Faycalibur

Less Valued Knights #2

by Liam Perrin

Legend tells of an impostor-sword crafted by a witch-queen, destined to destroy a king. The whole story has never been told. Until now.

Recently appointed to the Table of Less Valued Knights, Sir Thomas the Hesitant doesn't mind that the credit always goes to celebrity-knights. He tells himself this frequently. He doesn't truly believe it. The truth is, he thinks it's rubbish.

When five armies attack England, everyone on the Round Table is too busy to track down the missing court wizard. Seizing the opportunity to shine a light on the Less Valued, Thomas vows to rescue Merlin and sets himself on a collision course with a talented but overconfident rookie sorceress, a lizard with delusions of grandeur, and one rather unfortunate pigeon.

Only one thing is certain - things are not as they seem. They seldom are.

Genres: Fantasy, Humor

449 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 2, 2019

About the author

Liam Perrin has been roughly geosynchronous for more than a few decades and likely will remain so. Most recently, he orbits the center of Earth from a position outside of Phoenix, Arizona where he tries to avoid high speed collisions with his wife, one daughter, a miniature Australian shepherd, a Russian tortoise, and a cat which turned up uninvited.

AWARDS
Liam is no stranger to storytelling. He worked for half a decade on the legendary Myst series selected by the Smithsonian American Art Museum as one of five featured games out of 240 in the Renwick Gallery's standing Art of Video Games exhibition after 3.7 million votes were cast in 175 countries. Liam worked on the series in various roles including technical art, technical game design, and finally as the Live Content Director on the beloved Myst Online (formerly Uru: Ages Beyond Myst).

REVIEWS
Liam's debut novel Sir Thomas the Hesitant and the Table of Less Valued Knights has been described by readers as:

Very enjoyable - a pleasure to read
"...one of the most enjoyable, light reading books I have read for some time. A little like Lemony Snicket meets TH White..." -- Amazon reviewer Daniel Jaye

Great read for the entire family
"...a fantasy tale with relatable, imperfect heroes...an inoculant [sic] to all the Disney princess [expletive deleted]..." -- Amazon reviewer Chip Smith

...face-meltingly talented...dumbfoundingly good...
"...the first book I've read in years where I found myself laughing out loud. Not the offhanded grunt or titter either. Huge public-humiliation grade guffawing laughter." -- Facebook reviewer Michael Conn

CONTACT LIAM
Liam's Blog | Liam's Web Site | Liam's Facebook | Liam's Twitter
Liam's email: liam (at) lessvaluedknights (dot) com

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can get the first book of this series for FREE by subscribing to the author’s newsletter here: http://liamperrin.com/free-sir-thomas/

ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars

The Less Valued Knights is back to bring a smile upon your face.

Faycalibur is the second book Liam Perrin’s Less Valued Knights series. The story continues straight from where the first book left off and it mainly revolves around Thomas as he undertakes a quest to find the missing wizard, Merlin, in order to bring glory to the Table of Less Valued Knights; which as always are… less valued. Same as the first book, the story was very light-hearted in tone, filled with moments that will make you smile, it almost never took itself seriously. There were a few jokes that really stood out, like the usage of “who” and “whom” which was greatly implemented. However, beneath the jokes, fun, and lighthearted moments, I found the book to be quite full of inspirational message. Faycalibur is a valuable book about that centered its themes on bravery, friendship, trust, and to always stay true to who you are.

“If a bad person can make himself look like a good person. How do you know who’s who? How do you know who to help? You know. If you’re a good person?

Once again, the characterizations were truly well done. This was especially true for the main character, Thomas, an underdog main character that felt incredibly easy to root for; I found it to be completely natural to want him to succeed in everything he did. The side characters were also great; Philip and Gus accompanied Thomas and the interaction between them made them such a charming trio. These three characters were definitely the main focus of the book and I personally think that their friendship utterly fun to read.

“Knowing who to trust isn’t always a straightforward enterprise.”

Unfortunately, although my experience with the novel was definitely enjoyable, I have to admit that I loved the first book more. It’s not that this isn’t a worthy sequel or anything, but personally, no matter how light-hearted or fun the overall content of a book is, I’m a reader who needs at least a bit of tension in my reading escapism. In my opinion, the first book had a well-placed tension but this one didn’t have any.

“Some measure of comprehension is required in order to feel fear. If there is no comprehension, there is no fear.”

That said, even though there was close to zero action, tension, or magic involved, Perrin's prose was as great as ever. There wasn't any moment where I found the prose to ever get in the way of the story; everything was simply well-written. The prose flows so well and the narrative was highly compelling; I ended up finishing the book in less than 24 hours.

Overall, I had a great and relaxing time with the book. I will admit that I feel like I will be able to appreciate this book much more if I'm totally in the right mood for a much lighter book. Like I said in my review of the first book, this series, to me, serves as a perfect break from my darker and serious read. I highly recommend Faycalibur to any reader who's in need of a lighthearted escapism experience. Not only this series is immensely readable for a middle-grade audience, I imagine that young adults or adults will find something to learn from Sir Thomas the Hesitant and his friends.

You can order the book from: Amazon US

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions

[Samir · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, I like it. *smashes Kindle* Another!

[Esme · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first in this series, and this is an author I drop everything else I’m reading to get my hands on their newest book. This one won’t be out until February 1st – but that’s pretty soon, just a couple weeks away!

I love that there’s a little refresher at the beginning, I’ve become a big fan of those as my memory gets worse and the amount I’m reading grows – if it’s been a while since you read Sir Thomas worry not!

This book picks up shortly after the events of book 1, and Thomas has received a summons from Camelot about “some cup”. That cup is obviously the Holy Grail, and once Thomas realizes what it is and the importance of it all, he starts to get excited about their mission. That was derailed pretty quickly after they arrive in Camelot and are told that the mission has been indefinitely postponed since there’s a war that’s about to start. They were re-assigned by King Arthur to find Merlin who has gone missing after leaving a dire prophecy about his own demise. Their best lead takes them to France where they meet Sir Lancelot and his father, King Ban – hilarity ensues.

Things aren’t always as they seem, and the lines between who to trust and who not to trust get murkier and murkier. When their journey leads them to cross paths with Morgan le Fay, Arthur’s not-wholly-trustworthy-sister, they run into quite the moral dilemma. She wants to re-direct their mission once again and asks that they bring Excalibur to Arthur. Everyone knows that le Fay can be manipulative, and despite her ties to Arthur she’s still suspicious. Did she tell them that Arthur is missing and is in need of help to lure them off the right path? Thomas and his crew have to decide which mission would be the best route.

There were some new characters added to this story and I loved them to pieces. Every knight needs a squire and Gus is ready to be that squire for Sir Thomas. He’s absolutely adorable and reminds me of Martin from the Simpsons (but much less annoying). He’s a well-meaning “know it all” who’s both innocent and sweet. He’s also very handy to have around since he knows so much about history and who’s who in the Kingdom. I fell for him pretty easily and he’s a great foil to the rest of the group.

I loved Sir Thomas as much as I did in the first one, part of what I love about this book is how endearing and genuinely kind these characters are – it’s a breath of fresh air since most of what I read tends to be on the darker side of things.

There are all sorts of humor in this one, tongue in cheek, puns, physical humor all overlapped with a warm overall tone. There’s a bit of humor in here for everyone and I’d be surprised if people didn’t get laughs while reading it.

As far as the world building this is mostly low fantasy. There isn’t a magic system per se, it doesn’t involve a lot of spellcasting or things like that, and the characters themselves aren’t particularly magical. But, there are things like magic swords, witch Queens, talking lizards (who may or may not breathe fire and may be a dragon depending on your definition), and of course Merlin the Wizard.

The writing was on point, it was quick-witted and fast-paced once I got past the first 25% or so – the story up through the first quarter was plot set up and character introductions, the real adventure begins when they set off for France. It’s mostly told from a single pov using third-person perspective, but we do get glimpses into other characters as well.

Overall I loved this book and I would venture to say it’s even better than the first one which I had already 5 starred. It’s a classic adventure story that’s warm, relatable, and flaunts a cast of stellar characters that captured my heart – I felt the warmth down to my bones.

Audience:

comedy
warm stories
going on an adventure
Arthurian tales
wizards and talking lizards
third person writing


Ratings:

Plot: 12/15
Characters: 14/15
World Building: 13/15
Writing: 14/15
Pacing: 11.5/15
Originality: 13/15
Personal Enjoyment: 10/10

Final Score: 87.5/100 – 5 stars!

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are certain books that, when mentioned, trigger an immediate emotion that has stayed with you since first reading it. Liam Perrin’s Sir Thomas the Hesitant and the Table of Less Valued Knights is one of those books, evoking feelings of wit, earnestness, and warmth that’s rare to find. It was one of the most welcome surprises I’ve read in recent years, and it has solidified Perrin as an author I would seek out with each new release. I am happy to report that Faycalibur, the next book in the Less Valued Knights series, follows in the footsteps of its predecessor by lacing clever humor into a tale of virtue and integrity that will delight audiences of all ages.

The story picks up shortly after Sir Thomas ends, and Thomas’ hometown is undergoing some severe renovations. After catching up with his family and realizing that recognition is reserved for the Knights of the Round, Thomas ventures back to Camelot to establish a name for himself and build up his reputation. It isn’t long before Thomas volunteers for a quest that gets him in over his head, and a new adventure through the lands of Arthurian mythology is launched.

Dusk slipped by while everyone was preoccupied. Evening nodded to dusk in passing and held the door for Night. Night sauntered in like it owned the place and took a seat. It intended to stay for a while.

In addition to many familiar faces from the first novel, there are some great new additions to the cast. My personal favorite is Gus, an overzealous, overqualified, and overweight young boy who insists upon being Thomas’ new squire. Gus is one of the few characters who’s capable of seeing things for what they are, instead of relying on what he is being told. His unflinching loyalty to Thomas as well as his quick and total immersion into his squirely duties is endearing. (He somehow becomes fluent in a secret squire sign language only hours after taking on the role.) Gus complements Thomas and his friend Philip so well because his own acts of heroism are barely acknowledged in the same fashion as Thomas’ are to his more prominent knightly peers. It is as if the most noble characters are found in the furthest depths of society’s totem pole.

As with the first novel, I applaud Perrin’s penchant for avoiding violence, which is commendable considering the subject matter. Violence arises only as a last resort; instead the story relies upon the wits of its characters to solve their ever-mounting laundry list of problems. Since our heroes mean well, but aren’t the sharpest blades on the weapons rack, there are plenty of opportunities for situational humor that Perrin mines for pearls of wisdom.

He put a hand experimentally on his sword and tried to visualize moving it as quickly as Lancelot. His mind managed to poke itself in the eye.

There is plenty of evidence of Thomas’ character maturing since the first book. He turns his “Hestiant” moniker into an advantage, subverting this title by often pausing to think things through. His relationship with Marie continues to blossom, and his sense of honor drives him. By the time we reach the finale, Thomas and his friends are faced with coming to terms with their given roles in the court, and how that conflicts with the responsibilities they bear. It lays a foundation for a bright future for the series.

Faycalibur is everything I had hoped for in new Sir Thomas book. There are more elements of Arthurian lore, higher stakes, funnier characters, and clever musings. Perrin once again hits the mark with a rousing adventure full of sharp wit and contagious optimism. Spend some time at the Less Valued Table and you will be rewarded.

[Wol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sir Thomas the Hesitant and the Table of Less Valued Knights is one of the best surprises I’ve had since I started blogging, hands down. Filled with charm, whimsy and hilarious asides, I pretty much shoved it into the hands of everyone I spoke to as I was reading it. So it’s fair to say I had high hopes for this sequel, and I was thrilled to find that Perrin has both outdone himself and found his own unique style along the way.

Faycalibur picks up shortly after the events of Sir Thomas, and we find that things aren’t quite so rosy as we previously believed. Thomas has grown restless with his Less Valued status, and tires of having his glory snatched by more famous knights. His family still dotes on his brother and gives Thomas little credit for his achievements. He’s down in the dumps, and his resentment is beginning to have an effect on his relationships with the other Less Valued knights, and with Marie, his patient but increasingly careworn girlfriend.

We’re also introduced to Gus, a young squire who foists himself on Thomas with an enthusiasm bordering on insanity. He’s a bright boy with a squeaky voice and an encyclopedic knowledge of knightly affairs; a bit of a know-it-all, but a good natured one. Thomas finds his hero worship endearing. Philip seems less convinced.

Thomas grinned. He couldn’t help it. And then, with Gus bowed before him, Thomas quietly removed a familiar “Kick Thee” note from his back. Gus seemed the type who would attempt to explain to the hooligans that their joke didn’t make sense. “It means, ‘Kick You,'” he’d say. “You meant ‘Kick Me,'” he’d tell them. “You heard ‘im lads!” the hooligans would say. And then there’d be kicking.

Experience was a cruel but effective teacher.

When five armies attack Britain, Thomas sees his opportunity to wrap the Less Valued in glory and seizes on it. Merlin is missing, and he vows to bring him back. To that end, Thomas, Philip and Gus embark on an eventful journey to France in pursuit of their quest. There they meet a host of colorful characters including Lancelot, Morgan le Fay and a mysterious young sorceress who seems set on scuppering their plans.

Also a lizard that might be a dragon. Or not. Nobody’s quite sure.

“If you are a dragon,” said Lancelot, “then explain to Lancelot why did you say that you are not a dragon?”
“Because I’m a dragon!” said the creature. “That’s what we do. We deceive people. And we eat damsels. And we hoard treasure. And we get vanquished by knights. But you can’t expect us to do all the work.”
“Did you eat the damosel these men are here to rescue?”
“Well, no.”
“Can you show me your treasure hoard?”
The creature paused. “The thing is—”
“The thing is that there is no treasure hoard yes?”
“It’s been a hard year,” said the creature.

It’s a hugely enjoyable read, witty and packed with whimsy, puns, running jokes about grammar, and just plain warmth. It has the silliness of Monty Python, the wit of Terry Pratchett, and a sense of tenderness that’s all its own. People often talk about the bite of Pratchett and the underlying rage against injustice that drives his work. In contrast, Perrin’s work is driven by kindness, and a sort of wistful desire for the goodness in people, and I find that it speaks to me just as much. The Less Valued Knights are not the boldest, the bravest, or the brightest, not by a long shot. But they might just be the noblest for all that.

One of the main strengths of Sir Thomas for me was the wry, quotable asides that frequently popped up unexpectedly and made me laugh. In Faycalibur, I think the strength lies in the character development and plot, which have really found their direction this time around. The first 30% is a little slower as Perrin does the important set up work, but as soon as the characters set off for France the pace picks up and it’s a joy to read. There’s still plenty of situational humor, but this time around each main character is given time to shine, and the story benefits hugely as a result.

Morgan le Fay makes for an excellent foil and Perrin clearly had a lot of fun writing her, and the mysterious sorceress who trails after Thomas and co. is fascinating. Gus is the perfect addition to Thomas and Philip’s dynamic and is, ironically, every bit as underappreciated by them as they feel in Camelot. Philip and Marie both grow a great deal, with Marie becoming a more confident and self-assured character, and Philip taking on the role of Thomas’ conscience in his darkest moments. Thomas himself undergoes an arc that leaves him a better person than where he started, but with some pretty sizable obstacles along the way.

I found myself struck by the huge amount of memorable scenes, and how often I still find myself smiling about them weeks after I finished reading. One bathtub scene in particular would leave even J.K. Rowling green with envy for its sheer playfulness and creativity. And watch out for Philip once he’s tried out grog for the first time. 😀

In conclusion, Faycalibur is every bit as warm, funny and absurd as its predecessor. With Sir Thomas and his crew, you’re amongst friends. I didn’t want to leave, but I know I’ll visit often.

Without a doubt, Perrin is an author for whom (ha) I will drop everything.

[Shae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read - the adventures of Sir Thomas the Hesitant and friend Sir Philip the Exceptionally Disadvantaged make me smile!

"What exactly is the plan here Thomas?" "Find the witch, find the wizard." Philip nodded. "There's an appealing simplicity to it, I'll give you that." He chewed his lip. "Any thoughts on the middle part?"

Full of really likable characters, warmth and humour. Looking forward to reading more from Perrin.

[Liam Perrin]

Faycalibur includes a story-so-far intro, so you don't have to read Sir Thomas (Less Valued Knights, #1) first, but I highly recommend it. Grab your free Sir Thomas ebook at liamperrin.com/free-sir-thomas when you sign up for my Preposterous Semi-Occasional Newsletter. Thank you for reading!

See you in Camelot :)
Liam

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have no explanation for why I disliked this sequel about as much as I liked the original.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review is here, on my blog!~

This is the continuing story of Sir Thomas the Hesitant, a knight of King Arthur, but not of the Round Table, but rather of the table of Less Valued Knights. It is up to the less valued knights to take on the jobs that the Round Table knights can’t… or won’t.

In this volume, Merlin has gone missing, but Arthur and his Round Table knights have gone north, where armies are amassing for war. This leaves the task of finding Merlin to Sir Thomas, who takes on the task with gusto. He and his friend Sir Philip the Exceptionally Disadvantaged bring Thomas’ new squire, Augustus ‘Gus’ Ditcher, and head to France, where Merlin is thought to have gone.

And shenanigans go down (as I’m sure you guessed – there are always shenanigans)! Thomas and friends run afoul of dragons, other knights, other kings, sorceresses, illusionists, and swords which may or may not be Excalibur.

As was the first volume in this series, this was an excellently written book with many chuckles to be had within its pages. I sat down to start it before bed one night and before I knew it I was nearly halfway through and it was way, way past my bedtime. But I couldn’t stop reading, because Thomas and Philip are so much fun to read about.

Sir Thomas is a character that you can’t help but root for. I wanted him to win the day, the lady, all the glory and everything else, and having characters to like is really what submerges me into a story.

There were plenty of twists and turns here, it wasn’t too short, and it wasn’t overly long. T’was exactly as long as it needed to be. There are accents that are written in a way that they just happened in my head, and this one left me with a few unanswered questions, but not in a cliffhangery or irritating way. More the way that indicates that the next volume can’t come soon enough!

All told, I loved this one maybe even a little more than I loved volume one! I have been having a really good couple of years of finding second books that I love even more than the first in a series. I can’t wait to read what else is in store for the Less Valued Knights!

(This review is based on a review copy. Thanks to the author for that review copy). :)

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t love this one quite as much as the first. It’s still hilarious and heartwarming in equal measure, but the plot is a bit looser in this one. There are some new characters who are good fun, particularly Elisante(Nimue’s apprentice) and Gus (Thomas’ squire). They’re both great, but we do see less Marie as a result.

[Ciaran · Rating 5 out of 5]

In short if you enjoyed Sir Thomas the Hesitant you’re going to enjoy Faycalibur simple as that, you’ll laugh, cry (maybe I guess it depends on your emotional disposition), beam with delight, force air out of your nose in merriment, and have a rip roaring good time.

There is more character development, depth to the plot, and bigger laughs. Also hands down the greatest bath scene from any book.

Well worth the time investment.

[Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it didn't have quite the same charm as the first book, I still enjoyed this one wow a bit. It's hard for me to explain properly. Thomas seemed...different somehow. Can I say the character felt out of character? That's the closest I can come up with. I find myself liking him less in this book, and it's difficult to put my finger on why that is.

One thing I'm certain about, however, is that I would like to visit with him and his friends again. I don't know that anymore books will be coming, so if needed, I'll read them again in a year or two.

It was a good book and I recommend it.

[Nichole Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book. Well written, doesn't drag, and hilarious to boot.

[Vi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The supporting cast gets the applause….sort of

What happens when the folks in the cheap seats save the day? Sometimes getting noticed is not a good thing. Fun characters and excellent storytelling. Looking forward to more from Perrin.

[Dianthaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feels like Thomas grew up a lot since the beginning of book 1, the stakes are much higher this time, saving the kingdom, and so are the risks. I love the menace of Morgan le Fay, and there are new endearing characters as well as growth for the old ones. Not enough of Grandma Farmer.