Galahad and the Grail by Malcolm Guite
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Exquisite. Timeless. Exceptional. This is a masterpiece of the highest caliber. And it’s to be treasured in all of its formats. Reading Galahad and the Grail, Guite’s introductory volume in his four-part Merlin’s Isle, feels like uncovering a treasure lost to antiquity, one that is somehow fresh and vibrant in the light of the 21st century sun. His presentation of the search for the Holy Grail is captivating, and it left me so excited to experience the rest of his Arthuriad as he plans to release them over the next few years. Every line, every word, every syllable was chosen with such care and intention. Though this is epic poetry, a form little read in modern society, the story being told through the verse is easy to follow. This could easily be experienced as a family read aloud. It truly feels not only timeless, but ageless in its appeal.

This is a long-form, epic, narrative poem, presented as a ballad instead of the more standard and less demanding blank verse. It’s the first such ballad written and published in English in over one hundred years, since the publication of G.K. Chesterton’s The Ballad of the White Horse in 1911. And it takes on the most enduring British myth of all time: the legend of King Arthur and the stories surrounding his Knights of the Round Table. This first installment in Guite’s four-part series drops us into the middle of the story, focusing less on Arthur than on Sir Galahad, the Grail Knight, and the other Knights who set out in search of the holy artifact.

I mentioned that this story feels both ancient and fresh. Guite communicates every element of his story very clearly, even through a medium with which most modern readers are less than familiar. But the form isn’t the only thing that makes the story feel like a time capsule, in a sense. The story itself is imbued with a fascinating mysticism that is wholly Christocentric. There was not a single page upon which Christ was not present. Faith is inextricable from the story being told. The narrative is unapologetically High Church, Eucharistic in a way that made my low church self yearn to take part, to experience Christ in this way. The older I get and the more that I read, the less I believe that the Eucharist is merely a symbol, as has been preached by every Baptist church I’ve attended in my life. This exquisite narrative, with so much of its climax centered around the miracle of the Sacrament, further reinforced that burgeoning belief.

The book as a physical object is stunning. Stephen Crotts, the illustrated, is immensely talented. There is at least one brilliant woodcut-style illustration in each chapter, or stave, as well as unique illuminated initials opening each stave. There are also full-color illustrations at the beginning of each book, as well as two-toned ink utilized throughout. The dust-jacket is beautiful, the case for the hardcover is clothbound instead of the standard laminate, and there’s even a bound-in ribbon bookmark. It’s thoughtfully planned out in every aspect of its construction. If possible, do yourself a massive favor and get the audiobook, read beautifully by the author. Following along in the gorgeous book while I listened to him tell the tale was one of my favorite reading experiences of my entire life.

There are forty pages of appendices and notes at the end of the narrative, and they’re phenomenal. The scholarship Guite shares regarding the plethora of sources from which he pulls his tale, as well as his personal intentions in penning his addition to that canon, are fascinating and incredibly enlightening. Definitely don’t skip that end matter.

I adored everything about Galahad and the Grail. It captivated me in a completely different way than any other story with which I’ve ever engaged. My imagination was reawakened and rekindled, as if Guite’s incredible poem somehow returned to me my childlike wonder at such tales. This is a book that I will treasure, that I will return to again and again. I can’t wait for the next installment, The Coming of Arthur, slated to release November 9th.

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