Reviews

The Ballad of Sir Dinadan by Gerald Morris

nerfherder86's review against another edition

3.0

A funny take on the stories of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Part of a series, this particular book is the story of Dinadan, knighted in a drunken fit by his father and sent out to earn his knighthood. But Dinadan is inept with the sword or fighting, and would much rather compose and sing songs as a minstrel. He has comical encounters with other knights of varying degrees of competency, from one who swears a lovesick vow of silence (to everyone and anyone within earshot, all day long!) to one who fights and acts quite nobly. Dinadan thinks he is a much better minstrel than a knight, but through these adventures and his interactions with a Moor named Palomides, he realizes he is a better knight than many others. Dinadan tells his story with dry wit, laughing at the romantic entanglements of other knights, but finding true love himself despite claiming not to be interested in romance. Fun and different than anything I've read in a long while. Medieval lite, if you will; not a lot of details about clothing and food and customs of the times, just straightforward story.

madeleine_marie's review

adventurous funny lighthearted

4.0

tigerlinus's review against another edition

2.0

2.5. Sir Dinidad was fun, and I enjoyed that he wasn't knight 'material' - he'd rather be

Spoiler

, and does become,

a minstrel

Spoiler

, I like that Brangienne and Dinidad love each other but don't marry

, some secondary characters are fun, and there are some laugh out loud moments. Unfortunately, Tristram gets old, the story seems to plod along, and as much as I liked Dinidad and the overall feel of his personal journey, I never felt a part of his world.

missmeddler's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

aceartemis7's review against another edition

3.0

Wasn't as engaging as the previous books, but still entertaining.

holtfan's review

4.0

Oh, so awesome.
Seriously, I love this series xD No Terence or Gwaine in this book, but their presence is still felt and not to badly missed.
<3 Dinadan xD

mimima's review against another edition

3.0

This is a delightful series of King Arthur retellings, and this may be my favorite one so far. Excellent characters, nice take on the story of Tristan and Isolde, and a lot of great humor.
Close to a four

hgray18's review

adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

tahlia__nerds_out's review

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

csd17's review

5.0

Current read: A whimsical, humorous and, at times, thoughtful view of hero worship, family loyalty, and bravery. And I love it. I also think it should be book #3 instead of #5 in the series. Just saying.

1st read: Worth it if only for the "battle of the bards" which had me laughing for days. "Jug Jug Pu-we, witta woo etc..."