Sword Stone Table Review

 

I had this book sitting in my room for I kid you not a few years before I finally got around to it earlier this year, and it was absolutely a book that made me think, why on earth did I wait so long to read this? There were so many different stories from so many different creative perspectives, and I loved reading them. It did also make me realize I’m not quite as familiar with King Arthur as I thought I was – there were stories that I struggled to make the connections the author had intended. Still, for the most part thoroughly enjoyable.

The Once and Future Qadi ★★★★

This story was a really interesting starting point because it’s essentially just one element of the original King Arthur story (the trial of Lancelot and Guinevere) but from the perspective of a new character coming from a completely different culture. It paints a compelling portrait of Guinevere, and it never misses an opportunity to skewer sexism and xenophobia – often at the same time. A nice little read, though not particularly unique.

Passing Fair and Young ★★★★★

Chokshi’s writing is always so lovely in short stories, and this one is no exception. The love story it tells is so sweet and beautiful, and I loved the emphasis on autonomy versus fate and the choices we make for ourselves. 

How, after Long Fighting, Galehaut Was Overcome by Lancelot Yet Was Not Slain and Made Great Speed to Yield to Friendship; Or, Galehaut, the Knight of the Forfeit ★★

Yeah, the title pretty much tells you what you need to know. The writing was so over the top and difficult to read that I couldn’t really pick out an actual plot, let alone care about anything that happened. Disappointing, because I was looking forward to a queer story in the Once section of this book, and this didn’t deliver at all.

I Being Young and Foolish ★★★

This was fine. It was definitely interesting to read from the perspective of a Black albino woman and see the contrast of her view of magic with a more generic western one, but I also found the writing difficult to get into and didn’t really understand the plot. I’m sure some people will really like it, but not my thing.

The Bladesmith Queen★★★★

Another really great love story with interesting characters and compelling writing. I definitely enjoyed this one a lot, although I did feel that the plot was never explained as clearly as I wanted. And this I think is one that definitely suffered from my lack of familiarity with some of the details of Arthurian legend. Still, really lovely read.

Do, By All Due Means ★★★

The collection’s queer historical stories and I were just not getting along, it seems. It wasn’t actively bad, but I really struggled to understand and connect to the characters, and it felt a little bit rushed. Fine, but not spectacular.

Mayday ★★★★★

This one was brilliant. I really love a good multimedia or epistolary story – they allow for a creeping sense of dread and realization even in stories that aren’t, strictly speaking, horror. It requires a bit of effort to really read and understand, but the effort is absolutely worth it. There are so many cleverly intertwined details and elements, and I suspect someone more absorbed in Arthurian legend would appreciate it even more than me.

Heartbeat ★★★★★

Okay, this was really cool. It basically takes the very classic, very famous sword in the stone story and places it into the context of an Anishinaabeg kid trying to reconnect with his indigenous heritage in the face of resistance from his family and friends, who view their culture as a threat to their own well-being. Really compelling, really heart-wrenching.

Jack and Brad and the Magician ★★★★★

Oh my God this story was HEARTBREAKING and made me cry. It’s a story about Merlin, as a somewhat weakened version of himself, performing a magic show for HIV/AIDS patients, and Jack and Brad, a couple dealing with Brad’s HIV diagnosis and his deteriorating health. Definitely the story that got the most emotional reaction out of me.

The Quay Stone ★★

So not only did I not remember what this story was about and have to look it up, but when I did I was kind of annoyed because I just didn’t like it that much. It’s about a friendship that forms between two girls in Singapore, and it was so frustrating because the relationship was so clearly manipulative and there was no real accountability or reckoning, plus the ending just didn’t make that much sense. Now, again, this is a story that I think is referencing parts of the mythology that I’m not familiar with, so perhaps it’s more enjoyable to readers who are. But not for me.

Black Diamond ★★★

A nice little transposition of the classic Arthurian tale into modern baseball. Deals with themes of self-destruction and self-sabotage in an interesting way, although I also felt like the ending was too easy of an out. But perfectly fine.

Flat White ★★★

This story takes Elaine and makes her a modern-day barista who gets tangled up in the Lancelot/Arthur/Guinevere love triangle when she falls in love with Lancelot and starts going out with him. It was okay, though the majority of the story was a little bit boring – basically just Elaine being sad Lancelot doesn’t really like her. But there’s also a fun sort of meta twist, and the ending is fairly satisfying.

Once (Them) and Future (Us) ★★★★

Okay, so this one was interesting. It’s about a reincarnated Merlin who seeks out his Arthur, only to end up falling in love with him. Like a lot of these stories, it’s exploring the idea of fated roles and whether we’re tied to them. Obviously there’s a kind of uncomfortable power dynamic because Merlin’s aware of his role in the Arthurian cycle and Arjun isn’t, but I think the author handles it well enough to make that tension a part of the story itself, not just something lingering unpleasantly in the background.

A Shadow in Amber ★★★

I really love Silvia Moreno-Garcia, but I couldn’t quite wrap my head around this story. It’s mostly just creepy (in a bad way), gloomy, and depressing, without much of an actual plot. Weirdly that didn’t make it completely awful to read, but I didn’t love it either. I don’t really have any other thoughts about it. 

White Hempen Sleeves ★★

I…understood absolutely nothing about this story? Didn’t understand the Arthurian connection, didn’t totally understand the plot, didn’t understand the world, didn’t understand the characters. Don’t feel I got much out of it, unfortunately.

Little Green Men ★★★

It took me a bit to understand what was happening here, but once I did this was a perfectly nice story, if not terribly memorable.