The Table of Less Valued Knights by Marie Phillips

Everyone’s heard of the Knights of the Round Table, but tucked away in the draughtiest corner of Camelot’s hall is the rarely-mentioned Table of Less Valued Knights, home to 'the elderly, the infirm, the cowardly, the incompetent and the disgraced.' Sir Humphrey is one of these, but sees his chance to win back a place at the Round Table when Elaine, a damsel in distress, comes to the castle looking for help. The pair, joined by a rather short giant and an elephant, set off to rescue Elaine’s fiancé, but become entangled with another quest involving a magical sword, a not-quite-a-boy and at least one man in an iron mask.

Marie Phillips proved she has a deft comedic touch with her debut novel, Gods Behaving Badly, and again she takes myths we know well and subverts them, with very funny results. From the bureaucratic difficulties of being Lady of the Lake to the inconvenience of questing in armour, it’s a real joy to read a novel that makes you snort out loud with laughter. Comedy in novels is hard to do well, and riffing off already beloved stories even harder (think of all those terrible Austen and Rebecca spin-offs), so Phillips’ seemingly light touch shouldn’t be underestimated. Whether you need cheering up or are just looking for a laugh, this book will do the trick; so gallop through it and then hope that she writes another as soon as possible.