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    Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit (A Novel of King Arthur)
    Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit (A Novel of King Arthur)
    Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit (A Novel of King Arthur)
    Audiobook14 hours

    Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit (A Novel of King Arthur)

    Written by Mercedes Lackey

    Narrated by Anne Flosnik

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Gwenhwyfar moves in a world where gods walk among their pagan worshipers, where nebulous visions warn of future perils, and where there are two paths for a woman: the path of the Blessing or the rarer path of the Warrior. Gwenhwyfar chooses the latter, giving up the power that she is born into.

    Yet the daughter of a king is never truly free to follow her own calling. Acting as the "son" her father never had, when called upon to serve another purpose by the Ladies of the Well, she bows to circumstances to become Arthur's queen-only to find herself facing temptation and treachery, intrigue and betrayal, but also love and redemption.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateNov 2, 2009
    ISBN9781400183814
    Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit (A Novel of King Arthur)
    Author

    Mercedes Lackey

    Mercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music. Also known as Misty Lackey.

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    Reviews for Gwenhwyfar

    3.5/5

    109 ratings14 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Mercedes Lackey's version of Guinevere's story is mostly distinctive in her choice of sources: she has taken elements mainly from the Welsh tradition, and tried to weave a coherent story out of them. The three Gwenhwyfars named in the Triads, the abductions by both Melwas and Medraut, Gwenhwyfach... It's very interesting that she chose to use the Welsh tales.

      The subtleties of the relationship between the Christians and the pagans in this story were also an interesting decision. Normally people draw them as diametrically opposed: this co-existence and slow merge is an interesting way to look on it.

      However, her characters and plotting are not particularly distinctive. The first three quarters of the book is rather slow, and she doesn't even meet Arthur in that time. Her time with Arthur is largely glossed over, too. She's a Celtic warrior-woman, and a scout, but ultimately that doesn't seem that important... the most important thing in it is her moment of sacrifice, sacrificing that to her duty when she goes to marry Arthur. And even then, I don't think that moment has the power it could.

      The relationship with Lancelin is profoundly unsatisfactory, and seems almost a by-the-by to add a touch of romance. If something more was done with them at the end, maybe...

      This is a fun enough read, and based on some interesting ideas. But it's a bit slow at times, and it's not exactly a deep and involved retelling.
    • 4/5
      I love the twist of Arthur having three Queens, would have loved more on what the last did after the war.
    • 4/5
      An Arthurian re-telling that keeps far away from Arthur until the final section and doesn't make meeting him pleasant. Mostly, this is a novel about a young woman becoming a warrior in her father's kingdom with mostly unfortunate interactions with the traditional characters of the legends. It works very well until our heroine is forced to become the third Gwenhwyfar after which her lack of agency is just not credible in the context of the rest of the book until she makes her escape But I'm upping the rating on this because it does come up with new, at least to me, takes on the characters and their actions. Infinite as Arthurian space is, any one element is bound to have come up more than once, but this book had a nicely balanced mix for the most part.
    • 3/5
      I have a friend who is an avid Mercedes Lackey reader. Ever since we were young students in university, she's been trying to persuade me to try one of her books. "No, thank you", I always said, looking at the cheesy, pseudo - medieval covers. Definitely not my cup of tea. Then, one day, I saw her holding this novel. The name "Gwenhwyfar" brought my beloved The Mists of Avalon to mind. "You won't like it", she said. Okay, so challenge accepted. The female Eowyn-like warrior image definitely picked my interest and I started reading it. Despite certain problems with the characters and the story, I can say that my overall impression was positive.

      I don't want to say much about the plot, because this is the greatest surprise, in my opinion. Lackey has taken a few of the numerous versions of Arthur's legend and combined them to create her own vision. Is it successful? For the most part, I'd say it is. We have a young woman, whose life we witness from an early age, trying to balance her position as a noble daughter with all the duties and obligations, and as the first and foremost warrior of her father and leader of his army. Seeing her struggle and her wish for independence unfolding was exciting.

      The writing has many moments of beauty and a clear vision conveyed. There is attention to detail regarding the setting. There is a successful balance of political and strategic issues and the depictions of the daily life during the Dark Ages. The image of Gwenhwyfar as the White Spirit is haunting and quite original. For me, the part where Lackey really excels has to do with the references to Religion. Naturally, there is the duality of the Old Religion and the New, but not in a fight against each other. It's rather an attempt to have them co-exist and understand the differences and the unavoidable similarities. Gwenhwyfar respects both choices and finds the positive elements of each system of beliefs and I think this was refreshing. Even in " Mists of Avalon" the polemic against one side turns out a bit too much, becoming almost a propaganda. Here, Lackey creates a balanced narrative. I'm not aware of her personal beliefs but as a reader, I consider her approach mature and professional.

      Gwenhwyfar is a brilliant character. She is mature, bright, confident and brave with a deep sense of loyalty for her lineage and an unshaken belief in her abilities. She is able to understand her duty as a royal daughter and is far from obnoxious or petulant. I couldn't find a single dark spot in her character and I consider her one of the most well-written heroines in Historical Fantasy Fiction. The problem is that all the other characters- with the exception of her mother- are one-dimensional and completely uninteresting. Her sisters, her father, even the main antagonist and her love interest are flat and not particularly developed. Arthur is, perhaps, the worst of all. He comes across as a man completely unfit to be an absolute ruler. I couldn't see why he'd be so readily obeyed by all.

      Along with the poor characterization, there are certain parts of the story that make it slow and confusing. I didn't see the point in having so many women named "Gwenhwyfar". The focus on our heroine's training slows the narration down and the inclusion of a magical, river race makes it a bit silly and childish. And not in a positive way.

      Perhaps I was prepared to hate it, my expectations were lower than low and this is why I ended up enjoying it. I was impressed by the faithful depiction of the Dark Ages, the haunting atmosphere and the vivid, inspired dialogue. Don't expect the myth of Arthur and his knights, don't expect Guinevere and Lancelot or Morgan and Mordred. At least, not in the ways they have become known. This is an entirely version. Whether it is successful or not is obviously subjective but I'd suggest you give it a try. It's not "The Mists of Avalon", but it is entertaining and has one of the finest heroines you'll ever meet in the pages of a book.
    • 4/5
      I've actually never read an Arthurian legend, I've only picked it up in pop culture and summaries. I've also never read Mercedes Lackey, but I was looking for a tale of a woman warrior, and she obliged. I liked Gwen. I liked the rough hewn world she lived in. Thinking back on it, I wish that more time had been spent with the other characters of legend, but the disconnect was caused by the character's own isolation having chosen the warrior's path, and I was never bored following Gwen. Her story was her own.
    • 4/5
      A great take on an old classic!
    • 5/5
      Calling this "A Novel of King Arthur" is a bit misleading. Almost all the stories we expect from an Arthurian novel take place offstage. Utilizing a lesser-known Welsh tradition of three different Queen Guineveres, Lackey's take on the Arthurian legend is to write a story about the third one. Gwenhwyfar, daughter of one of Arthur's war chiefs, grows to adulthood as the familiar events take place in the larger world around her, only becoming Arthur's third wife well towards the end of the book. So this novel is actually a story about a young woman who chooses to turn from the magical destiny running through her mother's family and become a woman warrior in her father's army.I was surprised at how much I liked this novel. At first I kept waiting for the "real" story to begin—it's an Arthurian novel, after all—but after a while, I realized that I knew the old tales well enough to fill them in myself, and that it was a pleasant change not to just walk through a standard retelling. Unlike most of what I've read from Mercedes Lackey, while magic is definitely present throughout the story, it's subtle and not easily summoned. And while this world also has its conflicts between the Old Religion and the growing power of Christianity, I was pleased to see that it wasn't just a retelling of The Mists of Avalon. Okay, the villains do come across as being evil for evil's sake—sure, you could say that one was a sociopath, but having four sociopaths strained my suspension of disbelief a bit too far. However, I found this to be a surprisingly mature novel compared to most of Lackey's works, and I hope she lets herself write at this level or better in the future.
    • 5/5
      This was an interesting take on a frequently overdone legend. I liked that this book focused on Gwen mostly and Arthur was a shadow for most of the book. It was a really fun read.
    • 2/5
      Disappointing...I'm a big Mercedes Lackey fan, but she tends to not start her plot until a while in. The relevant plot of this book didn't really start until about 300/400 pages in. I enjoyed how it was written, but I didn't enjoy the fact that most of the book didn't culminate together.
    • 2/5
      Following in the footsteps of Bradley, Lackey has written the Arthurian legends from Gwenhwyfar's point of view. She takes her story from some bits of the Welsh tradition and crafts a story that, while good, doesn't have the same life as early Valdemar and Elemental Masters books. I couldn't really connect with Gwen who seemed to be sometimes overly male and at others a girl longing to break free of her warrior path.
    • 4/5
      The three queens is a nice touch and yet she still honored the main traditions.
    • 3/5
      I can't quite put my finger on it, but I found myself waiting for something to happen. There are lots of battle scenes, there is romance, there is conspiracy, but... something intangible is lacking. There is magic, but most of it only takes place in the background. She hints that the main character has a Great Destiny, but nothing quite comes to fruition. The key components of the Arthurian legend are present, but only briefly and in passing. And the bad guys get thwarted repeatedly, but it almost seems to be an afterthought. I would still recommend it, but not wholeheartedly, and only to dedicated fantasy fans.
    • 3/5
      "I am Gwenhwyfar...Queen perhaps, war chief certainly. Not 'Lady.'"Every fantasy writer, says Mercedes Lackey in the Afterword, comes to the question of England. That is, the tale of King Arthur. From Sir Thomas Malory to T.H. White, to even Lackey's mentor Marion Zimmer Bradley, undoubtedly, the legend of King Arthur has inspired many since the myth gain popularity in literature. And in the hands of Mercedes Lackey, the tale is told with a feminist twist. Indeed, the legend of King Arthur here is told from Gwenhwyfar's side, who debunks the heroic Arthur myth to tell a story of societal expectations, duty, and the meaning of freedom.Divided into three parts, the novel traces Gwenhwyfar's life from her childhood to her adulthood. The first part, titled "Princess," shows her training to become an unconventional princess and girl. Preferring weapons over craft work, Gwenhwyfar quickly excels in becoming a warrior. Eventually, Gwenhwyfar shuns the feminine arts to work for her father, a low king under Arthur. While the battle scenes are not as flashy as it could be, Lackey's skill is and has always been in her development of human drama, with of course a splash of magic. In the first part, through Gwen's eyes we see betrayl, rivalry, and keen critiques of traditions. Such themes are explored in depth in the second part, named "Warrior," as Lackey further develops her characters--especially the independent and thoughtful title character--and explore the meanings of freedom.What struck unevenly, however, was the third and final section titled "Queen," where we finally see Gwenhwyfar's rise into power as King Arthur's wife. While here is where she drives her themes and critiques home, and of course bring readers to a climatic battle scene of sisterly rivalry, this is nearly lost in a cacophonous departure of character. In the third part, we are introduced to love interests and the story nearly becomes like her Luna series, The Tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, only dark and not as humorous or magical. The strong Gwenhwyfar becomes weak in the face of her love interest, resulting in bodice-ripping scenes, again a departure from what Lackey had spent 2/3 of the novel building.While ultimately, the ending is satisfying, the third leg of story weakens it greatly. While 2/3 of the novel felt well-written and developed, the last felt rushed, under-developed, and inconsistent. Overall, fans will like this, but will compare it with dissatisfaction to her other works. Newcomers to Lackey should start somewhere else. The book as a whole does not showcase Lackey's intelligence, social acuity, and writing ability.
    • 3/5
      As the title suggests, this is Yet Another retelling of the Arthurian legend, from Guinevere's point of view. As has become customary, this begins with her tomboy-ish girlhood in Wales. Surprisingly for Lackey, she is neither abused nor misunderstood, although she has a younger sister who hates her. The first third is rather generic, but--unusually for Lackey--this improves as it goes along. The middle section is the most original, with Gwen as a warrior and scout for her father's warband. When she is chosen to wed Arthur, the story returns to the familiar tale, albeit with a few welcome twists.Whether this is worth reading depends on how devoted one is to all things Arthurian. This is not likely to become anyone's definitive version, but it's better than it first appears.