The medieval story of the quest for the Holy Grail is laden with traditional Roman Catholic theology and conventional, patriarchal morality. The knights' heavy reliance on priests and monks as counselors suggests that these religious figures are endowed with special insight and have a special gift from God to interpret events of the visible world. While Sutcliff makes no special case for Catholicism as a privileged religion, some readers may come away from this novel with that impression. It should be kept in mind that during the Middle Ages, the Catholic church dominated life in England.

Sexual transgression is a major theme of the Grail story. It is the primary sin that prevents knights such as Lancelot from achieving their quest. Sutcliff does not brush aside this subject, but neither does she glamorize illicit behavior. In keeping with the medieval sources, she treats many of the...