Author: Juliet E. McKenna

Four women, four destinies - the future of King Arthur's court...

A fresh, feminist retelling of the Arthurian legends

The Cleaving is an Arthurian retelling that follows the tangled stories of four women: Nimue, Ygraine, Morgana, and Guinevere, as they fight to control their own destinies amid the wars and rivalries that will determine the destiny of Britain.

The legendary epics of King Arthur and Camelot don't tell the whole story. Chroniclers say Arthur's mother Ygraine married the man that killed her husband. They say that Arthur's half-sister Morgana turned to dark magic to defy him and Merlin. They say that the enchantress Nimue challenged Merlin and used her magic to outwit him. And that Arthur's marriage to Guinevere ended in adultery, rebellion and bloodshed. So why did these women chose such dangerous paths?

As warfare and rivalries constantly challenge the king, Arthur and Merlin believe these women are destined to serve Camelot by doing as they are told. But men forget that women talk. Ygraine, Nimue, Morgana and Guinevere become friends and allies while the decisions that shape their lives are taken out of their hands. This is their untold story. Now these women have a voice.

File Under: Fantasy [ Once and Future A Woman's Work Out of the Shadows Cutting Edge ]

Juliet E McKenna is an expert on medieval history and warfare and brings this expertise as well as her skills as a fantasy writer to this epic standalone novel.

Publisher: Penguin Random House
Published: 04/11/2023
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.06oz
Size: 8.10h x 5.50w x 1.70d
ISBN: 9781915202222

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 02/01/2023 pg. 59
Publishers Weekly 02/13/2023
Booklist 03/15/2023 pg. 40

About the Author
Juliet E. McKenna is the author of 15 epic fantasy novels set in the world of Einarinn, as well as several novellas and countless short stories ranging from SF to steampunk and alternate history. She has been a judge for the World Fantasy Awards, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the James White Award and the Aeon Award, and has, herself, been shortlisted for the British Fantasy Award and the BSFA Award for Best Novel.