When I was younger, I used to get in trouble in class because I would always smuggle a book on my lap to read under my desk. If the book was particularly good, I would read it over lunch and at recess.
That is how I feel about The Table of Less Valued Knights. I carried it around with me on public transit, read it on squished subways and even read it while walking to work. (true story.)
When I first heard about the novel, I wasn’t sure if I would like it. I like fantasy, but not so much knights, jousting and tournaments. When I realized that Marie Phillips was the author, and that Andrew Kaufman and Jessica Grant had recommended it, I knew I had to read it.
Marie Phillips has the beautiful gift of being able to turn any subject matter into something hilarious that also gets you emotionally invested. Gods Behaving Badly was her first (amazing) work, and she waited over 5 years later to follow up with this book.
We’ve all heard of Sir Author and the Knights of the Round Table. But…what about the other knights? Sir Humphrey du Val is part of the The Table of Less Valued Knights. This little spoken of table is home to forgotten, weak minded, quest-less knights.
Thanks to an amazing twist of fate, Sir Humphrey du Val goes on a quest to recover a kidnapped fiancé, As he sets out on his quest with his squire, Conrad, we’ll see that nothing is as it seems.
In another town, a Queen makes a desperate decision to escape her husband. Queen Martha is disguised as boy….and no one has any idea. The silk pillowcase, rosewater face water and cuticle sticks that she travels with definitely aren’t a giveaway to her companions. They just think her…odd.
When these two groups collide, it’s magic. Hilarious magic.
This book will tug at your heart and make you laugh out loud on subways. It will make you sad to finish it, but eager to re-read. Curious? Read an excerpt.
The Table of Less Valued Knights
Published: August 12th, 2014
Publisher: Random House
Hardcover, 320 pages
1 Comment
Kristin
August 12, 2014 at 2:12 PMI had no idea about this book! I’d given up hope that Marie Phillips would ever follow up Gods Behaving Badly with anything! (Even though I was hoping for a sequel…) This sounds promising.