Magical Tales from French Camelot by Sophie Masson, illustrated by Lorena Carrington

Title: Magical Tales from French Camelot

Author: Sophie Masson, illustrated by Lorena Carrington

Genre: Fairy tales

Publisher: Serenity Press

Published: August 2022

Format: Paperback

Pages: 150

Price: $22.95

Synopsis: The legend of King Arthur began in Britain. But it is in twelfth-century France that the stories really took off, with gifted writers creating a panoply of vivid new characters and elements such as Lancelot, Perceval, the Grail and the doomed love between Lancelot and Guinevere, within a richly imagined, action-packed world of adventure, magic, romance and mystery. Women as much as men are important characters in the French stories, there’s an intriguing take on shapeshifters and other supernatural beings, and fascinating glimpses of the patterns and customs of medieval life as well as explorations of conscience and the true nature of courage. In the process these extraordinary medieval writers, such as Chrétien de Troyes and Marie de France, created a whole new immensely popular genre of literature whose appeal and influence endures to this day.

This beautiful new collection of stories translated and powerfully retold by Sophie Masson and superbly illustrated by Lorena Carrington will introduce you to some of the most striking tales and extraordinary characters and places from the French Arthurian tradition, transporting you into a gripping, magical world like no other.

For adult and young adult readers.

~*~

The stories of King Arthur and Camelot are well-known and have been retold in many novels, movies, and television shows. Most of these iterations come from the British versions. But it was in the twelfth century in France where the stories came to life with a variety of writers creating stories for Lancelot, Perceval, the Grail and many more, including the oft-recreated doomed love of Lancelot and Guinevere, and many more. In this anthology, there is love, action, romance, and mystery, with a fairy or two thrown in. So, sit back, and let Sophie and Lorena take you on a magical journey of French Camelot.

I was sent this book to review by Serenity Press, as I have loved all the fairy tale books that they have put out, and have nearly all of them, with a couple that I still need to read. I love these retellings because they capture the essence of the fairy tale, whilst empowering the characters and giving the women a voice. I think it would be interesting to track down the originals and read them (I’d have to read them in translation) to see what the differences are.

Sophie’s retellings are lyrical and emotive, and as she explains in her rationale at the end of each tale, she chose the most powerful moments in each tale to retell, leaving off where she needed to, and at times, explaining the rest of the story and its context within the French canon as well as its relationship to the British stories. Doing this gave an extra layer to the book, and it is the same process Kate Forsyth uses for her Long Lost Fairytales collections as well. In giving readers a history of the tale and letting us know what they have done, Sophie, like Kate, invites us into her world and writing process. As I studied myth and fairy tale at school, I love these books and find it fascinating to see what different people do with well-known or even not-so-well-known stories, myths, and fairy tales. Because it is these myths and fairy tales from cultures across the world that have formed the backbone of all our storytelling, from oral traditions to the written word.

Camelot is one of the cycles of stories that has a very specific setting and background, whilst other fairy tales that we know well have multiple versions across various traditions. Camelot though has long been a source of fascination in all media and storytelling. There are places in Australia with Avalon in their name – a hint at the mythical place of Camelot, Arthur, and many others that came over with the settlers perhaps. These stories evoke the magic and mythical senses, the feeling of slipping away somewhere else, and being part of something bigger, something that is a part of a collective imagination for many. These stories bring part of the Arthurian legends and myth cycle to life for adult and young adult readers, and I loved reading them, loved feeling like I was part of the world that they came from, and loved the beautiful illustrations by Lorena, created with many different aspects digitally to tell the stories just as much as the words did. I find it hard to put her illustrations into words because I think they are the kind of illustrations you have to experience for yourself – they’re just that magical!

Another wonderful selection of retold fairy tales!