The Child of the Holy Grail: The Third of the Guenevere Novels

by Rosalind Miles

Book Overview

Last in a line of proud queens elected to rule the fertile lands of the West, true owner of the legendary Round Table, guardian of the Great Goddess herself . . . a woman whose story has never been told-until now. Brokenhearted at her parting from Lancelot and anguished over the loss of the sacred Hallows of the Goddess, Guenevere reconciles with Arthur. But their fragile peace is threatened by a new presence at Camelot. Mordred, Arthur's son by Morgan Le Fay, has come to be proclaimed heir to Guenevere and Arthur's kingdoms. At his knighting, the great Round Table, owned by the Queens of the Summer Country since time immemorial, cracks down the center and a terrible darkness falls over Camelot. In the midst of the chaos appears a new knight, Sir Galahad, who may hold the key to the mystery of the stolen Hallows. His arrival sets into motion the Quest for the Holy Grail and the fall of Camelot, which brings Guenevere to the brink of the most dreaded tragedy of all . . . and may ultimately fulfill her destiny as the greatest Queen of the Isles. Available now, Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country and The Knight of the Sacred Lake, Books 1 and 2 of the Guenevere Trilogy. Coming in July 2002, Isolde, Queen of the Western Isle, the First Book of the Tristan and Isolde Trilogy

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0609809563
• ISBN13: 9780609809563
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: Broadway Books
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

A tremendous final installment!

Thank goodness this was a trilogy! It is only unfortunate that it isn't an even longer series. Miles continues her masterful retelling of the Arthurian legend in her third and final installment. I am happy to say she ends as strongly as she began with Guinevere- Queen of the Summery Country. As a history buff - I relish the chance to find a great historical fiction. Finding a book blending enough history to be intellegent but enough fiction to be entrancing is a rare indeed.This book (and the entire series) not only delighted me - but has now been passed along to family and friends who lack my love of history....and their delight with the story is as strong as my own. If you've read the first two books of this series by Miles, keep going!! You'll be glad you did!

A totally new view

I love this book. Ithought it was very inventive to write from Guenevere's point of view. I liked the stpry better this way as well. Now evertime i see something about King Arthur or Camelot that doesn't fit in with this story, i flip. lol great great book. I'm hooked on this trilogy and can't wait to read Isolde.

A Vivid Vision of the Past

While I'm still a Morgan le Fay fan, this series really changed the way I look at Guenevere and her role in the Arthurian story. In Marion Zimmer Bradley's vision of Camelot, she comes across as colorless and almost insignificant, which I always felt was a bit unfair--I mean, you can't exactly promote matriarchy and female power with one character and completely undercut it with another. But Rosalind Miles' Guenevere came across as true to the legend without the New Agey twist that MZB takes for her Arthurian characters. She is fully fleshed out--a strong, confident, sexual woman who is unfortunately at the mercy of fate and the bad decisions of the men who surround her. Her ultimate triumph (and the triumph of all the female characters) after the Fall of Camelot is the true untold story of King Arthur's court. Malory never answers the question: after Arthur's death, what happens? We're left to believe that he slumbers and awaits his rebirth. But the women survived where the men did not, and they weren't sleeping an eternal sleep--they were rebuilding, replenishing and renewing the kingdom in a way that the male rulers never did. Rosalind Miles celebrates their role, and their triumph, in a way that I found enlightening and encouraging to all women.This is a beautifully told tale that illuminates some previously hidden parts of the Camelot legend, and does so in a way that champions the cause of peace, wisdom and womanhood. A really superb read, with plenty to enjoy and reflect upon.

A fresh and memorable ending to an age-old tale!

I was skeptical about how the Guenevere story would end...I've really enjoyed this series but I know how the story of King Arthur ends, so I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this conclusion to the trilogy. Fortunately, Rosalind Miles' storytelling skills did not let me down! CHILD OF THE HOLY GRAIL was every bit as lyrical/edgy/intelligent/affirming/entertaining as the previous books in the series, which I highly recommend. I hope to see more from Ms. Miles.

A surprising (and beautiful) ending to an old story!

I am a big fan of the Guenevere trilogy and I bought CHILD OF THE HOLY GRAIL as soon as it was available and read it in one sitting! One of the big questions in Arthurian literature is what happens to all the characters after the fall of Camelot. Rosalind Miles invents a wonderful and different ending that is nonetheless completely plausible. And Ms. Miles' lovely lyrical storytelling wrapped it all up beautifully. This was a really satisfying end to a series that has brought me a lot of reading pleasure!