The Winter Knight

The knights of the round table are reincarnated in modern-day Vancouver in this playful murder mystery take on the Arthurian mythos. Battis (Bleeding Out) puts a queer and neurodivergent spin on familiar characters to explore a theme of moving past others’ expectations to control one’s own narrative. University provost Mo Penley (a reincarnation of Mordred) is decapitated at a party hosted by university dean Morgan Arcand (aka Morgana). Wayne (Gawain), a young autistic man dragged to the party by his professor aunt Vera (Guinevere), finds the body during a flirtatious moment with Morgan’s assistant Bert (the Green Knight), catapulting him to the top of the suspect list for Valkyrie investigator Hildie. To clear his name, Wayne must lean into his knightly heritage and engage the possibility that the questing beast haunting his dreams has a presence in the real world. Meanwhile, Hildie navigates an overbearing mother and a budding relationship with the youngest of the Wyrd Sisters. Battis handles the psychology of the reincarnated characters well, balancing their awareness of past lives with their present-day agendas. Weaving endearing queer coming-of-age threads throughout the mythically grounded mystery, this satisfying reimagining delivers. (Apr.)