Oh my goodness - Marie Phillips's
new book - The Table of Less Valued Knights - was soooo much fun to read!You know the story of King Arthur and his brave, valiant Knights of the Roundtable right? But have you heard the tales of those demoted to the (rectangular) table of less valued knights - the elderly, the infirm, the cowardly, the incompetent and the disgraced.
One member of that lesser table is Sir Humphrey. Lagging behind to leave after one gathering, he is the only witness to a young woman looking for a Knight to accept her quest. And against all the rules - he accepts the maiden's mission to find her kidnapped fiance.
And that's the beginning of a rollicking romp of a tale featuring a small giant, a magical sword, an elephant, dwarfs, an evil King and his oafish brother, a crone's apprentice, a lady of the lake, a beautiful maiden, a runaway Queen, a castle or two, more than a few duels and.....
What sets this book apart is Phillip's clever, clever writing. The dialogue had me in stitches the entire time. Phillips weaves modern day situations such as customs forbidding transport of food products across borders into her tale to great effect. The absurdity of some of it reminded me of Monty Python skits. And I have to say The Princess Bride as well. (Quite frankly, I think The Table of Less Valued Knights would make a great film as well!) Of course being a fairy tale type of story, there is a happy ending, but I'm wondering Marie, if perhaps there are further adventures in store?
This was such a delightfully fun read, absolutely guaranteed to put a smile on your face. It's one of my fave summer 2014 reads. Read an excerpt of The Table of Less Valued Knights.
You can keep up with Marie Phillips on Twitter. #LessValuedKnights
What would your knight name be? Try this Knight Name Generator! Mine is: Sir Cumnavigate Fallenhoof, Runner of Errands.
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