make it easy to envision the beautiful landscape, while the Welsh names make you feel like you're back in 6th century Wales.

I adored this book, it is the kind of book I wish I had when I was younger. The queerness is just a normal part of the story but it is also SO there, it feels like a queer-norm world (It isn't, it's still set in 6th century Wales, but there isn't homophobia on page ever.) It also is such a diverse cast within the book, but it feels natural and important (not like forced token diversity), with queer, poly, bipoc, and disabled characters.

Additionally to the content of the book, I really enjoyed the Author's Notes at the end. I wanted to google Peretur afterwards and I got the whole little story of Griffith's past with arthurian legends, writing the book, and of course, more information about Peretur in all the stories past.

Very unique take on King Arthur's court. Enjoyed the main characters journey to get onto the court. Merlins character was vastly different than I've read before. A little slow in the beginning of this so give it some time!

This started out slow for me but once I actually got into the book, it was very good. Stories about King Arthur have always intrigued me and when I read the description for this one it became one of my most anticipated books of the year. I'm so glad to say that I enjoyed this retelling a lot.

The prose was lyrical and absolutely beautiful in every way. I loved the character of Peretur and her journey throughout the book to become part of Artos's court.

I liked the different look at the "Merlin" character in this story and how he was different than any other depiction that I have seen done before. In truth, most of these characters were different than expected which I loved. Especially, the relationship between the Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot characters in the story. Gotta say that it was a great surprise that I have been wanting in an Arthurian retelling forever.

Also, the ending was great. I liked where Griffith took this and how it diverges from what you think would actually happen. My only complaint is that I wanted more from this world and I hope that we will get more eventually.

I highly recommend this queer retelling of the Arthurian legend. It was beautiful in every way. I'm going to have to order a copy of it for my collection, especially after hearing about the illustrations that are going to be in the finished copy. Please if you pick this up read the author's note. I loved hearing about the research that went into her writing this book and where Peretur came from.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this wonderful novella. All opinions are my own.

A queer retelling of Arthurian myth and legend? Sign me in!

Spear by Nicola Griffith was a story of Peretur, a Welsh girl with an eerie connection to nature, who sets out on a quest to find her true self. This gender bender novella was a unique read for me since it focused around Peretur and not Arthur himself. Also, the plot was character-driven as it showed the protagonist's growth from her isolated upbringing to becoming one of Arthur's knights. I like the scenes where she met and connected with different people and creatures, and how these interactions influenced her personality and values.

The writing style was lyrical and the world-building was well-established. The medieval setting bled beautifully in every page as there are terms and phrases that would really take you back in ancient time.

Peretur was an exquisite character. She was brave, skilled in battle, but also there was innocence in both her mind and spirit. She went through some emotional journeys which she had to make difficult decisions.

The only issue I had was some of the side characters were not fleshed out as the protagonist. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this book.

This is a queer Arthurian Legend retelling with some of the most lush prose I have experienced. Everything about this book was right up my alley, and upon reading the author's note at the end and realizing there will be ILLUSTRATIONS in the finished copy!! I am preordering as soon as I finish this review.
I always try to keep reviews for novellas shorter, and if "queer King Arthur retelling" doesn't do it for you, I don't know what will. This was absolutely phenomenal, and I'm curious to check out the author's other works as well.

A huge thank you to Tor.compub for the e-arc! All opinions are my own.

Nicola Griffith does a new retelling of the Arthurian legend. It started out a bit slowly, for me -- but once I figured out where she was going, I was totally caught up in the book, a long(ish) novella. If anyone in the audience has never read any of Griffith's stuff, this would be a good entry point. Highly, and enthusiastically, recommended.

Jo Walton got to read it early, and liked it a lot:
"This is as good as Hild and even more resonant. She handles the myth and the history both deftly and beautifully. I loved this. It’s a long, long time since I read anything Arthurian I liked as much as this. I’m sorry you have to wait for it to come out, but do read it as soon as you can. Clever and gripping and just all round marvellous."
https://www.tor.com/2021/08/09/jo-wal...

Thanks much to the publisher and Net Galley for the e-ARC.

I’ve always loved mythology and may have even learnt a bit about Greek and Egyptian myths at some point in my younger days, but Arthurian myths and legends were never even on my radar until very recently and I still don’t know much about them. But it’s always fun to read some form of retelling of an Arthurian legend which is both gender bent and queer because that’s right up my alley. And this was just something.

When I started reading, I struggled a bit with the language because it has that old world, medieval kinda feel but once I got used to it, I saw how beautiful it was. The writing is truly lyrical and free flowing, almost feeling like it’s written in verse, and very metaphorical and alluring in a way I can’t truly articulate. I also loved how the author retold this story, giving us very different but wonderful versions of Perceval, Lancelot and Nimue, but also some fascinating portrayal of Arthur and Gwen. Peretur is a brilliant character who is bold, brave, extremely skilled in battle, but also retaining a certain sense of innocence. I loved her development from living in the wild to proceeding on her adventure, all the while discovering the path she wants to take. But the best part of the story is the small and big connections she makes, both with people and animals, and how each little interaction shape her into the person she is. These emotional moments were what made this such a lovely book to read.

At the end, I just want to say if you stunning writing, very realistic historical setting, and characters who feel both real and mythical, you should checkout this little novella. And the author’s note is unmissable - it shows the extensive painstaking research the author did to keep this story grounded while also ensuring to diversify it to appeal to modern readers. It’s a truly remarkable piece of writing and now I wanna checkout the author’s backlist but I’m gonna cry because I have too many already on my tbr.