Rating: 
Summary: Warfare turns spiritual.
Review: "Grail" is the last volume of Lawhead's Pendragon series. It is narrated by Gwalchavad, and revolves around the mysterious and magical Grail which was the cause of Arthur's miraculous healing at the end of the previous volume. The Grail is the cup used by Christ in his last supper (p.45), and has healing powers. Arthur's kingdom is firmly established now that the Saecsons and Vandals have both been defeated. Now that the Kingdom of Summer is officially inaugurated, the Grail is seen as a symbol of this kingdom of light. So Arthur builds a shrine for this symbol of his kingdom, and the kingdom of summer is officially declared.Just when the kingdom of summer reaches its high point, tragedy strikes. At the height of the kingdom's glory, the subversive attacks of Morgian return. This Queen of the Powers of the Air and Darkness steals the sacred Grail, abducts Arthur's queen, and deceives his champion soldier. From this point on the action intensifies, as the newly established kingdom of peace fights warfare on a new front: spiritual warfare. Unlike the battle scenes of previous volumes, the battle scenes in this book describe a struggle against demons and the powers of darkness (Eph. 6). Lawhead's vision of the Grail did make me uncomfortable. Firstly, the cup used by Jesus was an ordinary object, and to have it turn into a sparkling grail with rows of rubies, emeralds, and pearls, with a "broad band of impossibly ornate scrollwork" seems to go against the very purpose of the last supper. Secondly, the purpose of the supper was to encourage believers in their spiritual worship and commemoration of Christ, not in a material worship of a sacred object. The words of Jesus - "Remember and believe" - seem all but forgotten, since healing through the Grail appears to occur independent of faith and believing. Rather than stress faith, the use of the Grail results in a magical form of healing that occurs through ritual rather than faith. One other concern is the ease at which the characters take God's name on their lips - at times it borders on blasphemy and unnecessary oath-making. But these weaknesses aside, Lawhead has created a convincing and exciting spiritual conflict between the forces of good and the forces of evil. The spiritual warfare is a refreshing change from the blood and gore of earlier battlefields. It also functions as a compelling image of the universal conflict between God and Satan, a conflict involving both God and men. The power of evil is vividly portrayed. Here Lawhead successfully reminds us of the Biblical notion of angels of darkness disguising themselves as angels of light, and deceiving even believers. The weakness and vulnerability of men over against these powers is vividly described. But most importantly, when men are helpless over against the powers of evil, Lawhead presents the only path to victory: God. Conquest of evil cannot be accomplished by human effort, but by divine power. "Only by God's good grace do any of us stand or fall." (p.377) "Grail" marks the end of the wonderful Pendragon cycle. It is true that while the ending of "Grail" resolves the conflict, it does not satisfactorily mark a clean ending to the series. This is not surprising because "Grail" (like the preceding volume "Pendragon") actually precedes the events described at the end of book 3, "Arthur", and consequently both "Pendragon" and "Grail" have a distinctively "add on" feeling. Next time I will read the series in chronological order, more or less as follows: Taliesin, Merlin, Pendragon Bk. 1, Arthur Bk. 1-2, Pendragon Bk. 2-4, Grail, Arthur Bk. 3. The chronological aberrations of the last two volumes are indeed a weakness, and it is unfortunate they function more like an afterthought, rather than being properly integrated into Arthur's life. Yet the very fact that this series is so re-readable is a testimony to its greatness. Great it truly is, and that is high praise indeed!
Rating:
Summary: Warfare turns spiritual.
Review: "Grail" is the last volume of Lawhead's Pendragon series. It is narrated by Gwalchavad, and revolves around the mysterious and magical Grail which was the cause of Arthur's miraculous healing at the end of the previous volume. The Grail is the cup used by Christ in his last supper (p.45), and has healing powers. Arthur's kingdom is firmly established now that the Saecsons and Vandals have both been defeated. Now that the Kingdom of Summer is officially inaugurated, the Grail is seen as a symbol of this kingdom of light. So Arthur builds a shrine for this symbol of his kingdom, and the kingdom of summer is officially declared. Just when the kingdom of summer reaches its high point, tragedy strikes. At the height of the kingdom's glory, the subversive attacks of Morgian return. This Queen of the Powers of the Air and Darkness steals the sacred Grail, abducts Arthur's queen, and deceives his champion soldier. From this point on the action intensifies, as the newly established kingdom of peace fights warfare on a new front: spiritual warfare. Unlike the battle scenes of previous volumes, the battle scenes in this book describe a struggle against demons and the powers of darkness (Eph. 6). Lawhead's vision of the Grail did make me uncomfortable. Firstly, the cup used by Jesus was an ordinary object, and to have it turn into a sparkling grail with rows of rubies, emeralds, and pearls, with a "broad band of impossibly ornate scrollwork" seems to go against the very purpose of the last supper. Secondly, the purpose of the supper was to encourage believers in their spiritual worship and commemoration of Christ, not in a material worship of a sacred object. The words of Jesus - "Remember and believe" - seem all but forgotten, since healing through the Grail appears to occur independent of faith and believing. Rather than stress faith, the use of the Grail results in a magical form of healing that occurs through ritual rather than faith. One other concern is the ease at which the characters take God's name on their lips - at times it borders on blasphemy and unnecessary oath-making. But these weaknesses aside, Lawhead has created a convincing and exciting spiritual conflict between the forces of good and the forces of evil. The spiritual warfare is a refreshing change from the blood and gore of earlier battlefields. It also functions as a compelling image of the universal conflict between God and Satan, a conflict involving both God and men. The power of evil is vividly portrayed. Here Lawhead successfully reminds us of the Biblical notion of angels of darkness disguising themselves as angels of light, and deceiving even believers. The weakness and vulnerability of men over against these powers is vividly described. But most importantly, when men are helpless over against the powers of evil, Lawhead presents the only path to victory: God. Conquest of evil cannot be accomplished by human effort, but by divine power. "Only by God's good grace do any of us stand or fall." (p.377) "Grail" marks the end of the wonderful Pendragon cycle. It is true that while the ending of "Grail" resolves the conflict, it does not satisfactorily mark a clean ending to the series. This is not surprising because "Grail" (like the preceding volume "Pendragon") actually precedes the events described at the end of book 3, "Arthur", and consequently both "Pendragon" and "Grail" have a distinctively "add on" feeling. Next time I will read the series in chronological order, more or less as follows: Taliesin, Merlin, Pendragon Bk. 1, Arthur Bk. 1-2, Pendragon Bk. 2-4, Grail, Arthur Bk. 3. The chronological aberrations of the last two volumes are indeed a weakness, and it is unfortunate they function more like an afterthought, rather than being properly integrated into Arthur's life. Yet the very fact that this series is so re-readable is a testimony to its greatness. Great it truly is, and that is high praise indeed!
Rating:
Summary: Definitely worth your time
Review: Classic Lawhead, this book explores a more personal conflict that many will relate to: that of truth, trust, and betrayal. Grail demonstrates Lawhead's personal spiritual position, which brings some to fear and disgust. Yet do not attempt to read beyond the "Christian" theme, for that is exactly what the author wishes us NOT to do. Gwalchalvad is you and me. He battles ultimately with the question of to whom he should submit. His passions and lust? His friends? His Pendragon? His God? The adventure is fast paced, do not doubt that. The new perspective of a new narrator is refreshing. Lawhead will break your heart, make you jump for joy, make you hate the villain, and love the victor. That's what fantasy should be about. We all can find ourselves in one of the characters of this book. The question we must ask is, which one am I?
Rating: 
Summary: The Conclusion of the Epic Re-Imagining of Arthur
Review: Grail is the conclusion of the Pendragon Cycle (although its not the end of Lawhead's Arthurian tales). Grail casts a unique spin on the abduction Arthur's queen as well as the search for the Grail. At the end of Pendragon, Arthur had defeated the invaders of his kingdom but only after suffering a terrible wound. He is healed by the power of the Grail and now beginning in the appropriately named Grail, he wants to set up sacred house for the Grail. Yet his enemy Morgian is ever at work and as the project is completed the Grail is stolen as is Arthur's Queen. This is a dark tale but at the same time its totally unique to the Arthurian mythos. Lawhead could have ended his Arthur stories here and no one would have been upset.
Rating:
Summary: A hundred stars to an exciting masterpiece!
Review: Gwalchavad, prince of Orcady and a lord of the Round Table, tells a thrilling story about King Arthur and the Holy Grail. Arthur's champion, Llenlleawg, has dissapeared, along with(heaven help us!) Gwenhwyvar, Arthur's queen. a mysterious young woman appears just before this happens, and the captives' trail leads--to the dreaded land, Llyonesse! Gwalchavad and his swordbrothers must face demons of many kinds; fierce monsters that rip trees from the soil, and some who are deathless. This is one of the best books I've read!
Rating: 
Summary: It is OK book
Review: I didnt finish the book yet, but some parts are very interesting. While i was first one hundread pages it was pretty excting, but I got bored after about a hundread pages after. Somepart are fun even after hundread pages but it wasn't that fun. It's OK book.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable read, but lacks something
Review: I enjoyed reading Grail as part of the Pendragon cycle. This was my second or third time to read it and I enjoy it more and more each time I re-read it. That is the sign of a good book I think. However, unlike all the other Pendragon books, Grail never aroused great emotions in me as I read it. It was hard for me to enter in to the fear and grief of the characters precisely because I knew the ending of the whole saga since I read it at the end of the book Arthur. I wish Lawhead had published Pendragon and Grail at the same time as Arthur so the story would read better. I did pick up a couple of subtle forshadowings to the book Avalon and that made Grail more enjoyable. I also thought the best new character in the book, was Morgian. We hear her voice for the first time and that helps illumine some of the earlier happenings in the Pendragon Cycle. She is an evil lady. In regards to the many people who felt bored while reading Grail, that did not happen to me. Even though this is not one of Lawhead's best books, it still fires my imagination and quickens my heart to read it. Lawhead makes me want to be a better person through his stories and characters. Grail is no exception.
Rating: 
Summary: not as good as the others
Review: i found myself very bored and i couldn't finish it. then a year later i read some more (a couple pages) and still couldn't finish it. it now sits on my shelf with a bookmark in the middle.
Rating:
Summary: SRL writes another good one
Review: I have to say that one of the highlights of my year is the release of a new Stephen Lawhead book, and Grail was no exception. I was delighted to revisit my friends of early Britain. The story focuses primarily on the quest for the holy grail, which is stolen by Morgwas and Llenlewag (who just happens to be one of Arthur's faithful companions!) The story is told from Gwalchavad's point of view. As always, the writing is absolutely beautiful and descriptive. I really liked the the whole Llenlewag part of the book, because it shows how anyone can fall under a bad influence, and it is necessary for us not to judge that person, but look at all the circumstances.
Rating:
Summary: i guess it was okay
Review: i liked it but it was kinda boring at times, you know. but i still reccomend this book.
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