I’m a huge sucker for queer retellings of classic stories and I must say that this enchanting novel has definitely lived up to the hype. Nicola Griffith’s prose is beautiful in every sense of the word and this story left me sleepless and begging the literary goddesses for a sequel right after I binge read this entire book in one night. I was living my best life when I was following Peretur’s journey from an unnamed young girl who was raised in a secluded cave with her mother to King Arturus’s Court in Caer Leon. Plus, I love the fact that this awesome story was set in the early medieval period in Britain because I’ve always wondered what had happened during that period and the vivid descriptions in this book made me feel as though I was seeing the people and the landscape with my own eyes. I’m not ashamed to admit that it was love at first glance when I saw this stunning book cover and I wanted to read this story immediately!

A huge thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this wonderful story in exchange for my honest review.

Nicola Griffith’s short novel Spear takes us on a luminous journey deep in Welsh roots of Arthurian legend to record the exploits of Peretur as she seeks to understand her nature and the fate that awaits her at Caer Leon, the stronghold of Arturus and his Companions. As Griffith explains in her afterward, she has searched through all the versions of Arthurian legends in different forms and the languages of early Welsh, medieval Latin, Old French, Middle High German, Middle English and more to pull together her brilliant pastiche.

Spear gives us a vivid and completely original portrait of the figure known variously as Peretur, Parzifal, Parsifal or many related names, and the search for the great cup that is one of four magic objects that belonged to ancient gods. The others are the sword Arturus keeps at his side as the source of his power, the stone from which he took it and the great spear that becomes Peretur’s weapon.

For the young girl, raised in the isolation of a cave by a mother determined to keep the child from her mysterious father, seems to be imbued with her own hypernatural powers. Even in childhood, the natural world sings to her of its subtlest shifts and portents of change.

As she grows in strength and her powers mature, Peretur leaves her home, convinced her fate lies with Arturus and his court, We follow her as she encounters peasant families whom she helps and from whom she accepts food and shelter. Because of her strength and skill, she is always taken for a young man, though in one romantic encounter she sleeps with a young woman who learns her secret but pledges to keep it. She happens upon the partly buried body of a warrior and takes his weapons and leather armor before giving him a better burial. With these, she sets about battling the bandits that have been terrorizing the farmers and eventually happens upon a group of Arturus’ companions and helps them fight off a bandit troup.

She tells them it is her destiny to go to Caer Leon and be accepted as one of the king’s companions, but they tell her she must make a name for herself first. She sets out to do that through an encounter with the vicious Red Knight. After that she leads a procession of the people she has helped to Caer Leon, meets Arturus and the rest of the court but finds them suspicious of her. There are many further adventures Peretur has to carry out, and these take her deep into the magic of the king’s sorcerer, Nimue, and eventually back to her cave home and a confrontation with her father, the god Manandan.

Nicola Griffith’s Spear takes us on a circular journey that flows on brilliant prose. I had to read it in a day because the rhythm and imagery were so fluid and deeply woven into the sensual world of Peretur’s heightened perception and powers. I found Spear to be a flawless work of glistening imagination, a rendering of early Britain that is completely original and fresh. Peretur is an unforgettable figure, always alert to what her senses take in, brilliant in action and, something that is hard to portray, someone who feels thoroughly good as she grows into her adult self and all her powers.

wow. wow wow wow wow. this book was recommended to me by some peers, and i am so grateful that they did (and that i managed to get an arc). spear follows a young girl (whose name is later revealed), as she is raised in seclusion with no one but her mom around. she finds herself at ease in nature, and quickly realizes she has a calling outside of the life created for her. as our protagonist embarks on her journey, she digs deep to understand more of who she is, and what her overall purpose is. the story that follows is ethereal and magical from start to end.

for not having any working knowledge about anything/everything to do with arthurian legends, i really (REALLY) enjoyed this book. the prose and imagery makes it impossible to put down, and i found myself transcended into the world crafted by griffith. on top of such an amazing story, there was also great representation, and a protagonist you can't help but support. for such a short read, this book was action-packed with each and every page. seeing as i enjoyed it as much as i did, i can only imagine how much arthurian lovers will enjoy this read. i hope her story does not end here! 3.75/5 stars.

thank you so much to netgalley and macmillan-tor/forge for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Spear was one of my most anticipated books of 2022, despite the fact that I’ve never read any of Nicola Griffith’s other works (because of, really; a shiny new book is always the best way to get me into an author, at which point I know I will then dedicate myself to their backlist). I also really love Arthurian myths. Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint.

This is a lyrical story about Peretur, a Welsh girl with an uncanny connection to nature, who sets out on a quest to find her true self. The highlight is definitely the prose; it’s rich and ethereal, much like the main character herself. Griffith smartly blends inspirations from the original text (of note, this story adopts the relatively free-form structure of ancient ballads), with more modern language that brilliantly creates a sense of time and place. Spear feels a lot like a fine, hand-knitted garment; the finished piece is smooth and faultless, but you can also sense the amount of time and effort that went into every word.

The story itself is a simple one, but it’s easy to get swept up in Peretur’s adventure. For those looking specifically for a queer retelling, it’s both an important part of the story and just another part of Peretur’s life; the women she loves shape her story, but she certainly doesn’t give a lot of thought to examining her sexuality, which is want for the time period. Spear does suffer a little from the fault borne by many of the Arthurian legends – Peretur’s magical gifts do make her a little too perceptive and skilled at times to really connect with, despite Griffith’s best efforts to hone in on the challenges she faces in her emotional journey as a counterpoint – and some of the side characters are very lightly sketched. But those are my only real complaints in an otherwise wonderful story.

There’s a very extensive author’s note at the back (it made up about 10 per cent of the e-book ARC) where Griffith’s talks about her research into Arthurian Britain and the wide array of myths and stories about Peretur (known under various names) that influenced Spear, and which made me appreciate the care with which this story was crafted and told even more. Though my favourite part of the author’s note is this comment that: ‘… for me, historical accuracy also meant that this could not be a story of only straight, white non-disabled men’, because it’s straight to the point but also sums up Griffith’s efforts to draw upon the widest possible understanding of the Arthurian legends: both as they originally were, and as we re-interpret them in our modern world.

Firstly I would like to apologize because mu English is not good enough to fantasy books I was sooo lost. But I recommend to anyone who can. Thank you for the opportunity to read it

A beautiful Arthurian story with a queer protagonist. This was definitely an interesting story, it follows the story of a girl who has only ever known her mother.. but her thirst for her path leads her into the world and as she grows she begins to meet new people, go on a life changing quest, meet her love, and discover who she is amongst Arthur’s court. It all starts when she gets a name for herself and discovers a dead body.. and soon she begins her journey with a hunting spear and mended armor, she will become an unforgettable hero and follow her birth path. I always appreciate a new spin on classic stories and finding one that is well written and with a queer main character? Amazing! I would definitely recommend this for anyone who enjoys new takes on classics and who want to find something new and enjoy Arthurian stories

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tordotcom for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you Netgalley and Tor/Forge for sharing this eARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

A nameless girl hidden away from the world by her mother is raised on stories of greatness. The girl takes the name Peretur, leaving the wilderness and her mother behind, to assume her destiny as a knight. But becoming a knight is no easy feat for a girl from nowhere. After a bad first impression with the Companions, the knights who serve the king, Peretur travels the land righting wrongs and earning a name for herself. She travels to Caer Leon and lays her deeds before the king, hoping they will be enough to join his Companions. When news of the Grail comes to them in dreams, Peretur must go on a quest to retrieve it but is torn between love of her mother and the respect of her king.

Spear is a feminist retelling that weaves together Arthurian Legend, Celtic Myth and the History of Britain. It will appeal to readers of Sistersong and The Witch's Heart

Nicola Griffith’s Spear is a painstakingly researched medieval fantasy that takes the Matter of Britain in a beautifully queer new direction.
I read a review of Hild, Griffith’s best-known work (I believe) that essentially described it as Nicola-Griffith-proves-she-did-her-research. Some of that comes through in Spear, especially in the agonizingly self-impressed notes and acknowledgment by the author at the end. But it does seem that Griffith has learned from her mistakes with Hild.
Spear tells the story of Peredur, a young woman who passes for a young man for much of the book. It’s hard to tackle one part of the story without getting into all of it, but suffice it to say that Peredur is a version of the name Percival/Parsifal, the knight who finds the Holy Grail. This is a de-Christianized Arthur story. It’s just the right length. It’s beautifully written. It’s got great period detail. And the pace is good.
Highly recommended for readers of fantasy, readers of queer fiction, and readers of King Arthur stories.

I adore the Arthurian mythos, and in particular that it can keep being reworked by different authors with different intentions and get completely different results that are still clearly linked. Most recently I read Lavie Tidhar's By Force Alone, and it shook me to the core... and now Nicola Griffith gives me something completely and utterly other.

( Which begs the question, Can you read and enjoy this with no knowledge of the Arthur stories? Absolutely. And in fact it would mean that you wouldn't have the same looming dread / fear / second-guessing that I did, trying to figure out who was meant to be who and would Griffith include that particular thing and oh noooo.... )

This was nothing short of amazing.

To begin at the end: I really enjoyed Griffith's Author's Note at the end, explaining both her choices and her inspirations. It wasn't *necessary*, but it shows very nicely how Griffith sees herself fitting into the existing canon, and how her choices were influenced by archaeology and other sources. Also, her acerbic "crips, queers, women and other genders, and people of colour are an integral part of the history of Britain" - yes indeed.

Griffith has set her Arthur in the very early medieval period - the Romans are gone but the Normans aren't there (it took me an embarrassingly long time to realise who the Redcrests were (Roman soldiers)). It's the beginning of Arturus ruling a fairly small area; he is gathering Companions to help him fight off invaders and also to try and give some sort of peace, and lack of banditry, to his area. But the focus of the story is not on him: it's on Per, Peretur, who has many names and none, who is on a quest to figure out who she is and where she fits. Because oh yes, this is Perceval / Parsifal as a woman, following in that grand tradition of "women have always fought" and having the same adventures as any of the men might. Griffith uses some of the medieval stories as a starting point - her love, and deep knowledge, of the genre is clear; and she tells a rich and compelling and human story that I just devoured.

One of the most intriguing things from an Arthurian perspective is where Griffith chooses to stop the story - which I'm not going to spoil. But it does make me hopeful of more in this world; she herself mentions the possibility in the Author's Note, so now I guess I just have to sit here and wait. Because shut up and take my money already.

Really liked this one, it was short and sweet which I appreciated, it got to it’s point very quickly. I liked it as a contribution to the mythos of Arthur and the Holy Grail, but this time from the point of view of a lesser known character that’s also mentioned in all those myths and stories, and I think the author did her best to be as accurate as possible with the medieval setting, down to details like many horseriders don’t use stirrups, and how Peretur fixed her spears, sword, armour etc.

The plot basically follows our main character, initially nameless, as she grows up in a secret cave with her mother, learning how to explore the world around her without being seen by anyone else. She then grows up and leaves, deciding that she wants to join the Companions of the King, and must create a following of people who know her good deeds so that she may come before the King with honour basically. I felt like the plot was a gentle progression from one thing to another, one thing I found about this book was it was written in a way that felt very storytelling, like things progressed from one to another in a way that just felt a little like ‘so this happened, then this happened, then this happened’, but it didn’t make the book boring nor static, it just felt like someone had written down events as they had happened, in the way you’d expect things like the tales of Arthur to have been written. There’s a lack of tension, but that’s good, as it helped reflect what kind of story the author was writing. But at the same time, you do feel detached from the characters and plot, as I said there’s no tension, so there’s not much plot-wise to keep you invested, apart from the progression of the story. There are no stakes, save for the possibility of Peretur’s identity as a woman being revealed, but even that does not feel like too big of a problem. It does make for a strange reading experience, because you almost know exactly how the story is going to go, things are resolved very quickly, and as I said, just a complete lack of tension and stakes, even up to the ‘big confrontation’.

Peretur is a great main character, I enjoyed seeing her grow up and go out into the world and how she dealt with all the things life threw at her. I liked how it explored her relationship with her mother, understanding that her mother was both loving and slightly abusive, and Peretur still loves her for the care and love she did receive from her. The sense of identity and belonging is a huge part of her character, and I liked how the book used it to progress the narrative as well as Peretur’s own arc. I liked how she was gay, and how that was handled within this time period, with her needing to hide it, but finding many women who reciprocated her feelings without it being made a big deal of. I liked her relationship with Nimue and how that developed, and what it meant for her character. In general as well, I enjoyed following Peretur as she learned how to fight, how to defend herself, as well as how to kill, the book took the time to see her learn and grow from what she has learned. And her magic as well, with how she listens and feels things, I liked how we saw her use that to her advantage in a fight, or just in general when trying to understand other people, she’s grown up with this magic and sense as a part of her, so it makes sense that it’s a huge part of how she navigates the world around her. I would say she has very few flaws, which does make her feel like a ‘too-perfect’ protagonist, any flaws she has is due to immaturity, and even then they are painted as a reasonable flaw, so if you like your characters to have a more interesting character dynamic, then this probably isn’t the book for you. The ending as well, it ends quite abruptly, there’s not really a sense of achievement, it is just a bit weird, it just kind of ends.

Overall just a really enjoyable read, it was short which I think was good, as I would’ve struggled with a longer book in that sort of style, but a good contribution to the stories of Arthur, and I liked how the author chose Peretur as her focus. Some issues for me personally, but still a perfectly enjoyable book.

A beautiful, sweeping gender-bent Arthiurian retelling. Set in Wales during the Middle Ages we are introduced to Peretur as she sets out on her quest to join King Arthur. But there is so much more to this little novella! Overall, it was just a wonderful blend of both history and myth. An excellent read! And as an added bonus, the author’s note at the end includes explanations, research and insight into the narrative process. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor for providing me with this Digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read an ARC of Spear!

Let me just say that I adored this book from start to finish. Nicola Griffith's writing dances a fine line between prose and poetry and once I started, I did not want to put it down. It takes true talent to take something that has been told and retold over and over such as the King Arthur myth and make something new and fresh and Griffith hit the mark perfectly.

I especially appreciated how normalized the LGBTQIA+ themes were approached. Yes, the main character disguises herself as a boy but with the exception of one scene, we are never forced to confront sexism or homophobia that you might expect out of a period piece. The single scene in question found the perpetrator quickly shut down for his actions and we don't linger on it for more than we need to.

This is the first book I have ready by Nicola Griffith and now I must go read more!

Synopsis: The story follows the coming-of-age of a nameless girl becoming a fierce warrior and companion of king Arthur. She is a child of two worlds, the Irish Tuatha Dé Dannan with their magic on the one side and the Arthurian companions on the threshold to Christianity on the other side.

Her mother Elen stole one of the Irish Tuatha Dé Dananns' famous treasures, Dagda's Cauldron, as a revenge and payment for getting kidnapped and raped. To protect both herself and her daughter, she had to hide in the Welsh wilderness and surround their cave with mighty geas magic. As the story starts, they use the magic cauldron as a plain normal cooking bowl, eating every day from it. The girl has got no name, because names give magical leverage, but her mother calls her Tal for "payment".

The other world, yet unknown to her, is the court of king Arthur where she wants to become one of his companions, disguised as a (male) knight. 

Just before leaving, the yet unnamed girl asks her mother for her name (please note how she uses singular-They in the following internal monologue):

A name, she thinks, is what makes a person who they are. A name is how they know themself.

Unwillingly, her mother gives up the protection of having no name, and she is known as Peretur. 

Arthur's companions and Arthur himself don't welcome her with open arms, because they feel something uncanny about her, and she doesn't reveal her parents to them. She has to prove herself as a protector of the farmers, gets rid of bandits, faces many trials, and finally defeats the Red Knight. Her chosen weapon are two spears which she found on the way. 

Arthur's companions are fully convinced now, but Arthur himself needs yet another great deed to accept her: His wife can't become children, and she needs to be healed by drinking from the Holy Grail. Peretur knows exactly where it is - back in her mother's cave!

Review: Now, look at this awesome cover by Hugo winner Rovina Cai! She captured the novel's essence perfectly - there's the magical cauldron as a hanging bowl, the red rider, a wooded thicket, and a wooden fort wall. Also, the typescript resembles those early medieval manuscripts. But wait, there are more of those great illustrations coming, as one can see at Tor.com. Those illustrations are yet another reason to get the hardcover edition! 

I didn't go unprepared into this novel, already knew that it is set in 6th century, embracing magic and the Arthurian legends. The first 20% of the novel really got me involved, it was pure immersion, in the same narration style as Hild. 

The magic is not the fireball wielding one, but a far more soft version. It's the magic of knowing, feeling, which makes Peretur understand why the horses are nervous or how her foe will react. Or small thinks, like guiding lost sheep to better places:

She was smiling to herself about the foolish old sheep, and sending it news of where it might find tender grass suitable for its mouth.

Griffith is a big fan of Arthurian legends, and it shows. She did a genius cover by combining Irish mythology with the Arthurian: all four treasures of the Tuatha Dé find their way into this story. Of course, there is the sword Excalibur, addressed with its Welsh name Caledfwylch which stuck in the Stone of Fal. The Holy Grail is combined with Dagda's Cauldran in an absolutely fascinating way. and finally the Spear of Lugh also appears. You won't miss anything Arthurian, as the companions are all around, including the Lady of the Lake and Myrddyn/Merlin. 

This integration of two legendary settings doesn't hinder Griffith at all to also include a modern touch of storytelling. First of all, her protagonist Peretur is a woman disguising as a knight. She is also a lesbian, enjoying some juicy encounters not only with farmer wives. Lancelot is great on horse, but is disabled with a lame leg, and he is a people of colour with his Spanish origins. As Griffith explains in her longer afterword:

Crips, queers, woman and other genders, and people of colour are an integral part of the history of Britain.

Enough praise, you really should buy and read this book!

While I enjoyed the book, I will not buy it for my library unless a patron requests it. I just do not think there is a large audience for this book. Historical fiction and fantasy both have limited readership so historical fantasy is a hard sell.

Spear reads like a Medieval Epic in the tradition of Early Medieval Welsh poetry.

I feel like I always say this when reviewing Arthurian retellings, but they are kind of my aesthetic! I adored that the names of both people and places followed the Medival Welsh phonetics. I also enjoyed a bit too much that Nimue played such a big role in the story, which is quite unusual. This way, Griffith sets us in an ancient time and place.
Her writing is most certainly unique in style. She's able to link ideas and feelings to smells and sounds which was surprising.
One of my favourite parts was, without a doubt, the Author's Note. It is quite a weird thing to say, but it was incredibly enthralling. Once I started reading, I knew I needed to know everything. All the research that went into creating the story is outstanding. And I ate it all up.

This was such a fun short read. The story flowed well and the writing was beautiful. I couldn't put the book down! Also made me more interested in Arthurian mythology and want to pick up Nicola Griffith's other work.

this is a much shorter novella than i thought it would be, and i loved it! it's atmospheric, well-researched, and wonderfully imagined. i also admire its ability to stand on its own as well as be a great retelling (for readers more familiar with arthurian legend).

Right away I was drawn in by the ethereal cover by Rovina Cai (who just won a Hugo Award for best artist!). After finishing the book, the cover seems even more perfect- how it captures the bowl, the woods, and the knight with her spear. This is the first book I’ve read by Nicola Griffith, and I’ll definitely be reading more. The prose is beautiful, descriptive, and emotional.

Spear is a retelling of Arthurian legends, specifically an LGBTQ+ story of Peretur, or Percival. It’s set in Wales in the early Middle Ages. Peretur sets out on a quest to find herself and the place she belongs, which she thinks is in the king’s court. She has a special connection to horses, other animals, and nature itself.

The book captivates from the very first page and doesn’t let go until the end. After the end, the author included notes about the history of the legends and the choices she made in the retelling. It was very interesting.

Spear comes out in April 2022. Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Tordotcom Publishing for my copy.

Spear by Nicola Griffith

Release date: April 19th 2022

---------------

A girl, raised in the forest by her mother, who doesn’t know her origin, her father, her purpose, or even her name. Until one day she finds the body of a fallen knight, relieves him of his sword and spear, and therein finds herself.

Despite the battles and struggles there is a serene mystery to this tale which was so rewarding to read. It wasn’t until the last half of the book I found it to be a reimagining of King Arthur and his knights as it is so unique you could easily hold it as it’s own story “faintly inspired by” those tales of old. Ancient and magical artefacts, gods and mages, kings and knights, this sapphic entwined story has it all.

I don't know how I skipped reading the summary, or if I just blanked it, but I hadn't actually realised this was an Arthurian retelling. It was kind of interesting to come to the story that way, and see the clues emerge so that I suddenly went, oh, right, and knew a little more about where I was and where I was about to go. Spear is a gender-bent retelling of the story of Perceval/Peredur, which fortunately skips the Welsh jokes and "lol he's a clown" that got played out in the tradition at one point (and which put me off Perceval as a character).

Griffith plays with the legend and with a sort of etymology for the name to create a story that hits some of the same notes, but in a different key. Her version of Kay is interesting, halfway between the Welsh version and the French, and her footnote about him in the author's note gets him (as far as I'm concerned) spot on. Bedwyr's around, too, though no sign at all of Gwalchmai that I can recall -- despite the Dyfed setting, it's not the most Welsh of retellings in that sense.

Honestly, I don't want to say too much; it would get to sound nitpicky, given my academic background and all the little tiny features I was interested in and had thoughts about, rather than enthusiastic. Suffice it to say that I enjoyed it, greatly enjoyed certain touches surrounding the usual triad (Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere), and definitely don't mind a queerification of Arthuriana. In fact, let's have a lot more of it!

I do have a few concerns, like: does Griffith realise how that changes the pronunciation? It's nothing at all like "Lancelot", a double L in Welsh is a completely different sound. The natural nickname wouldn't be "Lance", as far as I can tell -- I'm not a Welsh speaker, but I have doubts here. Mind you, the Welsh alphabet doesn't have "Z" either, so if "Llanza" is an attempt to make the name fit, then it's an awkward one.

And my other concern might seem ridiculous, but... in the author's note, to refer to "the Red Knight of Troyes' Perceval" is painfully wrong. It's referring to Chrétien de Troyes, obviously... and the way you do so is by referring to him by his full name initially, and then abbreviating to "Chrétien". Troyes is a city, not a name. It's like you said "Monmouth's work", meaning to refer to the work of Geoffrey of Monmouth. It should be "Chrétien's work" -- "de Troyes" is not actually a surname, and "Troyes" super definitely isn't. It should be "the Red Knight of Chrétien's Perceval".

It's something that was hammered into me at university, that we'd look ridiculous if we made this mistake, so obviously I noticed it right away! Maybe it's a weird pet peeve to have, but here we are.

That said, the story itself works really well for me, and I enjoyed it a lot, both as an avid consumer of Arthurian retellings and for itself.