Strange Women Lying in Ponds Distributing Swords: 5 Fabulous Arthurian-Related Fantasy Books
Hello, my little newts! In honor of the 50th anniversary of one of my favorite movies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, this time I chose five (“Five is right out”) great books involving the legend of King Arthur. I have read a lot of books about King Arthur’s adventures, including The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart, which is widely regarded as one of the best. I read it when I was eight and fell in love with it. I can still see the copy I checked out from the library. It was missing its jacket and was gray with a rose-colored spine, and I ended up reading all the books in the series that year.
But still, most of my knowledge of Arthurian legend comes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, possibly because I have watched it hundreds of times. Arthur’s story is a classic adventure tale, which is why it has been told over and over. In these books, you won’t find any ducks, coconuts, blood-thirsty rabbits, grail beacons, or knights who say “ni!”, but they’re all still a great time.
The Winter Knight by Jes Battis
“We’re Knights of the Round Table, we dance whene’er we’re able.” Legends live for centuries, and so do the Knights of the Round Table in this fun queer urban fantasy. When one of the knights is murdered in Vancouver, an investigator zeroes in on two suspects: an autistic college student named Wayne who is the reincarnation of Sir Gawain, and his love interest, an assistant professor. But Wayne’s lineage is beginning to haunt his dreams, and the truth about his past will bring dark forces into their lives.
Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle, #1) by Tracy Deonn
This is the first book of one of the most critically acclaimed completed YA trilogies of the last several years! Sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews decides to attend a residential program for gifted high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill. She hopes it will help her as she grieves the death of her mother. But after witnessing a magical attack on campus her first night, a mage attempts and fails to wipe her memory. This failure unlocks powers Bree didn’t know she had. Her new abilities bring her in contact with a group of King Arthur’s descendants, who are working to save the world from a magical war—and who have links to the death of Bree’s mother.
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Sword Stone Table: Old Legends, New Voices edited by Swapna Krishna and Jenn Northington
Why settle for one story when you can have sixteen of them?!? This amazing collection features gender-bent, race-bent, and LGBTQIA+ inclusive Arthurian tales set in the past, present, and future. Among the incredible contributors are Alexander Chee, Roshani Chokshi, Maria Dahvana Headley, Ausma Zehanat Khan, Daniel M. Lavery, Ken Liu, Sarah MacLean, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Waubgeshig Rice, and Nisi Shawl.
Spear by Nicola Griffith
Winner of the L.A. Times Ray Bradbury Prize and roughly a million other accolades, this is a queer Camelot story about a young fighter who decides her destiny lies at the side of a king. When the unnamed narrator learns of Artos, king of Caer Leon, she leaves her home and mother behind and sets out on a magical adventure with a stolen spear. As she fights battles and steals the hearts of maidens, her reputation will become the stuff of legend.
The Other Merlin (Emry Merlin, #1) by Robyn Schneider
Last, but not least, a YA story about Merlin. Emry Merlin, to be exact. Emry has disguised herself as her twin brother to get into the castle of Camelot, where she expects exciting adventures and magic await her. But the court is a hot mess: Prince Arthur is moody, Lancelot has been demoted to a common guard, and Princess Guinevere is stuck up. Despite all that, Emry finds herself falling for the prince. But girls aren’t allowed to practice magic, and when Emry’s secret is revealed, she must decide whether she wants love or magic.
And if you want to read a tale of Arthurian legend, but are sick of humans, there’s always A Tail of Camelot (Mice of the Round Table) by Julie Leung.
Still can’t get enough Arthuriana? Check out 15 Legendary King Arthur Books For Adults and Kids and 8 of the Best Queer Arthurian Retellings.
Okay, star bits, now take the knowledge you have learned here today and use it for good, not evil. If you want to know more about books, I talk about books pretty much nonstop (when I’m not reading them), and you can hear me say lots of adjectives about them on the Book Riot podcast All the Books! and on Bluesky and Instagram.
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