Savage Damsel and the Dwarf (The Squire's Tales Series #3) by Gerald Morris

From the Publisher

Her castle under siege by an evil knight who keeps beheading all her would-be rescuers, Lady Lynet realizes the only way to get help is to get it herself. So one night she slips away and strikes out for King Arthur's court where she hopes to find a gallant knight to vanquish the Knight of the Red Lands and free her castle. Gerald Morris's latest Arthurian novel is a highly comic tale of hidden identities, mysterious knights, faeries and enchantments, damsels-in-distress, and true love.

Children's Literature

If you think that a damsel could not be savage, then you will want to meet the feisty Lynet. The family castle is under siege by an evil knight, but she manages to escape in the dead of night to search for a hero to rescue her beautiful, though shallow sister. Unfortunately she cannot tell the whole truth to King Arthur. It seems that her recently deceased father fought against the monarch. As a matter of fact, it seems that no one wants to reveal his or her true identity. Much to her disgust, Lynet's champion is Beaumains, a filthy, foul-smelling kitchenhand. Someone donates armor and lo and behold he is not only handsome when cleaned, but also quite a skilled warrior. Her other companion is a strange dwarf named Roger, who is knowledgeable and has an uncanny sense of direction and somehow manages to get the group back to Lynet's castle. Along the way they meet magical fairies, adventure, and plenty of people who want to fight the knight whom Lynet insists is not a knight! Is anybody who they say they are? Will Beaumains save the castle and marry the beautiful sister? Will Lynet's heart be broken? For a rollicking good read and plenty of medieval action, relax and read the humorous sequel to The Squire, his Knight, and his Lady. 2000, Houghton Mifflin, Ages 10 to 16, $15.00. Reviewer: Laura Hummel

VOYA

Tired of her sister's futile whining about the Knight of the Red Lands' seige on their castle, Lady Lynet journeys to King Arthur's court to ask for a champion. She is aided in her escape by an unseen faery and further assisted by a somewhat hapless dwarf named Roger, who is nonetheless good at direction. Afraid that her father's role in an earlier rebellion against Arthur will not have been forgotten or forgiven, Lynet appeals for help while refusing to reveal details. Assisted by the Lady Eileen and Squire Terence, whom readers will recognize from The Squire's Tale (Houghton Mifflin, 1998/VOYA August 1998) and A Squire, His Knight, and His Lady (Houghton Mifflin, 1999/VOYA August 1999), Lynet is able to gain an audience with Arthur. The king refuses to consider her request without knowing her and her sister's names. Nonetheless the kitchen knave, Beaumainsactually Gawain's brother Gareth who has sworn none will know his true name until he restores Lancelot's honorvolunteers for the task. Lynet sets out reluctantly with Beaumains and soon is joined again by the dwarf as they venture back to Cornwall and Lynet's sister. During the course of the journey, the erstwhile rescue, and her sister's untoward response, Lynet learns that appearances are deceiving and that real honor lies far beyond the trappings of tournament victories and shiny armor. Although the vocabulary at times is more demanding than Morris's earlier work, young readers will enjoy the magical world of knights, dwarves, and damsels in distress. Morris provides a richly rewarding reworking of a less familiar chapter from Arthurian legend. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses;Broadgeneral YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2000, Houghton Mifflin, Ages 12 to 15, 213p, $15. Reviewer: Kim Carter

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-A rollicking treatment of a lesser-known episode from Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur. Teenaged Lady Lynet sets out for Camelot, looking for a champion to free her family's castle from the siege of an evil knight. Along the way, she befriends several mysterious companions, none of whom is exactly as he or she first appears. Scattered throughout Lynet's saga are droll, unusually modern portrayals of many familiar Arthurian characters. The heroine, nicknamed the Savage Damsel, is a take-charge kind of gal. Noble Sir Gareth appears as a "clothheaded ninny," whose turbocharged sense of honor forces him into an unnecessary duel with every knight he stumbles across, and brave Sir Lancelot has burned out on chivalry and admits he has become a media creation. The novel is also enjoyable for its good-natured spoofing of the conventions of its medieval setting. Knights of the Round Table avoid any tournament where the prize is a lady's hand in marriage, figuring there must be something wrong with her. Characters poke fun at one another's lofty, Maloryesque language. Also, some of the most courageous knights are shown to be none too bright, which explains why they risk their lives so readily. Although the story lacks the majesty of other tales closer to the heart of the Arthurian legend, it is great fun and will be enjoyed by fans of the genre.-Beth Wright, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, VT Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Kirkus Reviews

In Morris's third (Squire's Tale, 1998; The Squire, the Knight and the Lady, 1999) wry, sometimes hilarious, take on an Arthurian legend, a sharp-tongued young damosel gets an education in sorcery, intrigue and what true knighthood is all about. To save her beautiful, if vapid, older sister Lyonesse from the clutches of a bloodthirsty suitor, Lynet sets out on her own to recruit a champion from Camelot. She returns with a savvy, but inept, dwarf, Roger, and a kitchen knave dubbed `Beaumains` who, from his adroit sword work and obsession with fighting every armored comer to the death, is obviously a knight in disguise. Though Lynet is deeply smitten, in time she loses both her infatuation and at least some of her romantic illusions, incidentally gaining along the way grounding in sorcery and herb lore. There's plenty of violence here, and not the cartoon sort either, but Morris doesn't glorify it; instead, he populates the woods (every clearing, it sometimes seems) with knights of every stripe, from murderous brutes and big talkers to mild mannered, sensible sorts—including among the latter the renowned Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawain. Ultimately realizing that her true hero has been literally under her nose the whole time, Lynet douses Roger with a magic potion that not only heals a mortal wound, but, to her amazement turns him back into (tah-dah!) Sir Gaheris, Prince of Orkney. As Beaumains turns out to be Sir Gareth, his featherbrained brother and so a perfect match for Lyonesse, the tale ends with a grand double wedding. Fans of Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted (1997), Patricia Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles and similarly lighthearted fantasy will be delighted.(afterword)(Fiction. 11-15)

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