I was absolutely spellbound by SPEAR. A richly reimagined version of Percival's tale, this novella follows Peretur, who grows up as one with the valley where she lives with her mother and follows her future to Caer Leon, where Artos sits as King. Along the way she finds strength, love, and purpose, a magical journey to become who she was always meant to be.

I have loved the stories of King Arthur and his knights since I was a child, and there was something so nostalgic yet fresh about this exploration of a diverse Camelot rooted in history. The writing style was immersive and beautiful, lyrical and entrancing, and the plot was finely crafted with where it paralleled and deviated from the original legend. I cannot recommend this enough. Nicola Griffith is truly one of the greats.

*3 stars* I enjoyed my time with this book. Great writing and character development, But overall, forgettable.

Spear by Nicola Griffith is an Arthurian novella about Peretur (Perceval) set in 6th century Wales, with a lot of realistic detail of everyday material culture, armor, weaponry, and the diverse peoples inhabiting the island after the reign of the Roman Empire. For example, Bedwyr (Bedivere) is of African ancestry, and Llanza (Lancelot) is brown-skinned. The most notable change from the usual Arthurian mythos is that Peretur is a lesbian woman, disguised as a man in order to fight with Arthur and his Companions. I am a sucker for “woman dressed as a man” historical narratives, so this was catnip to me!

I also liked how Griffith integrated magic into the narrative; it felt organic to intricately tie artifacts such as Artur’s sword and the stone it came from to Peretur’s origins as the daughter of a magical being and also to Myrddyn (Merlin) and Nimuë, whose relationship is also reworked in a way I found very satisfying from a feminist point of view.

Griffith’s dialogue with Arthuriana reworked a lot of elements I find annoying in many versions of the story, for that matter. The usual toxic love triangle of Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot is here presented as a mutual polyamorous relationship with Artur, his beloved spear brother the Asturian knight Llanza, and Gwenhwyfar. Their relationship is concealed from others but visible to Peretur’s eyes. Llanza was one of my favorite characters; he has congenital damage to one of his legs, but on horseback is the best of Artur’s warriors as well as the most loving and loyal. Griffith deftly characterizes each of the Companions, no matter how brief their appearance, giving a sense of wholeness and reality to the story.

As with all Griffith’s work, I highly recommend Spear and hope that someday she writes more with these characters.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book.

For a short book, it did take me longer than anticipated to read it. I do enjoy Arthurian stories and I was excited to read this one.

However, whilst I did enjoy reading this book. I was not invested and didn't feel like there was anything in particular that made me want to pick the book back up. It wasn't terrible by any means and the writing was beautiful, it is one of those cases where it isn't the book for me personally.

I would still recommend this to other people who also are fans of Arthurian retellings. The research was fabulous and I can tell the author cares very much about this topic.

One of the better Arthurian riffs of recent days -- Griffith brings her exceptional skills to bear in short form here, and it's a nice tide-over while we wait on the next HILD book.

A magical fantasy yarn that recontextualizes famed and oft-retold folklore, Spear feels both entirely familiar and vibrantly new. Peretur is a young hero on a journey. It’s one that will see her slay monsters and discover strange magic, but also most importantly see her find her place and people. This is the sort of hard fantasy that’s accessible and exciting for all kinds of readers. It’s thrilling to be in an age where we get all kinds of folklore retellings—this month’s list includes four stunners—that allow new readers to redefine how they tell their own stories.

"Spear" by Nicola Griffith is a thrilling and thought-provoking novel that takes readers on a journey through an ancient world filled with danger, intrigue, and political intrigue. Set in prehistoric Europe, the story follows a young woman named Aria, who possesses an extraordinary ability to communicate with animals.

As Aria sets out on a mission to find her missing sister, she encounters a diverse cast of characters, including hunters, shamans, and rival tribes. Along the way, she must navigate the complex social and political dynamics of her world, while also facing a series of increasingly difficult challenges and obstacles.

What sets "Spear" apart from other historical fiction novels is Griffith's incredible attention to detail and her ability to bring the ancient world to life. Her vivid descriptions of the landscapes, flora, and fauna of prehistoric Europe are both immersive and captivating, making the reader feel as though they are right there alongside Aria.

Overall, "Spear" is a fantastic read that will appeal to fans of both historical fiction and fantasy. The novel is well-written, engaging, and filled with memorable characters and thrilling action sequences. Highly recommended!

Spear is a retelling of the Arthurian Legend, but is a queer retelling. In spear, King Arthur just barely became king and our main character, Peretur/Parcival is a female. She ends up becoming a fierce warrior and the companion to Arthur even though she has to perceive herself as a male knight.

I really do not have much knowledge of the legend of King Arthur and due to this, it may have tainted how I viewed this story and my enjoyment.

I do find this retelling unique with having one of Arthur's knights masquerading as a male even though she is actually a female and she is queer as well. So, it was great to see diversity and how her being a queer female motivates her with her actions.

Other than that, I struggled with Spear due to getting lost on what was going on and I did not feel anything for any of the characters.

Unfortunately a DNF for me. I’ve tried reading this a few times and I really struggle with the writing style. I do think it’s beautifully written and an incredible concept, but it’s just not something that works for me.

In an isolated wilderness in Wales, a gifted child is raised by her mother, who keeps her ignorant of ways in the outside world. She nevertheless grows fascinated by that world; leaves her mother to “find her true self” at the court of Arturus, the king at Caer Leon; there meets Nimuë, the Lady of the Lake; and eventually sets out to find the Grail.

This is the story of Perceval, one of the greatest knights in Arthurian legend and the earliest to succeed on the Grail Quest. Here she is named Peretur, and Griffith not only makes her female in male guise, but attracted to other women rather than men. As the daughter of Mannandán, one of the Tuath Dé Irish deities, she is also semi-immortal, with the enhanced speed and strength that make her so formidable a warrior, and the acute ability to sense information from her natural surroundings and so anticipate her opponents’ actions.

While these exceptional abilities mark her as a hero in the romance mode, the author recreates a highly plausible Dark Age/early medieval world. She provides meticulous details of the natural setting, clothing and equipment, and the conditions in which ordinary people struggle to survive in a difficult and dangerous time.

In her insightful author’s note, Griffith offers a helpful survey of medieval versions of the original story, then goes on to explain how she came to choose crucial elements from tradition and history, and why she modified them to create her own tightly structured pattern. She writes in lyrical prose that draws the reader into a fascinating world, as she explores the dangers caused by the abuse of power. An impressive achievement, and a worthy addition to Arthurian tradition. Highly recommended.

HNR, Issue 101 (August 20)
https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/spear/

A girl leaves her mother and the safety of their cave home before she has even learned her own name. She ventures far, learning about her own magical strength and all she needs to fear in the world as she does so.

This was such an enchanting and exhilarating read, as full of as much mythology as it was whimsy. The characters remain unforgettable and I was charmed by them the entire time I was reading this. My main source of adoration stemmed from the rawness and authenticity that was infused into every page of this: the story felt like a bleeding, beating heart, alive for the reader to devour.

Nicola Griffiths is one of my auto-read authors nowadays, so I was excited to receive the ARC from Netgalley, TOR.com and Griffith in exchange for an honest review, which I am more than happy to give. I actually decided to listen to the audio, which I borrowed from the library, read by the author instead of the ARC text, because I have very little time for eye-reading these days. However, I am going to purchase the hardcover, because I loved it so much and love Griffith"s writing so much I want her to benefit financially as well.

The prose is gorgeous, as I've come to expect from Griffith, and is one of the attractions for me. The story is theoretically one we all know, but the main action portion of the story takes place in a relatively short period of time after Arthur has become King and attained the sword. What is interesting about Spear is the main character is Peretur/Parcival, who is actually female and gay. It is not the main point of this story but it adds another layer of meaning and gives Peretur some fascinating motivations. There are some other wonderful bits that are fleshed out of the main legend, which I just loved. And yet, this book is not long. I wish it were longer, I could've read much more about Peretur and the whole company with King Arthur and the other characters we know.

The audio is read by Nicola Griffith and she has a wonderful voice for this type of legend. You can hear the love in her voice for the story and characters. There is an afterward that was not included in the audio book I had though, which explains her connection to the story and her research, all lovingly and diligently done.

I am always a bit sceptical about queer retellings because the desired result is not always faithful to the essence of the original material. Spear, on the other hand, passes perfectly for an Arthurian myth where the queer component is perfectly integrated without seeming unnatural. If you love stories about knights, King Arthur and the search for the Grail, this book is highly recommended.

the elaborate ornate language certainly works in creating a folklore-esque atmosphere. plus it's sapphic. sadly i personally felt at a remove from the characters

Did not finish
Spear fails to capture the attention through its writing style and exceedingly slow pace.

Nice, atmospheric, and very suitable for those even unfamiliar with the arthurian legend. Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

While the writing style took some time getting used to, I really enjoyed the way this Arthurian retelling was written. I felt that the beginning was a little slow but once it got going and the world expanded it was mystical, magical and had all the perfect medieval tones. I really enjoyed Peretur's character and her journey throughout the whole story. I also loved all of the lore and how everything was explained. The one critique I would have of this novella is the pacing - the beginning was quite slow, then it picked up and was the perfect pace throughout the middle, and then the ending felt rushed.

I love the Arthurian mythos and I love reinterpretations of it. Nicola Griffith clearly loves these things too and wrote the perfect book for folks like us. She even takes the Percival story, of which I have never been very fond, and made me love it!

In this story, Percival (or Peretur) is female. She dresses and moves through the world (once she decides to enter the world) as a man, though, because she wants to be a Companion of the Round Table. She wants this because she sees the Companions as people who fight for something more than power- they fight to protect and to help those who cannot fight themselves. In this, Peretur sees more in the Companions than they truly are. The Wise Fool that she is, she thinks that they can always be expected to do what is right, and that if she does what is right, she will be rewarded. Soon she learns differently.

There is magic in this world, and wondrous items. The Tuath De (godlike beings or faeries, depending on how you interpret) once possessed four things of power: a chalice or cauldron, a sword, a stone and a spear. All of these items appear in this story and all of them have an important part to play. Peretur herself possesses the ability to "read" items and learn from them of who or what has handled/touched them and how to predict what that person or thing once in contact with that item will do. This comes in handy in a fight, when a blade of grass can whisper of how an opponent will plant their foot or when a drop of blood gives a glimpse into that opponent's trick move.

Made items are a very important theme in this book. Peretur comes from a home where she had to make everything herself- chairs, food, tools. When she comes across or sees manufactured things, these things tell a story. Leather quality tells about who owns that leather. A cup, be it wooden or metal, tells a story of the owner. Everything in this world has a solidity and heft and importance. It recalls old stories and the idea that a thing is something that took effort to make and was made for a reason. When Peretur chooses to wield a spear instead of a sword, that says something about her.

Nicola Griffith is clearly well versed in the history of the Arthurian legend. She has written a beautiful, vivid story that is worthy to join in that canon. I loved the feel of her world, the humanity of her characters, and how true their choices were to themselves. This story is a thing that was made with great care and that is truly magical.

I was lucky enough to get an eARC of Spear, though I did listen to the audiobook of it. We follow a so far unnamed girl as she grows up with her mother, isolated from the world. But as the girl ages, she ventures further and further from home. Only once she finally leaves home does her mother name her Peretur. And so starts this Arthurian retelling as Peretur tries to become part of the round table by hiding her gender and takes on the appearance of a man. She then goes on quests, proving herself to the kingdom and proving she is more than capable of being part of the round table and join the quest to find the Holy Grail.
I did enjoy this retelling. It was queer and diverse, while also using spelling that gives the impression of being the old Celtic words and names. It makes the legend suddenly feel more possible, like the story implies, it was lost because they wanted it lost and forgotten so no one can access that power. I loved the atmosphere this book gives us. I loved how openly queer the characters where. There was only hesitance in Peretur to share her gender because then they wouldn’t let her be a knight, though Lance does know or did. It’s implied that he and the others forgot about finding the grail in the first place.
I really loved Peretur’s relationship with Nimueh. I wish we got more of the two of them, but honestly it did such a great job with giving us just enough to love them. As for Peretur, she is related to Merlin who has disappeared in this retelling. She is immortal and half god. That’s the area I wish we had gotten more information on. I felt like it didn’t fully give us enough depth to explain what was happening in the story with them and why it was brought into the story a bit more. It just felt like it was lacking in information in that area. It was suddenly there to use as the villain, the villain is quickly slayed and it left more questions than answers. I feel like we could have used just a smidge more information on it and maybe draw it out to give us that information. But honestly, that was my only complaint with this book along with the fact it ended so suddenly.

I have always loved Arthurian legends and stories and was intrigued to see what this gender-bent novella would offer into the mix. Happily, this was such a fascinating and beautifully written version of Percival and the quest for the grail, along with a wonderful take on the hero's journey. I thought Peredur was such a nuanced and thoughtful character and enjoyed her progression through this story immensely. I also really enjoyed the new take on Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot and the way in which they all interacted was very satisfying. Overall, I thought this was a very entertaining and lyrical read and would definitely recommend it to anyone as an alternative to the very male-heavy legends of old.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.