Science Fiction & Fantasy
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Spear
"Spectacular―I've been waiting years for this book to exist." ―Maria Dahvana Headley, author of Beowulf: A New Translation
"If Le Guin wrote a Camelot story, I imagine it would feel like Spear: humane, intelligent, and deeply beautiful. It's a new story with very old bones, a strange place that feels like home." ―Alix E. Harrow, author of A Spindle Splintered
She left all she knew to find who she could be . . .
She grows up in the wild wood, in a cave with her mother, but visions of a faraway lake drift to her on the spring breeze, scented with promise. And when she hears a traveler speak of Artos, king of Caer Leon, she decides her future lies at his court. So, brimming with magic and eager to test her strength, she breaks her covenant with her mother and sets out on her bony gelding for Caer Leon.
With her stolen hunting spear and mended armour, she is an unlikely hero, not a chosen one, but one who forges her own bright path. Aflame with determination, she begins a journey of magic and mystery, love, lust and fights to death. On her adventures, she will steal the hearts of beautiful women, fight warriors and sorcerers, and make a place to call home.
The legendary author of Hild returns with an unforgettable hero and a queer Arthurian masterpiece for the modern era. Nicola Griffith's Spear is a spellbinding vision of the Camelot we've longed for, a Camelot that belongs to us all.
"If Le Guin wrote a Camelot story, I imagine it would feel like Spear: humane, intelligent, and deeply beautiful. It's a new story with very old bones, a strange place that feels like home." ―Alix E. Harrow, author of A Spindle Splintered
She left all she knew to find who she could be . . .
She grows up in the wild wood, in a cave with her mother, but visions of a faraway lake drift to her on the spring breeze, scented with promise. And when she hears a traveler speak of Artos, king of Caer Leon, she decides her future lies at his court. So, brimming with magic and eager to test her strength, she breaks her covenant with her mother and sets out on her bony gelding for Caer Leon.
With her stolen hunting spear and mended armour, she is an unlikely hero, not a chosen one, but one who forges her own bright path. Aflame with determination, she begins a journey of magic and mystery, love, lust and fights to death. On her adventures, she will steal the hearts of beautiful women, fight warriors and sorcerers, and make a place to call home.
The legendary author of Hild returns with an unforgettable hero and a queer Arthurian masterpiece for the modern era. Nicola Griffith's Spear is a spellbinding vision of the Camelot we've longed for, a Camelot that belongs to us all.
Editorial Reviews
"Mesmerizing . . . A lyrical bildungsroman drenched in the natural world [turns into] a fast-moving, violent suspense tale with stakes that are at once epic and personal . . . A marvelously concise epic that is entirely Griffith's own."
―Gary Wolfe, Locus
"Readers will appreciate this sparkling interpretation of Arthurian legend, which combines interesting historical detail with appealing, inclusive characters in a genuinely delightful way."
―Anna Mickelsen, Booklist
"There is magic in Nicola Griffith's words. Prepare to be enchanted."
―John Scalzi, author of The Kaiju Preservation Society
"If Le Guin wrote a Camelot story, I imagine it would feel like Spear: humane, intelligent, and deeply beautiful. It's a new story with very old bones, a strange place that feels like home. It's exactly what I needed."
―Alix E. Harrow, author of A Spindle Splintered
"Nicola Griffith braids the Percival tales to her own ferocious imagination, and the results are spellbinding. Her novel is a reclamation of the touchstones of Arthurian myth―skewering received notions with the sharp point of her pen. If that sounds too theoretical, let me also say that it's a screamingly hot canon-queering epic filled with bloody battles, and world-shaking magic. Spear is an unprecedented and spectacular investigation of the Matter of Britain. I've been waiting years for this book about the once and future everyone else to exist."
―Maria Dahvana Headley, author of The Mere Wife and Beowulf: A New Translation
"This fresh, emotionally immediate queer spin on the medieval tale of Percival and the Holy Grail reaffirms Griffith as a consummate storyteller . . . Steeped in period texture that brings remote history fully into the present, and lushly illustrated by Rovina Cai (The Seventh Raven), this tale of destiny, belonging, and home is a genuine pleasure."
―Publishers Weekly
"Breathtaking. Nicola Griffi...
―Gary Wolfe, Locus
"Readers will appreciate this sparkling interpretation of Arthurian legend, which combines interesting historical detail with appealing, inclusive characters in a genuinely delightful way."
―Anna Mickelsen, Booklist
"There is magic in Nicola Griffith's words. Prepare to be enchanted."
―John Scalzi, author of The Kaiju Preservation Society
"If Le Guin wrote a Camelot story, I imagine it would feel like Spear: humane, intelligent, and deeply beautiful. It's a new story with very old bones, a strange place that feels like home. It's exactly what I needed."
―Alix E. Harrow, author of A Spindle Splintered
"Nicola Griffith braids the Percival tales to her own ferocious imagination, and the results are spellbinding. Her novel is a reclamation of the touchstones of Arthurian myth―skewering received notions with the sharp point of her pen. If that sounds too theoretical, let me also say that it's a screamingly hot canon-queering epic filled with bloody battles, and world-shaking magic. Spear is an unprecedented and spectacular investigation of the Matter of Britain. I've been waiting years for this book about the once and future everyone else to exist."
―Maria Dahvana Headley, author of The Mere Wife and Beowulf: A New Translation
"This fresh, emotionally immediate queer spin on the medieval tale of Percival and the Holy Grail reaffirms Griffith as a consummate storyteller . . . Steeped in period texture that brings remote history fully into the present, and lushly illustrated by Rovina Cai (The Seventh Raven), this tale of destiny, belonging, and home is a genuine pleasure."
―Publishers Weekly
"Breathtaking. Nicola Griffi...
Readers Top Reviews
Kayla LJennifer Jord
Arthurian tales can be either hit or miss for me. I have a very fond love for The Mists of Avalon, and Nicola has done a wonderful job of crafting a tale that will live in my heart right alongside that one. When we're introduced to the girl, things seem to move slowly. Though it appears this way, so much is given to you in the descriptions of her thoughts and actions. You begin to piece together who the girl is, and then you get to watch her blossom into who she's meant to be. I found Nicola's take intriguing, and her voice in the audio narration kept me deep in the story, making me feel as if I was right there in it body and soul. She did a wonderful job in shifting between one character's voice and the next, making scenes very easy to follow. She has the perfect voice for this sort of tale and I hope we get to hear more from her! I highly suggest this one if you're on the fence and not sure if you should read it or not. It's beautifully crafted and will take you by surprise with its twists and turns. Go read/listen now!
Swati Shah
I cannot say enough about how much I loved this story. It is beautifully written, the language is so familiar, yet unique, and evokes legend, fantasy and history. As an avid Arthurian reader, this story reminds me of the classics. It has the magic and the majesty of that time. Our heroine is bright, strong, searching for her place. I cared deeply about her journey from the first paragraphs. This will be a story I reread many times to come.
badDog4
Seeing a new Nicola Griffith novella coming out put a spark in my heart. Spear is an Arthurian tale with a female twist which makes it even more amazing. The main character, Peretur, is raised in an isolated cave deep in a forest, warded by her mother’s magic. Her mother is deathly afraid of the two of them being found but never reveals why. Finally of age and disguised as a man, Peretur treks to the outside world, driven by a quest that is not even clear to her. She is not like others and her uncanny abilities in battle and her free way with wildlife keep her safe on her journey to seek out King Artos and his city. It’s a short book but rich in detail. There’s never a wasted phrase or interaction. There are good action scenes and the pace ebbs and flows artfully. Everything is a brick carefully laid out. Peretur has several love interests, all women and they feel perfect in the moment, especially when she finds her true love. In poor hands, Peretur could have come off as distant and overly larger than life, but Griffith writes her as a humble soul so she is easy to like and I was invested in the outcome. Spear is a small treasure and a wonderful addition to the world of King Arthur.
April Adams
I’m a huge sucker for queer retellings of classic stories and I must say that this enchanting novel has definitely lived up to the hype. Nicola Griffith’s prose is beautiful in every sense of the word and this story left me sleepless and begging the literary goddesses for a sequel right after I binge read this entire book in one night. I was living my best life when I was following Peretur’s journey from an unnamed young girl who was raised in a secluded cave with her mother to King Arturus’s Court in Caer Leon. Plus, I love the fact that this awesome story was set in the early medieval period in Britain because I’ve always wondered what had happened during that period and the vivid descriptions in this book made me feel as though I was seeing the people and the landscape with my own eyes. I’m not ashamed to admit that it was love at first glance when I saw this stunning book cover and I wanted to read this story immediately!
Tinney S. Heath
Nicola Griffith is utterly at home in the 6th century, and thanks to her extraordinary skill and artistry, so is the reader. This slender book contains a much larger reading experience than one might expect from its size. Having read Hild, I bought the hardbound version of Spear, knowing that it would be a book to savor and keep and share, and it did not disappoint. Also, I may never need to read another book based on the Arthurian legends. The characters peopling this book are so exactly who they ought to be that I have a hard time imagining any other Arthurs and Guineveres and the various knights being as vivid, real, and right. Very highly recommended.
