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Giles Kristian launches brand-new book!
Last night, on the evening of Thursday 31 May, Aspirational Magazine were thrilled to be invited along to the launch of the latest offering from the TIMES best-selling author, Giles Kristian.
Hailing from Leicestershire, the local-born author unveiled LANCELOT, a stunning re-telling of an Arthurian legend, at Sapori in Anstey.
Giles Kristian is an immensely talented author, with ten published novels to his name, and is perhaps best-known for his RAVEN trilogy, which focuses on one man’s journey as a Viking warrior.
Last night, Kristian welcomed the opportunity to let go of two-years’ worth of work (which consists of over 200,000 words) and celebrate LANCELOT for what it has become – an entirely new, never-done-before tale of the legendary warrior.
As one of Leicestershire’s premier restaurants and event venues, Sapori provided the perfect backdrop for the book launch, where guests enjoyed complimentary drinks and food as well as the opportunity to get up close and personal with the author.
The evening went beyond what you would expect from a book launch though, and while Kristian did of course sign books on the night, guests had the unique opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the Arthurian world and get to grips with the concept of LANCELOT. Among the exclusive guests were characters inspired by the book – complete with a giant tree-man on stilts to signify the earthy nature of the book!
Philip Stevens, who is a successful filmmaker and director, has been the voice of Kristian’s audiobooks since his first novel Raven: Blood Eye in 2009, and helped launch and preview LANCELOT by giving a reading on the night, whetting everyone’s appetite for what the book has in store.
Get to know LANCELOT…
Everyone knows the Arthurian legend as it has been told and re-interpreted throughout the years – from book, to film, to television and back again. Likewise, everyone has heard of the Knight of the Round Table, Lancelot. However, nobody has ever really told his story. Or, ever really given him a voice of his own. That is, until now…
For this book, Kristian has ventured into an entirely new realm of writing as he takes on a whole new era and tells a stunning tale of Lancelot from boy to warrior.
Speaking to Aspirational Magazine Giles Kristian explained what readers can expect from LANCELOT. He said:
“Fans of Arthurian fiction will probably be expecting the typical Arthurian aspects, including the sword in the stone and the round table, but there’s no round table here, no swords being pulled from stones. Yes, Lancelot is portrayed as the famous warrior, the greatest and best, the man whose affair with his best friend’s wife presaged the downfall of Britain. But really there is a deeper story here, of love and loss and all that might have been. Everyone knows the Arthurian myth, but this isn’t that story.”
Two years were spent working on this book and during the time of writing, Kristian experienced tragedy which ended up shaping the storylines now running through the novel. He explained: “Just after I began writing LANCELOT, my father died unexpectedly. It sent me into a spin. I began to wonder if I would ever finish writing the book. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to. In my grief, it was hard to sit alone at my desk writing what is in essence a tragedy. But I pushed on and channelled the pain into the heartfelt emotions within the story. Perhaps something positive has at last come out of my personal grief.”
He continued:
“I poured my heart and soul into the book and the outcome is, I think, a very real, very honest story. I really hope that comes through when people read it.”
LANCELOT by Giles Kristian is available in all good book stores as well as online at Amazon – order yours here today!
