Book 7 Preview!

Book Seven of The Swithen is with the proofreader now and available for pre-order. I’m excited about it, because, simply—I like it! It’s dark and twisty and we start to get deep into our main set of characters. We also step fully into the world of strange magic and deep resonance that the Arthurian legend is known for. 

It’s odd to say that six novels would just be setup, but with a saga this large, there are going to be several different phases. Books One through Six brought us to the point where Arthur is solidly established as king. Now we start to consider the adventures of some of the knights and simply exist in the kingdom Arthur has established. 

Here I’ll give a little preview of what to expect in the book, and will aim to avoid spoilers.

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 has been adapted the oldest part of the Arthurian legend. Hard to exactly define, but everything is a bit more dark and mysterious. We are now solidly in Arthur’s kingdom with the main set of characters that will continue on until the end, and we deepen and enrich their intertwined worlds rather than establish a number of new characters.

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 point of the story. There are also a number of villains that emerge here, three major villains and some other generally bad people, making this entire thing a dark chapter in the series, alleviated by moments of hope, connection and tenderness.

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. At the beginning, Balan is able to pull a sword that no one else can, marking him as the best knight, free of treachery and villainy. When he refuses to give it back, he is warned that he will kill the one he loves best with it, and that he himself will die by that sword, but he replies that he must take the adventure God will choose for him. 

This interaction becomes the basis for the title of this book, The Adventure God Will Choose. This statement embodies a worldview of the Arthurian knights, that one must accept what comes to one in life, whether good or bad. It is particularly pointed in this instance, in which Balin is clearly and explicitly told that he will ruin his own life if he continues his current course of action, but he blithely just repeats this maxim and continues on.

Balin’s story is so big, and naturally breaks into two sections, I have chosen to tell it across two novels, and he will continue as the primary character of Book Eight. This story is one of my favorite in Le Morte d’Arthur, full of evocative touches and eerie resonances.

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 and develop a town. It will be done and ready for use by the end of Book Nine.

Guinevere and the False Guinevere 

One very compelling story in the larger legend is that of the woman known as the False Guinevere. She is an exact duplicate of the future queen and the circumstances of her birth form a dark secret in the household of Guinevere’s parents. This story was entirely left out of Le Morte d’Arthur, but I am happy to include it here as there are so few stories that focus on Guinevere herself without centering on Arthur or the knights in some way. It’s also nice to get to know Guinevere as a young person before she marries Arthur. If you are following the series, you know that Guinevere learned a shocking secret about her parents at the end of the last installment. In this novel, matters develop and her identical friend takes a step toward becoming the grand villain she will ultimately become. 

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. In the last novel they met and had light flirtation. Here they begin sharing their problems and caring for each other in a way that will bear fruit for the culture of Arthur’s court in the future.

Nimue emerges as 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. In this book she emerges and takes up the mantle of her position. 

Garlon and King Pelles

We know King Pellinor, who seeks 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 a driving force 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 one other big thing

The focus swings back to King Arthur for an adventure those familiar with the legend will recognize, but which 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. 

The Adventure God Will Choose: The Swithen Book Seven, is available for pre-order now.