Knight Rising
Page 29
And then there was the girl. There was no doubt now that Una bore the old blood, though how she had come to it, Duessa could not say. There was wild, untamed magic inside of her, powerful magic. If Duessa could just persuade her, tempt Una and her magic to come away from the Faerie Queen’s service, she could have a fighting chance in this war. But the girl was dangerous too. She would have to keep an eye on her in the future.
For now, the Faerie Queen had sent her on a foolish errand away from here, into the western lands. And with that came new threats, threats that Duessa would be only happy to provide.
The End of the first book of the Faerie Queen.
Author’s Note
Thank you for picking up this first book of The Faerie Queen series. This is a book I’ve been planning to write for a long time. I was first introduced to the original epic poem, The Faerie Queene with an extra ‘e’, during a 2011 class in college. I was getting my bachelor’s degree in English, and I distinctly remember that the class was kind of brutal. The teacher was harder than most (sorry Professor if you’re reading this, but it was true), and quite frankly, that poem was difficult to understand. Its author, Edmund Spenser, was a contemporary of Shakespeare, and I find the latter far more intelligible. Spenser was aiming for an even older style, harkening back to Chaucer and his legendary Canterbury Tales. I am convinced that the rather difficult language of The Faerie Queene is part of the reason why the text hasn’t blossomed into popularity during modern times.
But the story of The Faerie Queene, now that intrigued me. It had a little bit of everything: romance, knights, monsters, magic, and dragons, all set within the epic backdrop of Arthurian Britain. I thought it the perfect obscure Arthurian story.
What intrigued me even more was the fact that Spenser had never finished his epic tale, only completing six of the planned twelve volumes before he died. So of course, with all my wild ambitions and crazy story ideas as a burgeoning author, the idea came to me to finish The Faerie Queene.
Later, once I had published a few fantasy books and studied the art of storytelling and marketing those stories, I realized that The Faerie Queene had all the right elements for an epic YA fantasy, what with the romance and the faeries and so on. So I decided the time had come to write the series. This is the first of six novels that will adapt the six volumes of the epic poem. And yes, I eventually plan to do six more, endeavoring to finish the tale that Spenser started.
Now, naturally, I have had to make a number of creative adjustments to the original story in writing this series. Una continues to be the main protagonist in future novels, even though her character never continues much farther past this first volume in the poem. There is also an overarching threat that isn’t really addressed in the original, evident in the changes I made to Una’s parents and their fate. The concepts of Annwyn and the Forest of Arden are added in. All of these changes were made to make the text more accessible to modern audiences, provide cohesion between the novels themselves, and to do the same for other tales set within this Arthurian universe. For I don’t plan to stop with the Faerie Queen. Prepare yourself for a wealth of Arthurian literature coming your way.
So while there are differences between my novels and Spenser’s version, I do try to keep them as true to the spirit of the original as I can. I especially try to preserve the main themes of Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, like the virtue of Holiness for this volume. I hope scholars of the tale will forgive my little changes and additions. Believe me, I am as much a fan of the original as you are, and have studied it extensively to try and keep the essence of it alive. It is my hope that this book and those that follow will encourage many readers to take an interest in the epic poem, encouraged to see what spawned these fascinating characters and allegories. You really should check it out if you haven’t already.
I thank you again for reading this far. It really does mean the world to me that you would take the time out of your day to venture into my stories. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. If you do, please consider giving the book a review. Your words are invaluable to helping others discover and take a chance on an author such as myself. Pretty please! It would really make my day if you would head on over and let others know what you thought.
Additionally, if you join the Arthurian newsletter, you’ll also get a free short story that details some of Una and Arthur’s background. And with that you’ll receive information on all upcoming releases, as well as plenty of other Arthurian-themed goodies. So check that out too if you’re interested. More on the following page…
An epic tale, retold for the ages…
Arthur is just an insignificant boy with a life of comfortable mediocrity ahead of him, or that’s what he thought.
While at a tournament in Londinium, Arthur encounters a girl with a strange request and tales of castles and dragons.
Together, their adventures lead him to an old courtyard containing a peculiar sword embedded in a stone…
Arthur doesn’t know it, but his entire life is about to turn upside down.
A King Revealed is the prequel short story to the Faerie Queen series, as well as the Arthurian Legends Universe overall. You simply cannot miss this critical installment in the life of King Arthur.
GET IT FREE!
About the Author
Jason Hamilton is an unapologetic nerd of all things science fiction and fantasy. He is the creative director of the Arthurian Legends Universe, and the editor-in-chief of ArthurLegends.com, as well as the other of other works of fiction.
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www.jasonleehamilton.com
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Email
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Also by Jason Hamilton
Roots of Creation
A New Light (short story)
Out of Shadow
Growing Ripples
Through Fire
Into Storm
To World’s Above
As Winter Spawns
Seeds of Hope
In Creation’s Heart