Serpent Rose

A highly enjoyable Arthurian retelling, centered on the knights Gaheris and Lamorak. I hadn't already been familiar with the particular episode retold in this novella, but context clues and a general knowledge of Arthurian myths were sufficient to give me a good idea of what the original story looked like and how Sperring's version departed from it.

Unsurprisingly for an Arthurian retelling, there's quite a bit of violence and tragedy in this story. However, it also made me laugh out loud during several scenes. The interactions between Gaheris and his brothers Gawain, Agravaine, Gareth, and Medraut in particular are frequently hilarious...when they aren't tense, ominous, and/or breathtakingly sweet.

I also really liked how historically show more grounded the story feels. I noticed two or three anachronisms (insofar as an Arthurian retelling can be said to contain anachronisms), but the overall impact is of a society appreciably different from modern Britain. The characters are very believable, but their concerns and manners and moral codes and belief systems are distinctly of another era. show less

DISCLOSURE: An electronic copy of this book was provided in exchange for review by publishers NewCon Press, via Library Thing.

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Blood feuds run deep beneath the golden glimmer of King Arthur’s Camelot, and perhaps nowhere do they run as deeply as in the bitter and tangled bloodlines of the Orkney princes.

Here, in this dark novella, Gaheris is set upon an inevitably tragic course when he becomes the object of a boy-crush by the young knight Lamorak. Sperring remains pretty coy about Gaheris’ sexuality – he married, at Arthur’s behest, but the union appears to be unconsummated, and Gaheris is the butt of some teasing about his virility. But there are also passing mentions of an occasional flings between Gaheris show more and a kitchen wench, and the older knight, who also narrates the tale, seems oblivious (or at least unresponsive) to the fairly obvious mooning of Lamorak. The whole thing is complicated by an old your-father-killed-my-father feud that puts Lamorak in the crosshairs of Agravaine, the least likeable of Lot’s children.

The whole sad tale plays out with an inevitability that ends in death. Readers familiar with the larger Arthurian legend, know who ended up dead, but Sperring has offered an alternate course of events as to just how and why it all came about.

The story unspools in a fairly straightforward manner, without many fireworks or deep character studies. Alternate spellings and nicknames of some of the players may give pause to readers new to the sprawling cast of characters. Still, it’s a visit to the Arthurian court that doesn’t get bogged down in the Arthur/Guenevere/Lancelot triangle, or dwell on its ultimate downfall, brought about by Mordred (here called Medraut).

Overall, “Serpent Rose” is an interesting, if not particularly stirring, tale of love and loyalties that clash within the soul of one man, trying only to do what is right. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed this novella. The characters were well-drawn and developed, the author showed a good grasp and interesting insight into the Arthurian legends. Spiced with a reasonable amount of humor and a creative view of medieval manners the tale spun out in a provocative telling. I recommend this book to fantasy and medieval romance lovers alike.

A very good knight's coming of age book in Arthurian times and legend. Sir Lamorak is the character we follow from the beginning of his knighthood. The Sagremore brothers are the others, especially Sir Gaheris. Quite a good novella that involves so many aspects of the Chivalric code and knighthood. I have always been fascinated by the tales of King Arthur and it is nice to see that others authors still find the subject interesting enough to write about. While Lamorak learns his knighthood ways from his teacher Gaheris, he comes to think more of him than just a teacher and the dependency is obvious, but Lamorak takes his vows, goes out for his year of adventuring and proves himself to be a true knight. He is a also as foolish as Lancelot show more when it comes to matters of the heart. Great story, nice unpredictable ending, thoroughly enjoyable knightly read. show less

First of all, I would like to thank LibraryThing and the editor and publisher NewCon Press for giving me the opportunity to read this nice little (in length) novel in exchange for a honest review.

I’ve always liked Arthurian-themed/based stories, specifically Mallory’s “la morte d’Arthur”, where Lamorak and all the other appear, and this one doesn’t disappoint.

And, at the end, this is really a LOVE story, only NOT the typical love you’d expect to find on Arthurian lore (I won’t say anymore, because I don’t want to do any spoilers), it’s not the OFFICIAL story, but it’s logical and OK.

If Idetract one star it’s because I’ve had often to go back and re-read because of the two sets of names: Gawain-Gavin, show more Gareth-Gary and the main character Gaheris-Heris among others, for the Orkney clan, and Aglovale-Loval, etc., for the De Gallis., and so on; and because the story could have been told in a richer way, but it’s understandable because it’s from the point of view of Gaheris, the most often forgotten member of the Orkney clan. Of course there is also traitorous Medraut/Mordaunt/Mordred, supposedly brother or half brother of the other Orkney knights, and possibly son of his uncle Arthur (in other versions Mordred’s mother is Morgan).

Yes, there is the blood feud between the families, yes, there is the dishonor and death of the Orkney’s Mother Morgawse, King Arthur’s other half-sister apart from Morgan, but there the similarity ends, and the merit of this version is that it is so very plausible despite all.

It’s the first thing I read from this author, and she surely knows her way around Arthurian Legends and Myths. show less

It's an Arthurian story centered on the fiery Orkneys brothers at Arthur's court. It gives us a behind story of their mother's death, of Gaheris' troubles with the young knight Lamorak.
It flows from beginning to end without a bump or a slowdown. The storytelling is perfect and carry us smoothly to the moving ending.
I'd like to read her take on the story of Galehaut and Lancelot !