Sam Davey

I wanted so badly to like this book, but it fails so hard in such a fundamentally important way, that I can't. The plot follows standard Arthurian legend and will be familiar to most, but spoilers for the novel's execution below

Per the back cover, The Chosen Queen is a "feminist retelling of the mother of King Arthur." Davey is a talented author: her prose is good, her descriptive language and scene setting are good, and her pacing and ability to build to a dramatic climax are good. She can show more write truly memorable characters (her indelibly creepy four-year-old Moran Le Fey) and truly memorable scenes (said four-year-old Morgan Le Fey scrying the Atlantic Ocean.) She has some truly refreshing takes on canon: her Igraine and Gorlois are genuinely in love (complete with believable bickering). Ninety percent of this book is great. But oh, does Davey fumble the ball when it matters.

Her basic plot is Geoffrey of Monmouth in Mists of Avalon cosplay. Igraine is an adherent of "The Goddess" who studied beneath Vivian in Avalon and takes guidance from the Druid Merlin. I put "The Goddess" in quotations here because this is the novel's first major weak point. The one point of tension in Igraine and Gorlois's marriage is that she follows "The Goddess" while he is turning to Christianity. The differences between the two faiths and why one might appeal to someone over the other are never developed. To be fair, "the Old Ways versus Christianity" has become a genre convention post-Mists of Avalon, and dozens of other retellings assume readers will accept as gospel (pun intended) that their protagonists need to save the "Mysteries" or the "Old Ways" from being eclipsed by Christianity without ever explaining what exactly about them is worth preserving and why.

So sure. I'd be willing to roll with that in The Chosen Queen too, except Davey uses "The Goddess", ad nauseum, as a crutch to explain why Igraine "must" do something against her own wishes, or better judgment, or that is so clearly stupid, ill-advised or critically dangerous that no rational person would ever make said choice. I'm left wondering why Igraine follows "The Goddess" at all when doing so has repeatedly fucked up her life so badly.

But the novel's mortal failure is its last 60 pages, in which Igraine learns that her husband is dead, her subjects have suffered months of gang rape and child slaughter, and she has spent a week being raped by Uther disguised as Gorlois, because "The Goddess" sent a vision that she would bear a son and Vivian and Merlin did not want said child to be fathered by a Christian. This is the point in this feminist retelling where Igraine--"Goddess"-chosen, Avalon-trained, who has just spent months running an entire kingdom in her husband's absence--tells them where to shove it, and starts fighting back, right?

...Right?

Haha, nope! Igraine hides in her room until Vivian threatens to have the door taken off its hinges. At which point Igraine comes out, because "I did not doubt for a minute that she would do as she threatened." This woman just orchestrated your beloved husband's murder and a week of your rape at the hands of his war criminal murderer. Let her take the fucking door off the hinges.

When Uther catches her in the garden picking herbs to abort the fetus she conceived in rape, he takes the herbs from her hands and...she never tries again. Feminism!

When Vivian and Merlin imprison her in Tintagel, she...stays meekly imprisoned in Tintagel: no attempted escapes, no appeals to the loyal subjects she bravely and singlehandedly led through months of total war. When Vivian tells her that her subjects blame her for that war, she goes "Alas" and doesn't make a single effort to persuade them otherwise, despite the fact that she bravely and singlehandedly led them through it. Self-determination! Agency!

When Vivian tells her she'll be married to Uther whether she wants it or not, she protests until Vivian gives her a pretty dress, at which point the protests dry up. When we get to the part where she blames herself for telling Gorlois about Uther's attempted rape that precipitated the war (It was just a teensy tiny attempted rape!) my head started exploding and didn't stop.

Even her victorious end--exile in the Fisher King's magical castle--only happens because Merlin casts the spells that make it possible. As she has for the last 60 pages, Igraine does abso-freaking-lutely nothing while other people make decisions and determine what happens to her next.

What on earth is feminist about any of this? show less

Igraine's life has been mapped out for her from the start. As a second child of nobility, she was destined to be trained in the Mysteries of Avalon, dedicating herself to the Goddess. An arranged marriage to Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall makes her a Duchess. Igraine loves her people, serves her Goddess and finds love in her marriage. Gorlois has been a faithful fighter to King Uther Pendragon. Now, finally in a time of peace, Uther attempts to take Igraine for himself. To Gorlois, this is an act show more of war. However, the strings are being pulled behind the scenes by Vivian, Lady of the Lake and Merlin to fulfill a prophecy about Igraine's son. Igraine has two daughters, Morgause and Morgan; however, with Gorlois turning his back to the Mysteries and choosing to worship one God, Vivian and Merlin no longer see Gorlois fit to father the King of their prophecy. After the war in her name, Igraine learns of the layers of deceit and her role as a pawn for Vivian and Merlin and decides to take her future into her own hands.

The Chosen Queen is a historical fantasy that explores the origins of King Arthur from his mother's perspective. Dimensional characters and expert world building bring to life Igraine, Gorlois, Vivian, Uther, Merlin, Morgan and Morgause as well as their home in Tintagel. The writing is rich in detail and has a strong atmosphere. Igraine is strong and powerful, a born leader but is used by Vivian and Merlin simply as a vessel to bring forth Arthur. I wish that I could have seen Igraine as the leader she envisioned herself as. I was entranced by Igraine and Gorlois' relationship as well, they seemed so in love with one another despite growing differences in their faith. The Mysteries of Avalon were also intriguing to me as well as Igraine's complete faith in her teachers, Vivian and Merlin, to lead her personal life despite their directions to be in opposition to Igraine's needs. I enjoyed Igraine's time in charge of her own castle, leading women with purpose and teaching her children skills they would soon need. I especially loved the rituals and her bonds with the women and men left at the castle. While Igraine may not have been able to choose every step of the way, she showed immense strength while being manipulated by those she trusted.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. show less

I am a dedicated fan of everything King Arthur, and that means I have to read everything I can get my hands on that is even remotely about him. The Chosen Queen satisfied my Arthur craving, and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

This book is written from the point of view of Igraine, eldest daughter of Amlawdd, King of the Welsh borderlands and mother to daughters Morgause and Morgan, and to Arthur, and takes place when the daughters are still children and Arthur only appears show more at the very end (because the book starts out before he was born!). Author Sam Davey has performed a masterful job of combining the many stories in the Arthur legend to create a more believable tale of How It Must Have Been.

Highly recommended. show less

I really wanted to like this. I love stories on The Matter of Britain, and a feminist one, what promise! Unfortunately, I think this struggles in two ways. One, this is not very well written. It's bland and over-explainy. Two, very little is done to make the characters more unique or updated. Too bad.