Customer Reviews

Grail: Book Five of the Pendragon Cycle

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I've read through all the books of the Pendragon Cycle and, until the beginning of "Grail", I thought it almost had no flaws. Unfortunately, I was really disappointed by the fifth and last book, especially by all the contradictions with the "real" end, i.e. the Black Book of Gildas in Arthur.

Honestly, I don't really understand why Stephen Lawhead decided to write this book. Pendragon was a necessary addition, in my opinion, because much elements were left out before the ending of the Arthur book. For example, the Vandali invasion was just brilliant. Of course, the Grail itself had to appear somewhere in the series, but I personally think that Arthur being healed after the battle with Amilcar was enough. I found the plot around the temple and the guardians of the Grail to make no sense at all. That brings me to another major flaw.

Why is Morgian suddenly so powerful? She was already defeated by Merlin in the Lyonesse years before! All that stuff about Morgian preparing her revenge and raising Morgaws is just plain ridiculous. And what about all those magical creatures? When I first read Taliesin (about 5 years ago), I was disappointed by the lack of all those classical surnatural elements from fantastic novels. But after reading a little more, I realized that the series didn't need all this stuff since everything else was so perfect. While reading the Grail, I almost laughed when the big black beast rushed into the knights. When Gwalchavad fought the undeads, I just couldn't stand it. This series isn't about big monsters and ultra-powerful sorcerers! It's about the birth of Britain and the great battles and heroes that lead to its glory. There's already the Lord of the Rings for all the "magical" content.

At the end of Grail, Llenlleawg is banished from the Cymbrogi, being a traitor. Then, why was he defeated in the battle with Medrault in the Black book?! This just makes no sense. Unfortunately, this is only one of the many contradictions that brings this book.

To me, the Pendragon Cycle is really a trilogy, that is Taliesin, Merlin and Arthur. I would have integrated Pendragon in the Arthur book. To me, Grail is no part of the series. I gave it 2 stars only because of it allowed me to learn more about Gwalchavad. I will do my best to forget it because I want to remember the Pendragon Cycle as a magnificient series that gave me incredible reading sessions. If it is also your wish, here's my advice : do not read Grail.

The rating applies to the entire series of the "Pendragon Cycle."

First - The entire series of Lawhead's "Pendragon Cycle" was outstanding. The first two books ("Taliesin" and "Merlin") in the series were by far the best and I would say that they both deserve a rating of 4 1/2 stars. The third book, "Arthur" was a bit of a dissapointment and I would give it 2 1/2 stars for a rating. I would give Pendragon 4 stars.

The last book, "Grail" was in my opinion worth 3 1/2 stars.

The biggest problem that I have with the last three books in the "cycle" is the telling of the stories in the first person by various hero's and characters within the stories. This worked quite well with the first two books - but I really feel like Lawhead cut himself short in the telling of Arthur's legacy by writing it in the first person. A lot of the story's elements got left out and what could have been an awesome tale (on par with "Lord of The Rings") was lost in the telling of the story this way.

In "Grail," Gwalchavad (Sir Galahad) tells the story (save for a few chapters that open with Morgain's side of the story - never more than a few paragraphs) of how the "holy grail" is stolen and Arthur is betrayed by one of his own, Llenlleawg (Lancelot). Because the story is told solely from Gwalchavad's point of view - the reader is never shown any internal struggle or the mental process of what Llenlleawg was going through when he betrayed Arthur. I felt that this should have been an essential part of the story given the fact that our betrayer was a hero in "Arthur" and "Pendragon." A third person telling of the story could have easily captured that and not left the reader scratching his or her head. That is one example of how the story falls short due to the first person telling of it. Other problems with this lie when Gwalchavad gets seperated from Arthur. There is a big gap as to what happens to Arthur and co. during the seperation - as the story only follows Gwalchavad in the seperation.

Although I did love the stories and highly recommend them - I am sorely dissapointed that the "fullness of the tale" got lost because we only hear from the perspective of the character telling it.

Technically the writing is very good - and the research that must of gone into writing these books is definately evident and will give the reader a great appreciation of the author's effort.

I wish Lawhead would not have made the grail an object of worship - but that is the "Christian" in me coming out. Sorry to say it doesn't work that way - I thought Lawhead knew that. Oh well - still a good story with a shade of truth to it non-the-less.

I would have to say that I wished I never read Lawhead's series. It has been disappointing from beginning to end. Main characters in the beginning books (like Charis and Merlin) have become paper cutouts by the end of this series, to the point where I do not understand why Lawhead has them in his book anymore. He also makes plenty of errors in his books, and this is no exception. Another thing I find incredibly tedious about this whole series is the fact that there are endless wars through all of the books. There is at least a battle in every book--and in some, like "Pendragon", are a tale of battles from beginning to end. You would wonder if the whole world was coming to attack Britain, the way Lawhead writes it.

For this particular book, the main mistake Lawhead makes is not reading his other books in this series, or at least not remembering what he said in them. At the end of "Arthur", it is noted that "the Grail was never found". Um...but in this book, it was found, and lost, and recovered, and at the end of the book a shrine to it is made in the Northern end of Britain. Since there is no indication anywhere else that the Grail disappeared from Northern Britain, one would have to assume it's still there. This makes me realize how inconsistent of a writer Lawhead is. This guy could be a great writer, but it's mistakes like these that keep him from becoming such. Lawhead is definitely no Tolkien.

Another major mess-up is in his inability to keep Loth and Lot straight. Loth is Lot's father in "Arthur", and by the time the book starts introducing Lot it is clear that Loth is already long dead. By the end of "Arthur" it is clear that Morgian seduced Lot to produce the twins Gwalchavad and Gwalcmai, and in this book Morgaws. Yet in this book Lawhead keeps calling Lot "Loth", although it is pretty clear that it is Lot that is being referred to and not Loth. It also is not clear to me why Morgian's relationship with Lot is considered incestuous, since Lot is the son of his father Loth and his first wife, and Morgian was Loth's second wife. Lot is not her flesh and blood; she's his stepmother. Although it's weird to be sleeping with your stepmother, it's definitely not incestuous is she's no blood relation.

It was very pointless to make Gwalcmai and Gwalchavad twins. This did not serve any literary purpose. The fact that Gwalcmai gets sent off and doesn't return until the end of "Arthur" is testament to his uselessness. I honestly thought that "Grail" would be about Gwalcmai, but was sorely disappointed. We are never given the story of his wanderings, although according to "Arthur" he's been gone for 17 years. The other thing is that it is not revealed until the last book of "Arthur" (the chapter that Aneirin narrates) that it is revealed that Gwalchmai and Gwalchavad are the result of a union between Morgian and Lot. So how is it that Gwalchavad already knows this by "Grail"? According to Lawhead, "Grail" comes before the last book of "Arthur". Gwalchavad can't know it. It hasn't been revealed yet. Gwalchavad states Merlin told him--how did Merlin find out? I would think that in "Arthur" Gwalcmai and Gwalchavad wouldn't be surprised by Morgian revelation if they already heard it from Merlin, yet they are shocked to hear it when she says they are her sons in "Arthur". And why is it Merlin can't figure Morgaws out at all, if he knows about Gwalcmai and Gwalchavad? I couldn't understand that at all.

I am still not convinced that Morgian was any great threat. She seems way too easily defeated. I don't think that Morgaws (who never existed in any Arthur tales and is a figment of Lawhead's imagination) is that threatening either. I'm still trying to figure out why Charis was so freaked out by her but refused to say anything.

I recall one of the opening statements Morgian makes in this book is "Not for nothing am I called the Queen of Air and Darkness". The first thing I thought was, "Oh, yes, you are". Lawhead has not really developed Morgian much, and even though he finally does so here, it's not enough. Fine, so we finally know why she's so pissed off. It doesn't strike me as any reason to get so vengeful towards someone she hardly knows--ie. Arthur. She also seems very ineffectual. She tries to kill Charis and fails, and never tries again. She tries to kill Merlin and fails, and never tries that again either. Every attempt she makes is doomed to failure. So it wasn't that surprising that she failed again here.

There is also a scene where some of the Cymbrogi are supposedly dead. If you're like me and read the last chapter of "Arthur" before reading "Grail", this scene is ruined for you. There's no surprise to it.

I read somewhere that Lawhead believed that the King Arthur tales needed to be brought back to "their Christian roots". Um..guess what. The King Arthur tales started out as part of Celtic mythology, and authors such as Geoffrey of Monmouth and others are the ones responsible for inserting Christian lore into a tale that was never Christian to begin with. I have done some reading on what past editors of these tales have done, and most of them edited these stories with a particular goal in mind--ie. for Monmouth it was turning Arthur into a Norman hero, and emphasizing the fact that he fought battles against the Saxons, who were the Normans' enemies. These tales have been subject to so much manipulation over the years--isn't it time to say "enough's enough"? Apparently not, for Lawhead has decided that the legend needs even more manipulation. I can't say he's done a good job.

I suppose I only have myself to blame. I really should have done more research before buying these books. Now I can't even give them away--most people I know weren't that impressed with the series either.

Lawhead's Done It Again!

It is truly the mark of a good author when a relatively long book series retains all of it's brilliance and originality to the very end. Lawhead has accomplished this and more with his wondrous Pendragon Cycle.

Grail is the 5th and final installment in the series (unless you include Avalon in the list). While I think that this is the weakest book of the series, it is still superb and certainly worth the read. The atmosphere of the book is very unique. Unlike the previous books in the series, the enemy is largely supernatural - a much more frightening enemy than the Picti, Angli, or Vandali. Morgian is definetely at her worst - and she even gets a few opportunities to narrate the story (a very peculiar twist.)!

Really my only complaint about the book regards Lawhead's choice of characters. It seems that many of the major characters that were seen in Arthur and Pendragon have faded to the backdrop - replaced by relatively new characters. These characters are fine, but I would have rather seen more of characters like Bedwyr, Cai and Arthur.

This is one of my favorite Pendragon books, perhaps because it was so different.

First of all, it was all in the viewpoint of Gwalchavad, with little inserts from Morgian in between, believe it or not. I loved that. Lawhead did pure, humble Gwalchavad wonderfully; immediately the reader likes him. Hearing from Morgian was very revealing, both to her character and to her plot. It enabled some of her schemes to be discovered by the reader, but never by the Cymbrogi. I actually began to understand her and her motives. (The statement about Avallach's favoritism had me almost sympathetic. Quite moving.)

Also, the atmosphere was very dreamlike to the point of being surreal. When the whole episode is finished, reality and sunshine break through once more. Morgian's vail of fear is tangible.

Thirdly, the adventure is impeccable. It is suspenseful, scary, and satisfying. Llenlleawg's betrayal added a whole new aspect to the fear of Morgian. Nothing is safe from her. He was one of my favorites in past books, which made it worse. The power of evil is revealed through him.

Fourthly, Merlin is back to his old self. He was beginning to get rather prudish in former books. I love the part where he slams his stick on the ground and yells at Arthur.

One more thing I liked, and this might be just me. Arthur had his troops go to confession and Mass beforehand. That reminded me of Joan of Arc. Spiritual health added credibility to their almost miraculous escape.

I suppose I can see why some readers would not like this book as much, but it has definate unique appeal. A nice change!

"Grail" is the last volume of Lawhead's Pendragon series. It is narrated by Gwalchavad, and revolves around the mysterious and magical Grail which was the cause of Arthur's miraculous healing at the end of the previous volume. The Grail is the cup used by Christ in his last supper (p.45), and has healing powers. Arthur's kingdom is firmly established now that the Saecsons and Vandals have both been defeated. Now that the Kingdom of Summer is officially inaugurated, the Grail is seen as a symbol of this kingdom of light. So Arthur builds a shrine for this symbol of his kingdom, and the kingdom of summer is officially declared.

Just when the kingdom of summer reaches its high point, tragedy strikes. At the height of the kingdom's glory, the subversive attacks of Morgian return. This Queen of the Powers of the Air and Darkness steals the sacred Grail, abducts Arthur's queen, and deceives his champion soldier. From this point on the action intensifies, as the newly established kingdom of peace fights warfare on a new front: spiritual warfare. Unlike the battle scenes of previous volumes, the battle scenes in this book describe a struggle against demons and the powers of darkness (Eph. 6).

Lawhead's vision of the Grail did make me uncomfortable. Firstly, the cup used by Jesus was an ordinary object, and to have it turn into a sparkling grail with rows of rubies, emeralds, and pearls, with a "broad band of impossibly ornate scrollwork" seems to go against the very purpose of the last supper. Secondly, the purpose of the supper was to encourage believers in their spiritual worship and commemoration of Christ, not in a material worship of a sacred object. The words of Jesus - "Remember and believe" - seem all but forgotten, since healing through the Grail appears to occur independent of faith and believing. Rather than stress faith, the use of the Grail results in a magical form of healing that occurs through ritual rather than faith. One other concern is the ease at which the characters take God's name on their lips - at times it borders on blasphemy and unnecessary oath-making.

But these weaknesses aside, Lawhead has created a convincing and exciting spiritual conflict between the forces of good and the forces of evil. The spiritual warfare is a refreshing change from the blood and gore of earlier battlefields. It also functions as a compelling image of the universal conflict between God and Satan, a conflict involving both God and men. The power of evil is vividly portrayed. Here Lawhead successfully reminds us of the Biblical notion of angels of darkness disguising themselves as angels of light, and deceiving even believers. The weakness and vulnerability of men over against these powers is vividly described. But most importantly, when men are helpless over against the powers of evil, Lawhead presents the only path to victory: God. Conquest of evil cannot be accomplished by human effort, but by divine power. "Only by God's good grace do any of us stand or fall." (p.377)

"Grail" marks the end of the wonderful Pendragon cycle. It is true that while the ending of "Grail" resolves the conflict, it does not satisfactorily mark a clean ending to the series. This is not surprising because "Grail" (like the preceding volume "Pendragon") actually precedes the events described at the end of book 3, "Arthur", and consequently both "Pendragon" and "Grail" have a distinctively "add on" feeling. Next time I will read the series in chronological order, more or less as follows: Taliesin, Merlin, Pendragon Bk. 1, Arthur Bk. 1-2, Pendragon Bk. 2-4, Grail, Arthur Bk. 3. The chronological aberrations of the last two volumes are indeed a weakness, and it is unfortunate they function more like an afterthought, rather than being properly integrated into Arthur's life. Yet the very fact that this series is so re-readable is a testimony to its greatness. Great it truly is, and that is high praise indeed!

Taliesin / Merlin / Arthur. Excellent trilogy, with Atlantis thrown in as a bonus. Pendragon and Grail were written to expand the trilogy, but cover much of the same ground -- overlapping overkill -- with too much religion for my taste, very irritating in fact: much more 'Good News' than I can stomach. The author would have done better to go back and revise the original trilogy, which was self-contained, and shoehorned in the grail elements that are the theme of the sequels.

But the political nastiness of kinglets, lords, and bishops is well handled, and the wicked ladies are fun. And Grail has some nice spooky witchcraft in a grim forest in Lyonesse -- in fact one of the eeriest scenes in Arthurian fiction.

Stephan Lawhead all but ignores the Grail legend in his first three books of the Pendragon Cycle, and limits its pressence in Pendragon. It would seem that he set it aside for this faithful telling from the perspective of one of Arthur's Guardians of the Grail.

Consistent with the other books, Lawhead finds new voices to tell this tale using Gwalchavad as the principle storyteller and Morgian as an occasional foil to him. Many fans of the first three books will not care for this one. It is steeped in religious context that the other books only aluded to. This is actually part of Lawhead's gift. If the reader takes the time to understand the perspective of the storyteller, he will understand Lawhead's need to cloak it in religious mysticism.

This book is an excellent re-telling of Grail legend, and a wonderful use of the characters that Lawhead has given life to in his Pendragon cycle. It seems a shame that this saga should ever come to an end.

There were PARTS of Grail that, while reading it, seemed very good. But on the whole, I think Lawhead was much less inspired by the myths that make up the Grail legend. Although I've not heard all of the myths, I have heard enough to realize taht he tried to gather as many as he could and work them all together in one final book. As a result, the characters suffer. More importantly, there's a lot of downtime because in order to work all the tales together, he needs so much more set-up. Literally half the book (250 pages) was set-up. This makes for a very long read. When the action happens, it goes quickly and with no real arch to the storyline. There's no grand finale, and each of the events, separate myths, that lead up to the ending seem disjointed.

That said, I'm a big Lawhead fan, so I would have settled for nothing less than reading the whole book. In fact, I've just re-read all the Pendragon cycle in true chronological order. But in all, there's no real reason, other than being a huge fan of the previous stories, to read "Grail."

Classic Lawhead, this book explores a more personal conflict that many will relate to: that of truth, trust, and betrayal. Grail demonstrates Lawhead's personal spiritual position, which brings some to fear and disgust. Yet do not attempt to read beyond the "Christian" theme, for that is exactly what the author wishes us NOT to do. Gwalchalvad is you and me. He battles ultimately with the question of to whom he should submit. His passions and lust? His friends? His Pendragon? His God?

The adventure is fast paced, do not doubt that. The new perspective of a new narrator is refreshing. Lawhead will break your heart, make you jump for joy, make you hate the villain, and love the victor. That's what fantasy should be about. We all can find ourselves in one of the characters of this book. The question we must ask is, which one am I?