Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country (Guenevere Novels) Review

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Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country (Guenevere Novels) ReviewI read most current versions of the Arthurian legends; most of them are no great shakes. This one, sadly, falls into that category. This is not a /bad/ book, it is just not a terribly /good/ one.
Like many current works pertaining to the tales of Arthur, this one is set nebulously in "historical times". There are trappings to make it seem like tale takes place just a bit after the Romans pull out of Britain, but only hints. There are a host of anachronisms which would not stand out if only she had placed the tales outside of time, much as Sharan Newman did. Of history, there is little. Of fantasy, there is little, also -- no dragons, no magic, just a lot of very strong-willed and weak- willed people. In fact this is one of the problems -- her main characters cannot make up their minds as to whether they are dynamic leaders or merely swept along by events larger than themselves.
Guenevere is neither a truly strong nor engaging character. At least half of her dialogue takes place in her head; she seems incredibly reticent to speak her mind. Her love for Arthur is immediate and wholehearted, without any real reason. She leads a group of vague pagans who all worship The Mother, a wholy benign being who seems to insist on a lot of sex, very little ceremony, and no strong thought other than "We Are Not Christian". Apparently Guenevere should be a warleader as well as a political leader for her people, yet despite the fact that she is 20-odd years old when we first meet her, she has had no training in battle. On the other hand, she has an immediate grasp of tactics the moment she views a battle.
I rather like the fact that Merlin is a dark character in this work -- so many Merlins since TH White have been such nice, sanitized people that one forgets he was a figure of mystery and even terror in the early legends, the product of a nun and a demon. On the other hand, his characterization is again rather shallow -- somehow he is connected to the Pendragon household and is determined to see it continue in a position of power, but he has these visions of nubile young things that taunt him in is unguarded moments. Once he finds a woman, he is imprisoned as a madman. Poof. End of Merlin.
I put this book in the same rough category as Nancy McKenzie's "Child Queen", Joan Wolf's "The Road to Avalon", and Helen Hollick's "Pendragon's Bannder series" -- not bad, but not really good. If you are looking for a good version of the tales from a female perspective, I heartily recommend either Vera Chapman or Fay Sampson. Ms. Miles' work is merely there, another novel that will go through a single printing and be forgotten.Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country (Guenevere Novels) Overview

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