When First I Met My King & The Dragon’s Tale by Harper Fox

When First I Met My King by Harper Fox

Narrated by Gary Furlong

Harper Fox sets her re-imagining of the Arthurian legends – The Arthur Quartet – firmly in Dark Ages Britain, in a divided land slowly emerging from centuries of Roman occupation, one in which the ‘new religion’ of Christianity is challenging the old ways and polytheistic traditions of the Druids and the Celts. She places Lancelot – Lance – at the centre of the tale, relating most events from his perspective and skilfully weaving together his backstory with the familiar elements of the legend – Excalibur, Camelot, Merlin, the Round Table, knights, dragons, magic – and laying the foundations of (what I hope will be) an epic romance between him and Arthur.

Each instalment in the Quartet is novella length, and the audios come in at between four and four-and-a-half hours each, so I’ve opted to review books one and two together, and plan to review books three and four at a later date (Note: Book four is still being written and publication is expected in early 2022 – so watch this space!) And as this is really one story in four parts, there’s no HEA at the end of The Dragon’s Tale and there is clearly more to be said.

When First I Met My King introduces us to Tertius – nicknamed Lance because of his deadly accuracy with a spear- the sixteen-year-old King of Vindolanda, who was suddenly elevated to that rank when his entire family and most of his village were wiped out in a Pictish raid while he was away hunting. Winter has been harsh and never-ending, and Lance, now responsible for those who survived, has gone out to find food. Freezing, hungry, grieving and lonely, he spies a hare and gives chase – only to realise he’s chased her so far that he won’t be able to get back to the village that night. He takes shelter in a nearby cave and finds it already occupied by a wizened old woman who tells him she’s a witch – clearly expecting him to react with shock or horror rather than with courtesy. That night, Lance dreams of a dragon, and of a voice calling him “Prince of Nowhere” and saying “I’m on my way” – the witch seems to understand this, but doesn’t enlighten Lance, instead sending him off to search for a particular plant, scolding him each time he returns with it and sending him off again. He’s on yet another foray when he sees a glimmer of gold at the edge of the nearby lough (lake) – and reaches for it, shocked to feel a scaly hand on his wrist for just a moment.

He pulls the sword from the water.

Arthur, the son of Uther and Ygraine, is the same age as Lance, but has led a very different life. Given into the care of Ector by the Merlin, Arthur has been raised alongside Ector’s son, Gaius, and has long known of the prophecy that he will unite the various tribes of England and rule over them as one people. He and his entourage are travelling the land to raise support when they encounter a bellicose young man who yells furiously at Arthur, calls him a Saxon invader and attacks him. Lance and Arthur fight, Lance wielding his new sword with skill and ferocity, and Arthur is reluctantly impressed by Lance’s courage and strength. When Lance realises his mistake, he offers Arthur and his men the hospitality of his village, and in turn, Arthur and his men are able to provide protection and goods to the villagers.

Lance and Arthur are drawn to each other and become close, their affection and admiration for one another growing more with each passing day. Their burgeoning romance is bittersweet, overshadowed as it is by the weight of destiny, and they both know that their idyll will soon end. Arthur wants Lance at his side, and Lance wants that more than anything. But he, too, has responsibilities, and although he’s fallen hard for Arthur, he’s torn between desire to follow his king – and his love – and his duty to his people.

The Dragon’s Tale

Book two in the saga picks up nearly three years after the end of the first. Arthur and Lance have not seen each other in the intervening time, but when Lance receives a letter from Gaius telling him that Arthur has been hurt, he cannot bear the thought of not being with him, and makes his way to Din Guardi, the fortress stronghold of King Coel. (Who is far from a merry old soul!) Arthur has been travelling the land, his forces fighting where they must in order to defeat those who oppose him, and he is now engaged in negotiations with the warlords of England, trying to find a way to unite them in defence of the kingdom from Saxon invaders.

On Lance’s long journey (during which a Blast from the Past appears to alleviate some of his worries about leaving his village), he ponders how much Arthur’s accomplishments and the weight of responsibility must have changed him in the time they have been apart, and even wonders if Arthur will be able to spare any time for him. But he need not have worried. Arthur – who is still recovering from illness – greets Lance warmly, and brings him into the heated discussion he’s been having with the chiefs and warlords, where Lance sees clearly what a mammoth task Arthur is trying to perform. These men have never been friends and long-standing feuds are not easily cast aside; Arthur is hopeful for a positive outcome but Lance is not so sure. Even so, he will remain at Arthur’s side to fight with and for him, care, comfort and love him for as long as Arthur will have him.

The Dragon’s Tale is more swiftly paced and action-packed than the previous book as Arthur and Lance are beset by enemies both magical and mundane; a mysterious, mythical beast terrorises Din Guardi and the surrounding villages, leaving death and destruction in its wake, and a terrible and all too-human betrayal threatens the safety of everyone within, as well as Arthur’s plans to unite the disunited land. This story also introduces two of the other key players in the legend – the Merlin and Guenyvre – the latter’s introduction done in a breathtakingly inventive and unexpected way. Prophecies are fulfilled, but of course, the arrival of Guenyvre brings complications and big changes, and I’m keen to find out how the author is going to work it all out while still fulfilling the promise of the story she has set in motion – the great love story of Arthur and Lancelot.

Harper Fox does an amazing job in these books of putting her own stamp on this well-known story and of seamlessly combining the familiar and not-so-familiar tales of legend and breathing new life into them. The aura of magical realism that permeates the stories is subtle and beautifully done, the bleak greyness of Lance’s existence at the beginning perfectly mirrored in the freezing, barren landscape, and the happiness he finds with Arthur heralding the return of Spring as the land begins to bloom. The evocative descriptive prose puts the listener firmly in the middle of this strange and sometimes brutal land, and her attention to detail means that every single element, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, coalesces to create an incredibly rich, three-dimensional world.

The characterisation is similarly excellent. When we first meet them, Lance and Arthur are boys on the cusp of manhood who have both been forced to assume great responsibility at a young age, and from their first meeting, we see their essential differences and how those are going to complement each other. We watch Arthur’s impulsiveness and arrogance tempered by Lance’s gentle pragmatism and see how Lance provides support and affection to the headstrong and charismatic young man struggling to learn how to fulfil his huge responsibilities. By the time of The Dragon’s Tale, we are watching them grow into the men they will become, the men of legend – the kingly politician-warrior and his fiercely devoted and loving knight.

I admit that the romance in book one does feel a bit insta-love-y, and as though I was expected just to accept that Arthur and Lance were meant to be without really getting a huge amount of relationship development. That said, there’s plenty of chemistry there, and their affection and yearning for each other is very well done. I really liked that the people around them weren’t at all shocked or scandalised at the idea that the two are lovers; the only character who does react negatively is the Christian priest, Father Thomas, his moral outrage highlighting the contrast between the ‘old’ and ‘new’ religions and traditions that are struggling for dominance this world.

The audiobooks I’ve listened to so far by Harper Fox have all benefited from the participation of some really excellent narrators – Tim Gilbert in the Tyack & Frayne series, Chris Clog in Seven Summer Nights and others – and now Gary Furlong joins the ranks. It’s no secret that he’s one of my favourite narrators; he’s an incredibly versatile and talented all-rounder, and when I pick up one of his narrations, I know I’ll be getting a thoughtful and perceptive performance that demonstrates not only his considerable technical skill but also his ability to find the heart of the story and communicate that to the audience. He brings all that skill and emotional intelligence to his performances in these books; his pacing is just right, and all the characters are easily identifiable through a variety of tone, timbre and accent. (I particularly liked Viviana the witch’s dry, snarky tone!) Other than a few mispronunciations, it’s a flawless performance and his portrayal of the two leads is particularly good; Lance’s innate goodness, his loyalty and his strong sense of honour come across extremely clearly, as do his affection and longing for Arthur. I loved the way Mr. Furlong finds the vulnerability hidden beneath Arthur’s sometimes brash, confident exterior, and the deep emotional connection between the two men is superbly realised and conveyed.

When First I Met My King and The Dragon’s Tale are captivating listens that offer a fresh and wonderfully creative perspective on a familiar tale. Gary Furlong’s narration is the perfect complement to the author’s words and I’m greatly looking forward to listening to the rest of the story.

Caz


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6 thoughts on “When First I Met My King & The Dragon’s Tale by Harper Fox

  1. This sounds really interesting, Caz, although I think I’ll probably wait to listen to the complete quartet.
    Harper Fox was new to me towards the end of 2021, and I really enjoyed the two books I listened to – Seven Summer Nights and The Salisbury Key. As the latter is narrated by Hamish Long, that’s another addition to her choice of excellent narrators!

    1. I was told book four may be out this month – in print that is – but I don’t know how close it is to being finished. This was originally conceived as a trilogy, I think – book three came out in 2018, and I don’t know when the series expanded to a quartet . I have the audio of The Greenwood and the Grail and plan to review it with the final instalment, so watch this space!

  2. This sounds so good. Lovely review… you’ve made my mouth water, Caz!

    There are quite a few of the author’s back list in the audible plus range (which I’ve nabbed), but no such luck with this series. I know I was crying for the moon as it’s an ongoing series and… Gary Furlong!

    However, after your review, these are so worth a credit.

    1. Pretty much all of Harper Fox’s books at Audible are older titles that were published by Audible Studios – these two are fairly new and are being published by Decent Fellows (who also put out the John Wiltshire More Heat Than the Sun books). I’ve been promised a review copy of book 4 as soon as it’s out!

  3. These sound very interesting, but I’d like to wait until they are all available. I’ve only read a one of Harper Fox’s novella, Winter Knights. It’s also a rift on the Arthur and Lance story. I loved the writing but found the plot unnecessarily enigmatic. Of course, it was just a novella, so that can happen. I’d like to try something else by her. Maybe I’ll start with one that you or WendyF mentioned.

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