My life in books

Exiled From Camelot, Cherith Baldry

This novel, like Dorothy Roberts’ Kinsmen of the Grail, draws much of its source material from the Perlesvaus and thus contains a number of characters not familiar to reader more accustomed to the tale as compiled by Malory.

Baldry’s protagonist is one of the less well-known knights of the Round Table, Sir Kay – Seneschal and Arthur’s foster brother, who is often portrayed as sharp-tongued or rude, even sarcastic, as both a braggart and a coward, and not, shall we say, the best-loved knight of the realm.

In the Perlesvaus, Kay is one of the bad guys. He is jealous of Arthur’s son Loholt, and after his murder of the young knight (who in this version is a good knight and the legitimate son on Arthur and Guinevere) is discovered, flees Arthur’s court and allies himself with Arthur’s enemies, Brian of the Isles and Meliant. In other early version of the tale, Loholt is illegitimate, and treacherous, while Kay remains a respected knight of Arthur’s court despite killing the king’s son.

Baldry, for whom Kay is clearly a favourite among all the knights mentioned in Arthurian literature, reconciles these two versions of the conflict between Kay and Loholt in her novel and at the same time presents a deeply moving portrait of an intensely loyal but socially inept man who loves his foster brother as both man and king, and who is misunderstood, and even mocked, because he is only an average knight whose service to the king and realm lies in his extraordinary abilities as a manager and administrator, in a time where heroes are defined as men who win glory in battles.

I loved this take on Kay, who is so often ignored or maligned in the legends. Brava to Baldry for re-inventing the heroic knight – for there’s no doubt about it, in this novel, Kay’s courage, loyalty and self-sacrifice save the day in ways that are more heroic than anything Lancelot or Gawain can do with all their fighting prowess.