This is an adapted and shortened version of Richard Johnson's 1597 original. Kingston wrote adventure stories for boys, and this swashbuckler fits right in. Originally published in 1861 (according to google books. I had trouble finding a publication date), it is full of battles, monsters, and adventures. It also has a good dose of tongue in cheek humor. The seven champions, Saint George, Saint Patrick, and others, are knights out adventuring, rushing from one fight to the next. Their lives are far from saintly. Christianity is casually mentioned a few times, but mostly as a way to differentiate them from their foes, who are all pagans to be defeated.

I especially liked the scene in which Saint Andrew (I think; they tend to blur together) rescues six princesses, who follow fairy tale rules by falling in love with their rescuer. But he doesn't want to marry any of them, so runs away while they argue over who gets him.

It contains the casual racism and assumption of English superiority typical of Victorian literature. But if you can look past that, this is a fun read. ( )

Seven Champions is a romance in the original meaning. All the characters (St George, St Dennis, St Patrick, St David, St Anthony, St Andrew, St James, are noble knights in the best Arthurian tradition. (This novel isn't set in Arthur's court, but he'd have taken on any of the Seven Champions in an instant) They can hew the heads of monsters with a single stroke of their swords. They meet enchantresses, good fairies, save maidens from danger, travel to exotic cities with walls of silver and streets of tin. They eat magical banquets with wondrous foods and seek adventure in the best fashion.

The descriptive text is colourful and as vivid as a computer game.

I read Mallory's 'Morte d'Arthur' and gave up half way through from boredom.
'Seven Champions' is far more fun. It has no historical accuracy whatever, plays fast and loose with geography (though a real place name does creep in on occasion when it sounds exotic enough - Saint George visits Timbuktu), and doesn't take itself too seriously.

If you want to read a fairy tale set in the days when men were real men, princesses were real princesses and small green things from Alpha Centuri were real small green things from Alpha Centauri (I may be lying about this last bit), then go and read Seven Champions.

(but remember that it was originally written over 400 years ago and will thus not always be politically correct) ( )