Spear

"Mesmerizing . . . A lyrical bildungsroman drenched in the natural world [turns into] a fast-moving, violent suspense tale with stakes that are at once epic and personal . . . A marvelously concise epic that is entirely Griffith's own."—Gary Wolfe, Locus

“Gorgeous . . . This slim volume manages to capture its reader and tell a complete story in just under two hundred pages, something which many longer books don’t achieve.”—Fabienne Schwizer, Grimdark Magazine

“There is magic in Nicola Griffith's words. Prepare to be enchanted.”—John Scalzi, author of The Kaiju Preservation Society

"If Le Guin wrote a Camelot story, I imagine it would feel like Spear: humane, intelligent, and deeply beautiful. It's a new story with very old bones, a strange place that feels like home. It's exactly what I needed."—Alix E. Harrow, author of A Spindle Splintered

“Nicola Griffith braids the Percival tales to her own ferocious imagination, and the results are spellbinding. Her novel is a reclamation of the touchstones of Arthurian myth—skewering received notions with the sharp point of her pen. If that sounds too theoretical, let me also say that it's a screamingly hot canon-queering epic filled with bloody battles, and world-shaking magic. Spear is an unprecedented and spectacular investigation of the Matter of Britain. I've been waiting years for this book about the once and future everyone else to exist.”—Maria Dahvana Headley, author of The Mere Wife and Beowulf: A New Translation

“Breathtaking. Nicola Griffith knows what she’s doing.”—Jo Walton, author of Or What You Will

“Set against the backdrop of King Arthur’s court, Nicola Griffith’s Spear is at once intoxicating, brutal, and entirely compelling. Readers will want to race through the novella to uncover the main character’s destiny as she fights to understand her place in the world, but they will linger over every word of Griffith’s lush prose. Fans of Camelot won’t want to miss this gorgeous take on the Percival legend.”—Swapna Krishna, co-editor of Sword Stone Table

“Just dazzling!”—Bruce Holsinger, author of The Gifted School

“A mesmerizing tale that manages to be both epic and immersive in a short, intimate span, Spear gives us a vivid hero, a daring quest, and a clear-eyed reimaging of Arthurian legend.”—Malka Older, author of State Tectonics

"Readers will appreciate this sparkling interpretation of Arthurian legend, which combines interesting historical detail with appealing, inclusive characters in a genuinely delightful way."—Anna Mickelsen, Booklist

"This fresh, emotionally immediate queer spin on the medieval tale of Percival and the Holy Grail reaffirms Griffith as a consummate storyteller . . . Steeped in period texture that brings remote history fully into the present, and lushly illustrated by Rovina Cai (The Seventh Raven), this tale of destiny, belonging, and home is a genuine pleasure."—Publishers Weekly