An Earthly Knight

An Earthly Knight is based both on the story of Tam Lin, and on the aftermath of the story in a ballad (or, well, a group of ballads) called 'Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight'. It's interesting how it weaves those two stories together, and also pulls in the threads of historical fiction. I don't know how accurate the historical fiction aspect of it is, given that it's totally not my area of history, but it seemed reasonably believable for the period, and it didn't feel like it was too info-dumpy -- except perhaps when it came to the part about jousting. If I want to read about the ins and outs of jousting, I'd be reading Sir Thomas Malory or suchlike.

Anyway, I enjoyed the story quite a lot. I read it in three chunks, interspersed with a mission that's frustrating me on Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood -- I'd happily have read it in one go, if I hadn't been trying to get full synchronisation on that damn mission (Hell On Wheels, if anyone's curious -- one of Leonardo's war machine missions). It wasn't the most in depth version in the world, but it was very easy to read, and the characters were, if not exactly all fully fleshed out, at least believable. Jenny in particular, given her conflicted feelings and her tendency to act out. She seemed like a spoiled brat at times, which, well, she kind of was.

It did seem to resolve very easily. The first two hundred pages felt like set-up, and then the last sixty pages hardly seemed enough to resolve everything. They did, at least reasonably well, but I felt like it came too easily, somehow...

Still, glad to read it -- although I don't think I'd reread it. ( )

This book was interesting because it combined realistic medieval customs with fantasy. The fantasy started off at myth and superstition which was also unique. I liked how emphasized customs, religion, and above all behavior were in this society. I read this book because the title was intriguing.

200 pages in I still didn't much care how they were going to get to the resolution. Maybe if I didn't love [book:Winter Rose] so much, or maybe if I were younger...

My favourite Amazon review of this comments that the author here manages to reduce the tale of Tam Lin to a story of a rather dull girl who pulls some bloke off his horse. Clunkily and earnestly faithful to history in many respects, it's nevertheless full of anachronisms; references to the original ballad are less than subtle; the heroine is wishy-washy, Tam Lin himself barely present, such magic as there is is singularly lacking in wonder - altogether this comes a very poor fourth in the 'adaptations of Tam Lin' stakes. Of which I know of ... er ... four. ( )

Summary: The year is 1162. Sixteen-year-old Lady Jeanette Avenel has always enjoyed her freedom as second daughter of a minor Norman nobleman in Teviodale, Scotland. But after her sister disgraces the family, Jenny is suddenly thrust into the role of eldest daughter. Now Jenny has been chosen as the potential bride to the heir of the kind of Scotland. While learning the customs of the royal court, Jenny is drawn to a mysterious young man rumoured to have been kidnapped by fairies. (from the back cover.)

This is a young adult historical romance/fantasy set in medieval Scotland, based off the ballad Tam Lin - 'I forbid you, maidens a'/ That wear gowd on your hair/ To come or go by Carterhaugh/ For young Tam Lin is there.'

The fantastic elements are introduced with great subtly, building on the folk traditions and beliefs of the time period. The plot itself moves along slowly at a leisurely pace, with great gaps between the heroine and her love interest, Tam Lin, meeting. The intervening chapters focus mainly on daily life in medieval Scotland, and, although interesting, tend to read too much like a history textbook. The narration tends to digress into unnecessary historical factoids, while at the same time the characters behave in an anachronistic manner - forming a bizarre juxtaposition.

The fantasy element of the novel is so subdued as to be unsatisfying to genre fans, while the romantic elements of the plot also leave much to be desired, as the heroine and her 'true love' share so few moments together. ( )