If you like the historical fantasy of King Arthur and the Dark Ages, this book is up there. The book is face paced and will keep you hooked till the end. It's a good book and an enjoyable read, right to the end. ( )

Enjoyable retelling of the legends of King Arthur from a side pov.. . that of Gawain. ( )

I am disappointed that this novel is currently out of print, as it is one of the better written of the Arthurian novels. The first Gillian Bradshaw novel I have read, this will not the be last.
The Hawk of May is Gwalchmai, son of Lot (possibly) and Morgawse, sister of Arthur and daughter of recently deceased High King Uther. At the beginning of the novel, Gwalchmai has met neither of his more famous relatives, but he knows that both are greatly hated by his parents. Gwalchmai, more familiar to students of Arthurian romances as Gawain, is here the middle son, between his older brother Agravain, and his younger brother (and definitely not the son of Lot) Medraut. Gaheris, normally Agravain's twin, and Gareth are noticeably absent in this rendition. Unlike Agravain, Gwalchmai is not good at the manly arts of war. He is a gifted bard and horseman, but the Celts have not yet adopted battle on horseback yet. Gwalchmai is disappointed in himself and he knows that Lot and Agravain despise him. Finally deciding that he will never be man enough to be a warrior, Gwalchmai agrees to study the black arts from his mother, and discovers that he has a talent for them. He hates his choice, and desperately tries to protect his beloved younger brother, Medraut from them. Medraut, unlike Gwalchmai, has demonstrated that he will be an excellent warrior. When Gwalchmai realizes he failed in preventing Medraut from taking up the black arts, Gwalchmai flees his father's palace, and after a meeting with the forces of the Light, Gwalchmai decides to become one of Arthur's followers.

Until this point, the book is fascinating and can't be put down. Gwalchmai's meeting with his ancestor, Lugh, is one of the best written set ups for the Celtic Otherworld I have read in a while. Gwalchmai is likeable and the conflicts he describes growing up in his dysfunctional family are well written and presented. However, once he catches up to Arthur, the story takes on some false elements that cannot be remedied easily. Arthur treats Gwalchmai shabbily, even when Gwalchmai, suddenly turned into a formidable warrior by virtue of the gift of Lugh, the sword Caledvwlch (with which, for the first time, Gwalchmai is able to beat his brother Agravain), proves his capabilities and loyalties to Arthur. Arthur can't allow himself to accept Gwalchmai is truly out of his mother's control, until the very last, in an unconvincing ending. It is hard to believe that first Arthur, the good Celtic lord, would treat a man so rudely and inhospitably, and that second, Arthur's warriors would want to follow a man of such ignoble actions. Arthur's behavior is very un-Celtic like; so is the behavior of his soldiers.

However, most of these are the same liberties taken by the writers before and after Bradshaw. I eagerly look forward to finding her other, unfortunately out-of-print Arthurian novels. ( )

This trilogy is my favourite tale of Arthurian Britain. Hawk of May, the first book in the trilogy, is written in the first person from the point of view of Gwalchmai (a name which means Hawk of May), Prince of the Orcades.

Anyone who likes fantasy, history or tales of the legendary King Arthur will love this trilogy by Gillian Bradshaw. ( )

color jacket design by Fred Marcellino; Winner of 1977 University of Michigan's Hopwood Award; 1st in trilogy of Arthurian novels; very good to gift quality collectible copy of 26-year-old out-of-print classic historical hardback.