I maintain a constant level of resentment toward the French Romance writers (I'm looking at you, de Troyes) who inserted the character of Lancelot -- odd that the greatest of King Arthur's knights just happened to be French in those stories, eh? -- and decided that Arthur needed a love triangle a la Tristan and Iseult. I mean, it's not like there wasn't enough drama and intrigue in the Arthurian legends already!

After a mostly light-hearted chapter in the lives of Guinevere and, to a lesser extent, Arthur in Guinevere, the first book in the trilogy, author Sharan Newman introduces Lancelot in the sequel, The Chessboard Queen.

The previous book ended with Guinevere's wedding to Arthur; this one picks up five years later. Arthur is very happy in their marriage, while Guinevere is at least content and fond of her husband; sadly for both, they remain childless despite Arthur's best (and Guinevere's slightly less willing) efforts. Britain, although not entirely peaceful, is beating back the Saxon and Irish invaders, and expatriates are returning from the mainland to rebuild British society. Arthur is seeing his vision of Camelot come true, and Merlin has magically brought the massive and ancient round table from its subterranean hiding place so Arthur can create the brotherhood of knights he so desperately hopes will unite the kingdom.

And then there's Lancelot. In this version, he was stolen as an infant from the arms of a dying woman and raised by the immortal Lady of the Lake and her followers into that guy -- you know, the one who is better than everyone at everything, and who also believes he is morally superior to everyone else. Of course, Lancelot learns of Arthur, Camelot and the Round Table, and he decides to offer himself into Arthur's service.

Of course, regardless of his prowess at arms, he annoys everyone endlessly with his high-minded piety and arrogance. Guinevere in particular dislikes him and wants him gone from court, but then she's kidnapped (again) and Lancelot rescues her, and ... well, things go down for Arthur and Camelot from there.

It doesn't help that Arthur's half-sisters, Morgan and Morgause, are maliciously pulling strings because they're still mad that Uther, his father, done their daddy wrong. Worse, Arthur's most trusted adviser, Merlin, is distracted by his newfound love for the immortal fey woman Nimue.

Despite some tragedies, The Chessboard Queen sees Arthur succeeding at his goals of uniting Britain under a unified rule and spreading peace and justice to his people. Unfortunately, it also sows the seeds that will bring it all to ruin, which no doubt is coming in the conclusion of the trilogy, Guinevere Evermore.

And, let's be honest: I can't blame Newman for Lancelot's intrusion into the story. Ever since those French Romance writers meddled with the tale, readers expect him to be there. Newman's version is fresh and exciting, and she writes characters you can care about and adventures that will thrill. This trilogy, which I first read many years ago, is still a great addition to the Arthurian lore.