SPEAR by Nicola Griffith

2023 Nebula Award Nominee Reviews Part 1/6

Reviewed by: Abe Ziesing

New twists, and a modern day mashup of ancient and beloved tales, packed in a short and sweet volume, and written by a lifelong fan and scholar of those tales. Griffith weaves her sword and sorcery within the lattice of Arthurian lore, with lovely prose and a loving devotion that is strongly evident throughout. For me, this book started out with 10/10 potential, but petered and waned slightly as it went on due a bit of repetition and a trending toward duck soup... until the end, which I loved. Overall, it's a refreshing take on the historically popular tropes of Arthur and his sword in the stone, Lancelot and his love for Gwenevere, and most importantly, our protagonist, "Perceval" and the Holy Grail.