From the vast lore surrounding King Arthur, Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table, comes an anthology of gender-bent, race-bent and LGBTQIA+ inclusive retellings by writers including Alexander Chee, Daniel M. Lavery and others.
You'll find a lot to like and, almost certainly, something to love—whether you're seeking adventure, tragedy, self-discovery or just plain fun. Every story in it feels well-chosen, from Roshani Chokshi's tale of a woman who sidesteps destiny to find happiness and wisdom, to Sive Doyle's picaresque Spenserian teenage quest, to Sarah MacLean's steamy scabbard-tingling swordsmithing romance ... Who is Arthur? Who were Guinevere, Lancelot, Elaine, Merlin, Morgan le Fay? The answers change with every telling, in every generation. For now, the authors of Sword Stone Table give us all the Arthurs we could want—and remind us that any corner of the world can be a Camelot, any stone may conceal a sword, and that the Round Table has enough seats for us all.
The pieces are dazzlingly different while overlapping and interweaving like chain mail ... You don’t need to be familiar with the breadth of Arthuriana to enjoy Sword Stone Table, but it’s a real pleasure, if you’re an Arthur nerd, to pick out which facets of the prism the authors are shining their own lights through. No story here is less than solid ... If you got excited about Dev Patel starring in The Green Knight, you’ll definitely want to pick this up.
The collection takes readers across time and cultures, breathing new life into one of the oldest Western myths ... Maria Dahvana Headley's 'Mayday' is a satisfying, intriguing mystery told via a collection of items and documents found in an abandoned lighthouse ... Sarah MacLean brings the passionate romance she's known for to 'The Bladesmith Queen' ... Alexander Chee closes the anthology with a rather sweet take on Arthur and Gawain set in a space-age future. With nods to the original, Chee's story epitomizes the breadth and universality of Arthurian themes as showcased in these stories. The futuristic setting feels as natural as those in the past and present, with characters both true to the source material and entirely new. Fans of Arthurian legends are certain to find a few stories to love in Sword Stone Table--and they just might see themselves in the pages, too.
