I like Kage Baker's Company books (Mendoza, before she's reduced to a simpering, love-sick nonentity, is one of my favorite characters in any series) and I love C.J. Cherryh's Union-Alliance future history (Signy Mallory of ECS Norway ranks as one of the most brilliant characters in SF (IMO) and Downbelow Station is a masterpiece). But I can't stand their forays into fantasy. I couldn't finish The Anvil of the World and Cherryh's fantasy tends to bore me.Sarah Zettel joins that band of authors w...

I’ve read this several times now, and I always go back and forth on it a little. Initially, I think I was a teeeeeny bit ashamed to be caught reading something that is a romance in both the modern and the medieval senses of the word. Then I included it in my dissertation and had to think about it critically. And now… now I get to read it just for pure fun. Which is great: it makes me realise how much this version of Gawain is exactly what made me love the character in the first place, and that t...

Okay book if you like the type--high Medieval Arthurian romance--which I don't.Essentially a 100 page retelling of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight set within 400 page framing story told from the point of view of Risa, his lady love. Little to enjoy and much to gag over.

I seem to change my mind every time I read these books. I've loved all of Sarah Zettel's work, but reading Camelot's Shadow again (for a third time) didn't do it any favours. The amount of grammar mistakes I came across in the text, for example, really began to annoy me. And the oh-so-perfect women -- Rhian, Guinevere, Jocosa -- or the demonised women -- Pacis, Kerra, Morgaine -- really got to me. Rhian was perfectly patient, Guinevere a perfect queen, Jocosa a perfect mother... Pacis was the sc...

Arthuriana is fundamentally a weird genre for something that's trying to hew close to category Romance; I was all too aware on every page that in the long run, This Will End In Tears. That the book never embraced the bittersweetness of the mythos in any way was jarring to me, as was its attempt to sort of haphazardly merge Camelot-the-musical Arthuriana with Rosemary Sutcliff historical Arthuriana (if that emerald signet ring "that her mother said had come all the way from Rome" that the protago...

A re-read from my teenage days. I remember loving the romance. It is pretty good. I wish significantly more had been done with the Loathly Lady aspect. It happens to her in the last 50 pages, doesn’t reflect a major character weakness or fear that we previously knew of (since when was Risa worried about her beauty or youth?), and is solved very quickly and without much difficulty. Felt tacked on, in this light, for being a book that was supposed to be about Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady and th...

Reread in February 2010.Since I'm hoping that the module on King Arthur will run next year, and reading widely in the tradition helped me with the Robin Hood module, I decided to revisit these books. As I said in my review almost two years ago, I'm not really one for romance books, generally, but these are Arthurian -- which helps a lot, since it's something I'm always interested in -- and they're not exactly bodice-rippers, and I do like Sarah Zettel's writing. There's genuinely a plot alongsid...

Risa's father forbids her to marry, and at last Risa discovers why--years ago, her father promised her to a sorcerer in exchange for his wife's life. Unwilling to wait around to lose her soul as part of a sorcerer's household, Risa flees. The sorcerer pursues, but to everyone's amazement Sir Gawain happens upon them and rescues Risa. Gawain offers his protection to Risa, and as they ride together toward Camelot the seeds of love are planted in them. But even as they fall in love, they are troubl...

This novel mix the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Wedding of Dame Ragnelle and Sir Gawain, in a new story where the author narrates the love of Rhian and Gawain. Rhian is the daughter of a powerful lord who had sold her soul to a sorcerer, in exchange for the life of his wife. When Rhian finds out, she runs away, trying to escape from the sorcerer who wants now to take her for her powers. Gawain finds her and you can imagine the rest.I admit I preferred this novel to the fourth...

I am highly attracted to midieval and old English stories, so this book was right up my alley. A friend recommended it to me, and I was a little skeptical to read it at first, but then I got into it and it was great! It follows a nineteen-year-old young woman named Risa (it was nice to get a slightly older heroine for once) and Sir Gawain—yes, the same one from the King Arthur stories! When Risa was just a baby, her father promised her to an evil sorcerer out of desperation to save her mother's

I was prepared to adore any book written by a woman who's cat is named Buffy the Vermin Slayer. Unfortunately, this did not quite reach adored status. The story of Risa of the Morelands and Sir Gawain of the Round Table is filled with Celtic mythology and Arthurian Legend. Risa's father has sold her to a sorcerer and Gawain must rescue her. That's pretty straightforward, but there is also another witch who wants Arthur's throne and sees Gawain and Risa's issues as fortuitous to her aims. The pac...

This is the third book I've read this month pertaining to Merlin and/or Avalon. This is the best one yet and it's only the first in a series. It's a tender love story in the midst of terrible danger. I can't wait to see where For Camelot's Honor takes this tale.Lady Risa is promised at birth to the evil sorcerer, Euberacon, who is intent on dethroning King Arthur. Of course, Risa has absolutely no intention of becoming Euberacon's tool of destruction so she flees. She meets up with Saxon forces

Read this entire review and others at The Silver Petticoat Review: IN CAMELOT’S SHADOW BOOK REVIEW – RISA AND GAWAIN’S ROMANTIC STORYReview by Mandi HarrisOverall Rating = 5; Romance Rating = 5In Camelot’s Shadow by Sarah Zettel follows the story of Risa of the Morelands as she escapes a terrible fate. Before her birth, her father promised her to an evil sorcerer to save her mother’s life. When she learns of what he has done, she seeks to escape. There, fate puts her in the path of one of Camelo...

This one has sentimental value as it is part of a series that I started reading as a teenager. As a teenager I liked fantasy, romance, and reworkings of other stories so this book would've ticked all the boxes back then! Lady Rhian is ready for marriage but frustrated because her father refuses to give his consent to any suitor. Rhian is devastated to discover that her father cannot give his blessing because she was promised years ago to a sorcerer in order to save her mother from death. When sh...

Camelot’s shadow Has been an intriguing read. I enjoyed the twist of the story being from Gawain’s And Rhian’s Point of View.I have always loved Arthurian legend , And Sarah Zettel As of increased my pleasure in reading about King Arthur and Queen Guinevere and the Knights of the round table.It had the perfect amount of magic, darkness and love and bravery in the story as well as Mythical legend.

2.5. This is one of my nostalgia reads that I hadn't finished from last year. It took a long time for me to read since it was during the midst of my reading slump and it couldn't really bring me out of it. It was definitely an interesting take on Arthurian legend, it didn't hit hard on some of the more emotional beats that I wanted it to and it read a bit on the lighter side considering some of the content that it covered.

Billed as an Arthurian romance I was intrigued to give it a go having not read a fantasy novel in a long time. First of a series which I didn't realise. Very disappointing. Silly plot, heroes can do no wrong, to the extent I didn't care what happened to them. Won't be reading the next one.

an utterly tedious and boorish read. if it weren't for the fact that this was a book club book, I definitely would have stopped after a couple pages.

Eh, not my type since it's a bit too heavy on the romance and the "perfect man" and "perfect woman" and the "perfect couple". Dunno if it's my version, but could do with another edit.

I enjoyed this enough to keep it, admittedly it's pretty predictable, but I liked the characterization and the heroine wasn't limp and useless which helped.

I’m not really a romance reader but I do love anything Arthurian and these 4 Camelot books by Sarah zettel really hit the spot. I loved them all!

I really enjoyed this book. While it was somewhat of a slow start, I'm glad I pushed through. I loved this retelling of Sir Gawaine and very happy to realize there is a sequel!

Utter drivel. Gave up at about p150.

i'm retroactively changing this to five stars even though it is by no means perfect - but it was quite formative for me re: romance fiction, arthurian fiction, historical fantasy, which in my brain is pretty much the same thing as being perfect. hot tip for authors, if you get to me early enough i will continue to harbour deep affection for your books forever

Note: This book is actually 2 main retellings, although both only appear towards the end of the book. The story arc of the retelling of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight begins only in the last 1/4 or so of the book (or less), and it overlaps and ends with a retelling of one of the Canterbury Tales, (view spoiler)[The Wife of Bath's Tale, relating to the Loathly Lady who Gawain marries in some variations (hide spoiler)], which I absolutely loved because of the way it tied in to the beginning of th...

I'm going to be biased, because I LOVE Gawain (character from Arthurain legend, not necessarily the one depicted in this book.) I love Gawain and I want him to be happy. I am also happy because Sarah Zettel's retelling did an amazing job of blending several things:- The story of Gawain and the Green Knight (totes classic!)- Gawain and the Loathly Lady (another amazing butt-kicking CLASSIC right there)- Apollo and Laurel (Apollo fell in love with Laurel, the wood-nymph. She changed into a Laurel-...

Many stories have been written about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, but most of them tend to draw out the affair and betrayal of Lancelot and Guinevere. Even The Mists of Avalon, my all-time favorite work of MZB, carried a different interpretation of it (they didn’t betray Arthur). This novel, with its focus on one of the more famous Knights, and fleshing out the loathly lady in Risa, is quite a refreshing change.Risa of the Morelands ran away from home to avoid being given over...

Synopsis: "Sarah Zettel's In Camelot's Shadow is an enticing romantic fantasy set in Arthurian England that explores the legend of Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady. When Gawain, King Arthur's handsome and promiscuous nephew, saves a beautiful maiden from a sorcerer, will his love be able to overcome the forces of evil?Risa of the Morelands was cursed even before she was born. While returning from King Arthur's coronation, her father made a deal with an evil necromancer named Euberacon to save his...

I don't want to say that I'm a snob, but I think I might have to. It's embarassing to carry around a book that has the word "Camelot" on it. And a lady in a medieval dress. Today I was riding the bus from my house in Bubenec to work in Smichov, and I'm sure that nobody (ladies hassling with strollers, old people with double canes, young and hungover looking guys) cared about what I was reading. If they spoke English or otherwise. But I still hid the cover by angling the book against the seat in

I really liked this book the first time I read it, but after revisiting it several years on I have to downgrade my opinion a bit. It's good, but not great. It's not a complex book, so this review won't be complex either. If you are a fan of Authurian tales, you might like Sarah Zettel's Camelot's Shadow. Just be aware that despite a few refreshing updates, like a damsel who for the most part rescues herself rather than waiting for the men to do it for her, it is still very much what I think of a...