THE GRAIL & GLORY By Tracy Cooper-Posey

The Grail and Glory, by Tracey Cooper-Posey, is the eleventh installment in the Once and Future Hearts series, set within the Arthurian legend. This tale has a somber feel to it, unlike the previous stories. The characters are drawn with sharper instruments, the emotions run deeper with catastrophic consequences, and the weight of time and fate is heavier than ever. This is the story of Deryn and Cadfael (the Younger), told through the filter of Mordred’s rise, and the exposure of the hidden secrets of Arthur, Guenivere, and Lancelot. I loved the pace of the story, and how the threads of the tapestry that you see unravelling, pull themselves into an even stronger weave and design by the end. Every installment in this series drags me kicking and screaming back into the world of Arthurian legend (a genre I utterly despise). When I open the book to start reading, I hear the pounding rhythm of O Fortuna from the Carmina Burana (Carl Orff), and brace myself to be pulled under one more time. Only Cooper-Posey has the power, through her storytelling, to make me enjoy something I normally won’t read, and even make me sad when the book ends and I have to leave the lovers behind.

Above all, this story is about people. The characters in The Grail and Glory, a story set in the sixth century of the Christian era, are no different than the people of today. The era is important — as is the inevitable clash of the ancient gods with the new Christian religion — but so are the people. Well-rounded, fully developed, and real, these characters from the distant past fairly burst off the pages. The reader learns about them gradually through small details delicately and seamlessly introduced, all but in the background, much as one gets to know a new friend today. The themes woven into every aspect of this book are just as human. The push-and-pull of ambition and greed, and the constant undercurrent of envy and jealousy, are as relevant in Cooper-Posey’s sixth-century Camelot as they are today.

As the daughter, wife, mother, niece, and cousin of engineers who have worked in different professional fields and in varied industries, I was particularly delighted by one subplot: the gently unfolding story of the main character, Deryn, a Romano-British civil engineer by practice, although she is never referred to in that manner. The story of her education and work experience is gradually and skilfully revealed in such a way that it is impossible to imagine Deryn could ever have been different in any way, even in a time when such an occupation would have been rare for a man and next to impossible for a woman.

It is always a pleasure to read this talented author’s work, and this book is no different. The many-layered story is thought-provoking and — almost best of all — surprised me more than once. I can’t think of a higher compliment for a writer. I’ve read so much, and for so many years, that now “surprise” happens very rarely. For me, that was a special gift.

I've just finished The Grail and Glory book, aaand I can't believe it's the second to last one. Don't know if it's me or what but the anguish really translated, and at the end I was pushing those catapults too! It realty reconciled me with the joy of reading in this time of so much stress, I needed that, so thank you Tracy. If you like adventure, history, and a good love story don't pass on the opportunity to read it!

This book is very well written, the story comes alive in its pages and makes all the feelings breathe as if for something happening right now. During the last years, I noticed a tendency of escapism in myself and many others around me - I tend to avoid hard truths in the books I choose on account of life being hard enough as it is, and getting harder.

But some truths cannot be avoided, and one of them is that we forget to cherish what we have, right until such a book as this shows me how much worse it could be. We don't have to wash in the river, produce what we eat, labor hard and starve with the weather or carry a sword. We can read and write, we can access books and information in the blink of an eye, and we have a voice.

What made my heart bleed the worst was the realization that ambition, pride, prejudice, betrayal, unfairness are still here and will be as long as humanity will exist. I think we are living in a circle of time similar to that in Arthur's times described in the book, when after a period of progress, honor and plenty the people are falling under the darkness of manipulation, evil and selfishness.

An then come people like Deryn and Cadfael. They are not stars in the sky, they are candles in the darkness, and they put their heart, mind and hands into doing good - this type of candle is the light of hope which should never be extinguished.
Oh, and I loved Deryn's character the most, she was a brilliant engineer and a beautiful human being, totally worthy to be a heroine in her own story.

I did think Arthur capitulated much too easily in his defense of Guenivere, but we will never know how things exactly happened in real history, so read the book and enjoy its HEA as I did.

What an epic tale of Camelot and Britain but it's more than a history lesson, it's a beautiful love story.

History comes alive with two wholesome, intelligent and likeable main characters who immerse us into the minutiae of everyday life at Camelot as well as those extraordinary events that build character.

It is beautifully written to capture and transport. There were moments where I wanted to swoon and others where I could cry! Putting the focus on a new couple who are making their way through the challenges of life in Camelot makes their lives relatable and riveting.

The story was a rollercoaster of emotions with betrayal during tough times contrasting with the brilliance of an engineering genius for a heroine!

I found the story surprisingly uplifting in contrast to the dour unforgiving weather, the barrenness of the land and the deterioration of Camelot.

This novel is a brilliant addition to the series and a worthy lead-up to the last book of the series.
I highly recommend the whole series be read in order.