Appendix: Related Fiction
We have recommended reading certain books, first of all The Quest of The Holy Grail, as a necessary step if one is to go on with Grail Studies. I suspect this may present a problem to many people, including some who would benefit from this line of study, first because not everyone has formed a habit of disciplined and regular reading, and secondly because there is something a little alarming about an old book unless one has formed the habit of reading old books...rather as, for a child, there seems to be something a little frightening about talking to a very old person unless he is fortunate enough to have grandparents.
Well, in any case, if esoteric Studies are to be taken beyond the general 'knowledge lessons' of one's order on the one hand, or the sort of popular occult books one sees at Shop-Rite (or even S. Weiser!) on the other, one is going to have to get into some old books...and Grail studies have the advantage of having inspired a category of fiction which it occurs to me to introduce briefly here as a possible way to get one's foot into the water and begin to feel at ease with the material. Here then are a few books, which I think you may enjoy (whether you read one or all) and which should serve as an introduction to the fascinating world the Grail.
l. The Once and Future King by T.H. White. This is the book on which the film Camelot was based. It is an excellent modern retelling of Mallory. In my copy the Grail section is pps. 426-474.
2. War in Heaven by Charles Williams. A Grail story set in modern times and which one may read with all the excitement of a thriller but which also has great depth.
3. That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis. The Grail does not appear here but Merlin appears in modern times. Again, a thriller with depth.
4. A Glastonbury Romance by J.C. Powys. This is a lengthy and rather difficult modern novel with a Grail theme which does not really belong on a list of introductory works but which we include as of possible interest, at some point, to some.
5. The Light Beyond the Forest by Rosemary Sutcliff. A retelling of the basic Grail story...good but a little hard to find.
films...
6. Excalibur by John Borman. This film of a few years ago is available on video and was made with a genuinely mystical feeling.
7. The Lord of The Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien; The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King.
8. The Cronicles of Narnia, the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.
And finally every different quest stories which may also serve as bridges to the world of the Grail in addition to being worthwhile in themselves.
9. The Dark Tower: Vol. I, The Gunslinger by Stephen King
10. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. This is one of, and one of the best of, the famous Narnia stories of C.S. Lewis. for children but equally for adults. This particular quest is that of Reepicheep.
11. The Lord of The Rings J.R.R. Tolkien. This is an immense book, a work in itself, but it is the greatest fantasy work of our time and no list of quest books would be complete without it. (and NOW an incredible 3 Movies)
I envy the pleasure you will have of discovering and reading some of these books for the first time! And you will find as much, or more, pleasure in the old books of the Quest itself...
Your Servant in the Quest,
Sir Peregrine
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