Book 7 Preview

All of Book Seven of The Swithen is written and I am in the revision stage now. It is called The Adventure God Will Choose after a frequent saying of the knights, and a prominent use in the book, where Balin is warned that he will ruin his life if he makes a certain decision and he responds, “I’ll take the adventure God will choose for me.” He doesn’t know what he’s getting into!

This one is a bit of a different beast for the series up until now, and I am eager to learn what readers think of it. Here I’ll give a little preview of what to expect when the book is released. I will aim to avoid spoilers.

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A different tone

This part of the saga is adapted from a different source. It corresponds to the first half of Book Two of Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, but even that is adapted from the Post-Vulgate Cycle, which is on the whole more filled with magic and mysticism than the series up until now, which adapted the oldest part of the Arthurian legend. 

Horror and villains

As I was writing, I was surprised by the sheer amount of horror, in terms of bloody violence and the facing of terrible, dire personal circumstances there is at this part of the story. There are also a number of villains that are featured here, making this entire thing a dark chapter in the series… although not as dark as Book Eight promises to be.

Balin and Balan

This book covers the first half of Book Two of Le Morte d’Arthur, and as such Balin le Savage and his brother Balan take center stage for the bulk of the novel. There are also a number of other interwoven stories, but here is where Arthur himself moves into the background and his knights begin to be the focus.

Camelot begins

We glimpsed Camelot in Book Four, but in this book Arthur begins developing the town to serve as his seat. In the legend, Camelot just appears, fully formed, but in this series Arthur will develop it over the course of the several years it would take to build a castle.

Guinevere and the False Guinevere 

If you are following the series, you know that future queen Guinevere learned a shocking secret at the end of the last installment. In this novel, matters develop and her identical friend, Guenever, takes a step toward becoming the grand villain she will ultimately become. The False Guinevere is a story thread in the longer versions of the legend that was not included in Le Morte d’Arthur.

Arthur and Guinevere continue to court

The romance of Arthur and Guinevere continues to blossom as they get to know each other on a deeper level.

Nimue, the new Lady of the Lake

Many of us have heard the name Nimue, the Lady of the Lake. We briefly saw her as a baby at the beginning of Book Five. Now she emerges and takes up the mantle of her position. 

Garlon and King Pelles

We know King Pellinor, who seeks after the Questing Beast. In this novel, we meet his brothers, Garlon and King Pelles. Together, they are the family that mind the Holy Grail at Castle Corbenic. Garlon has a big role in the next novel, and King Pelles will be in the saga for quite some time, ultimately becoming the Fisher King. Garlon has a great, extended chapter here as he meets the dark spirit that grants him the power of invisibility.

And something else

The focus swings back to King Arthur for an adventure I couldn’t spoil for you. It’s big, it’s dire, and he faces one of his greatest enemies, pushing him to the brink of survival before he is able to use his wits to outsmart his enemy.