Spear
by Nicola Griffith
Although inspired by the prior publications of Arthurian legends by great authors and historians, this book looks into another aspect of legend. The beginning of the book feels closer to the Gallic traditions then ever. As I listened to it I could see the stories of the unseen world. The main character and her mother seemed to be closer connected to the Irish little folk than human. The Spear, has a cross between old tales and the ideals of knights and legends. Learning to become a knight not to promote yourself but to find connection to a group. Protect the helpless, end those who do evil, and find companionship. Its a remarkable struggle with gallantry at the heart of it. I felt so drawn to the story. The recorders ability to read flawlessly the names and concepts with a remarkably spirited voice, created an enchanting atmosphere for the story.

This Arthurian Retelling surprised me. I haven’t read any previous books by the author before this read, but now I hope to read more! It was a slow start for me, but once you start to understand where the story is going it is magical. It’s been a week since I’ve finished it and I’m still thinking about it. I was coming off a book slump so I think I will have to reread this again to fully appreciate the writing. The narrator did a great job and I was intrigued throughout the read. It is the perfect size for anyone wanting to get into fantasy. There is mystery, magic, sapphic romance, and adventure. Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this read in exchange for a review.

This book was phenomenal! The story retells the myth of King Arthur in a way that bridges the many mythologies of the tale to craft an adventurous, powerful novel that centers women, and queer identity. The way the novel also discusses inclusion of women, disabled people and queer people is so refreshing. The narrative tells you how these identities impact these characters in this world and illustrate their identities as a necessary part of how they navigate life. The battle scenes are also fantastic and so well written. The atmosphere is unmatched as well. The writing evokes this medieval setting full of whimsy and magic in the best way. I felt truly transported by the novel. Highly recommend!!

Spear is a queer fantasy novella with folklore elements by Nicola Griffith. The eBook version is 192 pages. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at six hours and is narrated by wonderfully by the author. We follow our main character with a third-person point-of-view. There are occasional romance elements, though it's mostly fade-to-black.

A nameless girl grows up hidden in the woods with her mother. One day, after hearing travelers talk about Artos, the king of Caer Leon, she decides it is time to go. She asks her mother for her name, and then sets off--disguised as a young man--to find out who she is or will be.

This is my first book from this author, but I really enjoyed her prose! It's quite lyrical and beautiful. I don't see too many fiction novels read by the author, but Griffith does an amazing job here. I'm absolutely going to add her back catalog to my TBR.

Tropes in this book include: folklore retelling (Arthurian), queer heroine, sapphic romance

CW: animal death, violence, murder

Special thanks to Macmillan Audio, Tordotcom, and NetGalley for providing an audio galley of this book for me to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Spear starts off about a girl who lives with her mother in a cave. She's isolated, only human companion being her mother. She begins to venture farther from the cave, observing humans in nearby villages, and collecting some discarded objects. She eventually decides to leave the cave and see what more lays beyond their small piece of the world.
I didn't finish Spear. It was my first audiobook so I think that played a part in the DNF. The writing style was beautiful, poetic. Nicola is truly an artist with her words. I liked the voice of the reader as well. She did a great job of adding emotion to the story with good pacing.
The story was interesting but I wasn't hooked and found it difficult to follow along due to that. The writing is beautiful and I think objectively this is a good story but I couldn't stay interested.
I love that this book is LGBTQ+ and that the female main character has a female love interest.

Arthurian tales can be either hit or miss for me. I have a very fond love for The Mists of Avalon, and Nicola has done a wonderful job of crafting a tale that will live in my heart right alongside that one.

When we're introduced to the girl, things seem to move slowly. Though it appears this way, so much is given to you in the descriptions of her thoughts and actions. You begin to piece together who the girl is, and then you get to watch her blossom into who she's meant to be.

I found Nicola's take intriguing, and her voice in the audio narration kept me deep in the story, making me feel as if I was right there in it body and soul. She did a wonderful job in shifting between one character's voice and the next, making scenes very easy to follow. She has the perfect voice for this sort of tale and I hope we get to hear more from her!

I highly suggest this one if you're on the fence and not sure if you should read it or not. It's beautifully crafted and will take you by surprise with its twists and turns. Go read/listen now!

I really enjoyed this Arthurian retelling - especially since it was sapphic! Really quick read, I did listen to it on audiobook and had already preordered it prior to receiving the audiobook. It was a wonderful story and highly recommend to anyone who likes Arthurian stories.

Nicola Griffith wrote an exciting story, steeped in Arthurian legend, that reclaims the femenine in ancient storytelling and mythology. Honestly, what's not to love?
The narration and pacing are good. The cover is beautiful.

I'm not typically drawn to Arthurian retellings, but this one really worked for me!

Our main character, Peretur, is a woman called by visions to be a knight in King Artos' court. She disguises herself as a man and goes on a quest to prove her worth and there's magic and love and all the usual Arthurian myth elements. I think one of the things that I liked about this retelling compared to others is that it is told from an outsider's point of view. The usual characters are present, but it's not their story, it's Peretur's.

I also loved the casual queerness present in the story. Peretur is a lesbian and there are mentions of polyamory between Arthur, Lancelot, and Gwen. Any historical fiction/setting that challenges the idea that history was only white, straight, and cisgender is something I know I'll want to check out and this did not disappoint on the LGBTQ front.

The author narrates the audiobook herself and does a fantastic job bringing her beautiful prose to life. The descriptions are lush and I found myself completely immersed in the world.

I was provided an audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. The audiobook is narrated by the author, which in this case works really well. The writing is very poetic, and she is able to capture the cadence of her writing in the way I feel only she could. With a retelling or fantasy such as this she was also able to pronounce the names of the characters the way she envisioned.

I've always been fascinated by Arthurian lore, and I really enjoyed the unique take on this one. It keeps the heart of the Arthurian legend while putting a new spin on it. Our main character Peretur is female and is called by visions to be a knight in King Artos' court. She grew up in seclusion with her mother who kept them warded in a cave. When she comes of age, Per ventures off on her own as she knows she has a destiny to fulfil and evil to fight. In order to gain the trust of the King she must prove herself worthy. Peretur gathers used armour and a broken spear as she ventures out beyond her cave to win accolades and prove her worth and see what fate has in store for her. This has all of the elements a retelling needs: a quest, action, magic, and a love story.

If you are looking for a great retelling and a queer one at that, I highly recommend this. It is well researched and the writing is beautiful. This did start out a little slow for me, mainly because I'm not usually one who enjoys a more poetic writing style, but after a few chapters I settled in and really enjoyed the story.

I enjoyed this one. It is a queer retelling of Arthurian legend and felt like a really interesting take on that well-known story. It was unique and entertaining throughout.

I am not entirely sure how I feel about this book. The idea was unique to me, as I have never known an Arthurian tale to be told from an outside view, but I admit to feeling quite confused and uninterested for most of the story. I think part of it was the difficulty of the characters' names. There were also instances of intimacy that felt misplaced (even though I applaud the LGBT+ representation!). I did not feel the story and plot warranted any romantic side plot. I wasn't wholly disappointed in the story; I just couldn't get into it.

This book had me at queer retelling of Arthurian legend and it did not disappoint! I loved this so much. The writing was incredibly, incredibly atmospheric and beautiful and is what really brought this book to life. If you’re interested in Arthurian legend at all it’s a given that you should read this.

I really sincerely hope there is more for this universe because I adored the glimpse we got to see with this!! And now I am even more excited to check out anything else by Nicola Griffith. The audiobook is narrated by her which I always love when authors do as it just adds such a personal touch to the experience.

While I loved this book the only thing I can complain of is that it’s under 200 pages which, besides giving me less time of an amazing book, means there is some rushing towards the end when I was so ready to sit back and live in the world for so much longer. However, it ends satisfyingly and is plotted VERY well so the pace is consistent throughout.

Spear was the short, fast-paced, queer Arthurian tale that I’ve been craving. I loved the MC and the way her story plays out from becoming independent, earning respect, and becoming a warrior and possibly more. The twist was lovely, This was made even more enjoyable by the author’s incredible voice. I listened to this in one sitting!

I really enjoyed this book! I always love retellings, and I think this one did a great job at keeping that sort of lyrical/ancient feel while still making some super interesting changes. The exploration of gender and sexuality was thoughtful and nuanced, and I enjoyed all of the references so early British religions/mythology... I'm sure plenty of them went right over my head, but the ones I did catch certainly enhanced my experience (and the ones I didn't get didn't detract from it, so no harm done!). It's also always a bonus for me when I get to listen to authors read their own work! This is the first book by Nicola Griffith that I've read, but it definitely won't be the last.

Spear by Nicola Griffith was such a fabulous quick read!
Only 6 hours I finished this Adult, Fantasy novel in one fell swoop.

I really enjoyed this novel.
This audiobook is narrated by the author herself, which I thought was pretty neat.
I felt Nicola did a wonderful job telling the story.

Spear is a lyrical queer mythology retelling of Arthurian myth and legend. 
The vivid storytelling was a dream, and hooked me as soon as I started.
Completely and utterly spellbinding this medieval myths was amazing.
I had a lot of fun listening to Spear and can't wait to read more from Nicola.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Macmillan Audio,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a quick and enjoyable read/listen! I'm always down for some more Arthurian novels and I liked the spin on this one. The author did a great job as the narrator as well.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

There are A LOT of Arthurian legend retellings out there, but despite that, I was excited to see what Griffith did with this queer retelling. SPEAR is more than a novella, but less than a full blown novel at under 200 pages so this is a pretty quick read.

I found the pacing and the plot a little hard to follow, this was my first Griffith novel so perhaps I'm just not used to their writing style. It's not my favorite Arthurian retelling, but I did appreciate the concept.

Nicola Griffith narrates their own audiobook and they do an ok job, but the narration felt a little flat.

Queer and sharp and directed, as inevitable as a driving spear, SPEAR is a story of a girl destined for greatness - in a world where girls and women are (generally) not allowed to be great and even poor boys must be more than great if they come from nothing.

Our main character has a cheat code, a connection to the land and its beasts, that gives her a leg up on most people. But she is also charismatic and true and dedicated to justice and fairness and the ideals (if not necessarily the reality) of the Arthurian court. We also get casual queerness and open mentions of the definite polyamory between Arthur/Lancelot/Gwen that we all know was definitely a thing.

Stories like this - which have the same feelings of the histories and classics that enforce our rigid canon but with an openness to, acknowledgement of, and inclusion of diversity - feel like the proper thing. People who are not white cishet are real and have not only existed throughout history but forged that history themselves.

I love a good Arthurian retelling, and Spear did not disappoint! This short book manages to fill itself with gorgeous prose and a sweeping story, Complete with magic, intrigue, and sapphic romance. while I found the beginning to be slow, as soon as the action began the pick up the story flew by. Compared to recent Arthurian stories I've read, Spear is one of the better ones, committing to its forward-thinking additions of gender exploration and lesbian identity. The audiobook was beautifully done, and I always love when a book is read by the author. such a great read full of well-researched and innovative myth!