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Product Description
Product Description
"Welcome to fifth century Britain: the Romans have left, the Saxons have invaded, the towns are decaying and the countryside dangerous. A young leader has forged a reputation as a both a warrior and a diplomat and supreme power is within his grasp. But Camelot does not exist; chivalry is nonexistent; betrayal and treachery are endemic. This is not the Arthur of legend. And neither is this Arthur's story. This tale belongs to its grim narrator, Malgwyn ap Cuneglas, a man whose broken life mirrors the broken Roman roads that divide the landscape. Once a feared warrior, he should have lost his life when he lost his swordhand on the battlefield. But Arthur saved him, condemning Malgwyn to a half-life as a meagre scribe. But when a young woman is murdered and Arthur's reputation is threatened, Malgwyn is tasked with solving the mystery and safeguarding the stability of Arthur's newborn realm.
From the Publisher
A refreshing twist on Arthurian legend, this is the powerful beginning of a gritty Dark Age mystery series
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Hays has created an amazing mix of imaginative plotting and historical accuracy. It is helpful to know that there really was a 5th-century original of the high king who becomes the Arthur of later medieval romance. This is not speculation but is accepted among Arthurian specialists, archaeologists, and English teachers. Hays is up-to-date in his research and honours the experts. This and the later books in Hays' series are ground-breaking indeed; no new-age nonsense, no stereotyped medievalism. His style has the straightforwardness of Hemingway at times. I would recommend this and all this books as both mystery and history. Hope the others are available soon in Britain!
Format:Hardcover
I'm a big fan of Arthurian historical fiction; not so much of murder mysteries. But in either genre, _The Killing Way_ seemed to me to fall short of the mark.
On the Arthurian historical novel side, its main weakness was an apparent lack of preparation by the author. Great historical or fantasy novels (e.g. Tolkein) make the reader feel that there is a whole world out there, as real as this one, even if the author is just giving us a tiny fraction of its story. _The Killing Way_ way left me with the impression that the author's world did not extend beyond the novel. This is illustrated (pun intended) most obviously by the map at the front of the book. It shows just a few of the southern Civitates of Britannia (where the action takes place), and a vast expanse of space from the Thames to Hadrian's wall (which is wrongly located), labeled simply "Saxon-occupied lands".
Hays has not even bothered to stick with the real geography of his very limited setting, near South Cadbury in Somerset --- He invests the gentle river Cam with deadly waterfalls and 50-foot cliffs for banks. There are also serious historical "howlers" e.g. having Picts from Ireland.
In terms of a murder mystery, I found the plot not very interesting. It was obvious from the start that the murderer was going to be one of Arthur's political opponents, and for me there was not much reason to care whether it was this one or that one. Towards the end of the book, it turned into a "boys own adventure". The protagonist and narrator, Malgwyn, having gone with almost no sleep for two days, "dizzy and exhausted" from having been chased up and down the countryside, manages to kill or disable in no long time three enemies: (i) by "heaving a spear ... [which] struck him in mid-chest"; (ii) "I hurled [a sword] ... [which] caught [him] in the stomach", and (iii) "I flipped my dagger over and threw it .... [it] caught [him] in the shoulder". Not bad for a one-armed alcoholic ex-warrior with a desk-job.
For a historical novel set in Arthurian Britain with real suspense and mystery, I recommend the "Albion" trilogy by Patrick McCormack starting with The Last Companion: a Novel of Arthurian Britain.
For a "conventional" spy/action/crime/mystery novel steeped in Arthurian history, I recommend Our Man in Camelot.
On the Arthurian historical novel side, its main weakness was an apparent lack of preparation by the author. Great historical or fantasy novels (e.g. Tolkein) make the reader feel that there is a whole world out there, as real as this one, even if the author is just giving us a tiny fraction of its story. _The Killing Way_ way left me with the impression that the author's world did not extend beyond the novel. This is illustrated (pun intended) most obviously by the map at the front of the book. It shows just a few of the southern Civitates of Britannia (where the action takes place), and a vast expanse of space from the Thames to Hadrian's wall (which is wrongly located), labeled simply "Saxon-occupied lands".
Hays has not even bothered to stick with the real geography of his very limited setting, near South Cadbury in Somerset --- He invests the gentle river Cam with deadly waterfalls and 50-foot cliffs for banks. There are also serious historical "howlers" e.g. having Picts from Ireland.
In terms of a murder mystery, I found the plot not very interesting. It was obvious from the start that the murderer was going to be one of Arthur's political opponents, and for me there was not much reason to care whether it was this one or that one. Towards the end of the book, it turned into a "boys own adventure". The protagonist and narrator, Malgwyn, having gone with almost no sleep for two days, "dizzy and exhausted" from having been chased up and down the countryside, manages to kill or disable in no long time three enemies: (i) by "heaving a spear ... [which] struck him in mid-chest"; (ii) "I hurled [a sword] ... [which] caught [him] in the stomach", and (iii) "I flipped my dagger over and threw it .... [it] caught [him] in the shoulder". Not bad for a one-armed alcoholic ex-warrior with a desk-job.
For a historical novel set in Arthurian Britain with real suspense and mystery, I recommend the "Albion" trilogy by Patrick McCormack starting with The Last Companion: a Novel of Arthurian Britain.
For a "conventional" spy/action/crime/mystery novel steeped in Arthurian history, I recommend Our Man in Camelot.
Format:Kindle Edition
I bought this cheaply as a Kindle download, and thought it was fair value. Quite a fun fresh take on Arthurian Britain - a murder mystery set in those times, but not a great plot. Worth a read as long as you bear in mind it's not intended as "quality literature".
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Historical Thriller
I found this story very enjoyable. I would hope that it is a first in a series.The hero was believable and the surrounding characters interesting. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Beamer142
More please
I found this a very enjoyable read except that the author seems to have discovered the 'colon' and then proceeded to put it in the most stupid places, in the middle of words, or is... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Helen
an amateur novel
Im a great lover of all things medieval, historically accurate or not, but this is very poorly written. Read more
Published 5 months ago by English Teacher
Read this book as a murder mystery not an Arthurian history
It is impossible to criticise a novel of Arthurian Britain for historical inaccuracy given the man himself has come down to us wreathed in the mists of myth and legend; much of... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mark
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