Last week, I had the exciting opportunity to see Tracy Deonn at my local bookstore, celebrating the release of Oathbound, the third book in the Legendborn series. It was a great evening, Q&A style with signings afterwards. There were a lot of great questions and, although I didn’t get a chance to ask my own question (I thought it was more important to let the BIPOC in the room have a chance to speak), I came away with an even deeper appreciation for this series (and Tracy herself) and enthusiasm to dive into this new book. And yet, I’m taking time away from reading to write this, so please appreciate my sacrifice!
If you’re not familiar with the Legendborn series, it’s a modern day take on Arthurian legends. Arthur and the knights have been reincarnated (in a loose sense) throughout the ages to keep fighting demons and save humanity. But it’s not all noble and just as it appears to be, as we discover when the main character, Briana, becomes involved in this secret society. As a black teenage girl, she quickly encounters a lot of pushback and outright hostility for her position and identity. What follows is a story that beautifully (and horrifically) blends together the old Arthurian myths with living as a black girl in the South of the United States. There’s racism, grief, and betrayal. But there’s also friendship, power, and loyalty. I can’t speak to the experience of being a black girl in North Carolina, but Briana’s experiences on the page are so visceral to me. If you haven’t read the series, you definitely should. Especially if you’re white. Also if you’re not white, but for very different reasons. Everyone should read it.
Anyway, last week’s talk was great. Tracy talked about how Briana is a very flawed main character, and it’s important that she’s allowed to be flawed, something that black teenage girls often aren’t allowed to be in fiction (or real life). But Briana’s sixteen and dealing with a lot, there’s no way she’s got it all figured out, so it’s realistic to be flawed and messy! (She just lost her mother before the beginning of the first book, and as someone who lost my father at 15, I can at least speak to that… I was very messy for a very long time due to that.) Tracy spoke to that grief, that Briana’s hurt at losing her mother was her hurt at losing her parents, and you can definitely feel that on the pages.
Another thing she said that really stuck with me, as a lifelong Arthuriana fan who is (slowly) working on her own take on the legends, was, “people use Arthuriana to tell the story they want to tell.” Tracy has done a wonderful job telling a story of racism and grief with the framework of the Arthurian legends, and it got me thinking about the validity of this statement. These legends have had so many different tales and themes woven through them throughout the centuries, with knights and their deeds coming and going as their popularities rise and fall. I mean, Lancelot wasn’t even introduced to the legends until about seven centuries after they were first told, and he’s one of the most famous knights today. The knights of Camelot are so numerous that any author can pick and choose who they want to include and what tales they want to focus on.
So, in one aspect, that’s what Tracy meant… but also, there are so many retellings, in so many different genres and time periods and universes, that everything is fanfiction and everything is canon simultaneously. Tell the story you want to tell! That’s what Tracy has done, and that’s what I’m looking forward to with my own story (which I just had a major breakthrough on yesterday!). As a legend that was originally centered on some very privileged white (Christian) men, I think it’s great that it can be adapted to tell all sorts of stories about gender, race, and other struggles of the marginalized and oppressed. Because of its very nature, Arthuriana can tell about any social issue you can imagine, and I think that’s pretty neat.
The overall discussion with Tracy Deonn was a wonderful, insightful time, and definitely made me excited to dig into Oathbound (just as soon as I finish these ARCs… and this month’s book club pick… I’m very behind on my reading list!). Afterwards, I met her and got my three books of the series signed, and got to chat a little (she loved my outfit!). It was a completely packed event, so the wait was long but worth it. I was so glad to see so many people show up for her. As she put it, book people are “inside people”, so for us to leave our houses is a big deal.
Again, if you haven’t read these books, please do so. They, and other stories like them, are so important, especially today but always. You won’t be disappointed.
Tangentially related reading: the politics of booktok: reading, comfort, and white supremacy. I’ve had this tab open for a while and figured, what better post to share it on?
