The Merriest Knight: The Collected Arthurian Tales of Theodore Goodridge Roberts
Previously uncollected, the stories in this volume represent Arthurian tales published through the late 40s and 50s in the magazine Blue Book. The book is comprised of three sections. The first, titled “The Merriest Knight,” revolves around Sir Dinadan, a knight mentioned briefly in Malory. Dinadan, like most other knights, is a paragon of virtue and fighting prowess. Where he differs is in his attitude–Dinadan doesn’t believe in fighting unless the reward is sufficient to suit his needs (which are often vast, as he is terrible at finances). He is curiously both cynical and naïve, and the stories show a sharp and witty sense of humor that stands up well to the test of time. The other two sections, “The Spur and the Prize,” and “Legend’s End” are more loosely connected narratives whose main characters are outside of the stories told by Malory. They are darker in tone than the Dinadan stories, and their formal language usage tends to make them less easily devoured. Overall, though, another very good entry in the Pendragon Fiction series by Green Knight, and well worth picking up by those readers who like to explore around the edges of the mythos.
