This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/20...Do you ever have one of those books that you just know you’ll love, but they you start reading it and it seems to drag on and on without reason? I was incredibly excited to read The King’s Peace after reading Walton’s ethereal and introspective novel Among Others (seriously, if you haven’t read it, go do so, this instant!), about a child who discovers the worlds of classic science fiction and fantasy novels as she goes through hard times in her life. Unfortunately, The King’s Peace contains none of the magic of Among Others.The story itself is a retelling of the legend of King Arthur. Now, I’m a huge sucker for King Arthur stories. Let that be known. And to make it even more fascinating, it’s set in a world where men and women are equal and either can have strong and successful military careers. I have a thing for kickass female heroines, which is one more reason why I really ought to have loved this book.The protagonist, Sulien, is a young women whose village gets sacked. Bad things happen to her, and nothing is left to the imagination. Somehow she survives and makes it back to what’s left of her village, and she’s sent to ride for help. She encounters a skirmish, where she joins in the fighting and helps turn the tide. Turns out that Urdo, the High King (aka King Arthur) is leading the battle, and he makes Sulien an arminger. She begins a long career of being a badass and saving the kingdom.I had so many issues with this book that I don’t even know where to begin. I think my biggest problem with The King’s Peace is that I have a hard time identifying with Sulien. She never feels like a real person to me. The book is narrated in the passive voice, and Sulien’s character is flat. She cares about battles and not much else, but the battles are boring. I want to scribble in the margins, “Show, don’t tell!” Then there’s the fact that all of the names in the book are Welsh, and all are different enough from the names used in most versions of King Arthur stories that it’s really hard to keep track of everyone. This wouldn’t be a problem if we were given the opportunity to bond with any of the characters, but because of the issues with the passive voice and the general pacing, it feels like you’re reading a history textbook rather than a novel.The only scene in the book that had any sort of emotion or resonance at all was a weird scene in which a slightly older Sulien comes to meet her son whom she left at a monastery for nine years and never visited. It was hella awkward, because she didn’t know how to act around him, but even that felt forced. And the sad part is, Sulien’s character could have been so interesting. For one thing, she is asexual, which you don’t see very often in literature. Having a character who isn’t interested in romance can be refreshing if it’s done right. But instead, Sulien was so inacessible that you couldn’t really connect with her character. She has no depth, and seemed like a placeholder to tell the stories of other people, but those people weren’t fleshed out either.I made it about 45% of the way through the book (which is around 200 pages), at which point I just couldn’t take it anymore. The story had so much potential, and I should have loved it, but it was dry and boring and couldn’t hold my attention. The thought of finishing the book was torture, let alone continuing the series. It was even more disappointing coming from an author whom I’ve read and loved in the past, because I know she’s capable of so much more than this. :(Jo Walton is one of those people who can write so well that you will be filled with nostalgia, with tears, with the sheer joy of reading, so I wouldn’t let this review discourage you from trying some of her other titles. I’ve got several on my shelf that I’m excited to read.Verdict: Skip this one, and read one of her other novels instead.
I read this when it first came out, and not again until just now. I remembered liking it, in a mild way, and was not prepared for how good it is. It does not rise to art, but it is a good novel, a good story, a very well-built and interesting world with interesting characters who are not perfect nor too flawed to be likeable. It is a book I will be glad to give my daughter when she is old enough for the darker moments and ready to talk about the complexities.One thing I did think is that there is a way the world is depicted, in retrospective stories like this, (view spoiler)[ where there is a moment in which a relationship is broken and the moment is visible and concrete; 'from that moment he hated me' or some such. I do not think Walton actually does it so; the way she shows the growing problems in the friendship between Sulien and Marchel, for example, is more subtle and of course very conditioned by Sulien's social blindnesses. But reading this I thought of all the books like that I had read, in which the present-day narrator tells the past and there is some moment in which a mistake is made and then the relationship is broken, and I wonder at it, because of course in life it is not so much like that, at least not with people of good faith. I think the place I thought it the most was with Aurien, when Sulien leaves the funeral to go see to her duties and Aurien is furious, it is shown somewhat as the moment that cannot be forgiven, but not too strongly, and again, through Sulien, who does not understand people very well. But for me that sort of clean past, where relationships are pieces upon the board and one may say 'This moment broke, this moment mended' is something that keeps the work from art, because it is not life, although it is most certainly a true way that real people tell stories about their lives. (hide spoiler)]
What do You think about The King's Peace (2000)?
I see this is a novel that divides readers. For myself, I loved it from about ten pages in, and that didn't change until I put it down in tears.I've read a few Arthurian fantasies before, as well as various historical novels about the equivalent period, but this is the first that has really gripped me emotionally and intellectually to such an extent. I've spent the past few days engrossed in Sulien's world, and I want to dive straight into the next book (but I won't!) and continue my immersion.Sulien ap Gwien is trained as a warrior, but unarmed when ambushed and raped in the opening pages of the novel. (For me, this is the most triggery part of the novel, and it was done with enough sensitivity that I managed to keep reading, without feeling that Sulien's experience was glossed over.) This experience colours, but does not overwhelm, the rest of the book, as Sulien rides to seek the support of King Urdo, soon to become the High King of the island.Walton deftly flexes the Arthurian legend to fit a world in which women, too, are warriors, but in which they are also still women: they can bear children (or not); they can be raped, but this is not seen as an inevitable fact, as it (necessarily) is in many historical novels of the period. There are politics and sexual politics. The presence of many other interesting female characters with agency in the novel means that the evil character of the king's half-sister, sorceress and mother of Mordeth, is not quite so glaring.Sulien is the perfect fit for Lancelot, Arthur's "parfit knight", and the gender change does fascinating things to the dynamics of the story. No longer is Lancelot a remote, near-asexual knight who gazes uncomprehendingly upon the hapless Elaine, but a living, breathing woman with hopes and fears for herself and her family, who also happens to love fighting and be Urdo's/Arthur's most loyal knight.I'm going to be thinking about this one for a while. Highly recommended!
—Liz
Like Paula Volsky's books (especially Illusion) this is a fantasy take, in another world, of historical events. Kinda :-)This is the first book in this trilogy, with a gorgeous cover by Julie Bell. Oddly enough, though it's billed as a trilogy, the third book is actually a prequelJo Walton is the nicest lady, too... I met her at the World Fantasy Convention in Mesa couple years ago and she and I sat down and had a nice long chat. Every once in a while, my habit of picking books just because they have beautiful covers pays out!
—Susan
3.5 for a delightful but uneven read.The King's Peace is a retelling of Arthurian legend that blends the historical and the mythic in a very pleasing way. I don't read much Arthurian fiction, but I feel this book is a meaningful contribution to a crowded field. Walton sets her story in an imagined world but performs impressive slight of hand to infuse a setting inspired by post-Roman Britain with the elements we expect from Arthurian legend—castles, knights, magic, and Arthur as ethical monarch. As a pseudo-historical novel it's totally engaging, full of drama and historical interest. Cast of thousands, yes, but I didn't mind getting a little confused and disoriented along the way. It's not like there's a test at the end.This book also showcases Walton's mastery of first-person perspective. Sulien is a gift of a character and her voice is clear and strong as the beautiful and elegiac portrait on the cover.However, a little more than halfway through, this book suffers from a sneak attack by the First Novel Pacing Monster. Part One had some overlong conversations, but Part Two devolves into protracted setup for the rest of the trilogy and the narrative urgency suffers as a result.Alas, the library doesn't have the rest of the series so I'm not sure if I'll get around to finishing it. I do have scattered Thoughts about how Walton deals with sexual agency and sexual assault in this book (mostly positive, but some reservations), but without finishing the series I'm going to reserve my judgment.
—Becky
