Author: Marie Phillips
Read Type: ARC
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Sir Humphrey du Val of the Table of Less Valued Knights - Camelot's least prestigious table, with one leg shorter than the others so that it has to be propped up with a folded napkin - doesn't do quests ... until he meets Elaine, a damsel in distress with a secret to hide.
Meanwhile, Queen Martha of Puddock is on the run from an arranged marriage to the odious Prince Edwin of Tuft. But an encounter with the Locum of the Lake (standing in for the full-time Lady) leaves her with a quest of her own: to find her missing brother, long believed dead.
The two quests collide, introducing a host of Arthurian misfits, including a freakishly short giant, a twelve-year-old crone, an amorous unicorn, and a magic sword with a mind of her own.
With Gods Behaving Badly Marie Phillips showed that she has a rare gift for comedy, giving the Greek Gods an ingenious contemporary twist. In The Table of Less Valued Knights it's Camelot's turn, and you'll never see a knight in shining armour in the same way again.
Strong language: Some
Drugs: None
Violence: Yes, fighting
Sexual content: Some, implied or description of images
I received a copy of the novel from Random House via Netgalley
for free in return for an unbiased review.
This novel was a funny look at Camelot and Arthur's knights.
Overall it was light in feel and witty in how it wove in Arthurian legend. But it wasn’t without its deeper moments,
such as addressing what it is to be disgraced as a knight, which roped the
reader into the story underlying the humour.
We begin in King Arthur's hall with the annual Pentecost
party going on, attended by all the knights of the realm: the Round Table, the
Table of Errant Companions, and the Table of Less Valued Knights. A party that
brings the biggest quest of the year. Whoever completes this is said to get in
Arthur's good graces. Soon somebody runs in with a mission, naturally assumed
to be the Pentecost one, and the party truly commences.
Fast forward several hours when all the knights are drunk,
or have otherwise found their way to a bed, leaving the hall empty–except for one.
Humphrey is a knight of the Less Valued Knights table, where all the elderly,
injured, or somehow disgraced knights are placed and banned from taking quests.
He is shocked to see a distressed maiden fly through the doors, and quickly
realises that a mistake has been made: this
is the true Pentecost mission. Rather than call one of Arthur’s knights he
"forgets" his standing and takes her quest on. They steal away into
the night, along with his young giant squire, and the fun begins!
The comedy was interlaced throughout the story, from the
story name, the squire, Conrad, and his unusual steed to damsels
not-in-so-much-distress, taking Humphrey for a roll in the nearest semi-isolated
location. It took little dialogue to tell this tale; instead it was covered with
the action and adventure. It felt fitting that people of such different
classes, while working together, chose to show appreciation through action,
from a clip round the back of the head to an attempt to seduce.
Humphrey’s back story of how he found himself on the Less Valued
knights table, was a pause in the humour to tug at our heart strings. By the
end of it I really felt for him and had a much better idea of who he was and
where everything fit in the story. After this much appreciated break that
really allowed the reader to get to know the heart of Sir Humphrey, the story
reverted to its comedy roots, as his attempts become increasingly haphazard to
complete the quest and prove himself.
Come part two, we switch time streams and characters, to a princess
who is about to be crowned queen. This part had a very different, much more slapstick
feel, yet harbouring more tension. She has to fight her "destiny"
every step of the way, but surrounded by such ethics as a woman should be seen
and not heard, she doesn't get far. This woman is far more vocal and
independent, even when making huge mistakes and cavorting with magic. She brought
much more drama and mystery to the foreground of the story.
The characters were the real glue of this story, whether
funny, emotional, or bringing mystery to the group, they all played an integral
part–even the character built to be annoying, though he drove me up the wall at
times!
In a few places around the middle there were a lot of
characters and plot threads to keep track of, however, these were tied up
before they became an issue. The ending was very fairytale- and fable-esque; it
felt fitting. I would like to see more of the world. I feel the main characters
in this story have covered their potential plotlines nicely, however I felt there
was a lot more room for growth either in a different timeframe or with other characters
we met briefly.
Overall I found this novel to be a fast, funny frolic in a
land where anything, can, and did, happen. I would recommend this to anyone
looking to lighten their day with a laugh or two and an enjoyable read.
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