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UK Authors - Sci-fi & fantasy |
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Albion: The White Phantom |
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A lbion: The White Phantom byPatrick McCormack Constable Robinson 460 pages, 2000 ISBN 1841190519 Reviewed by our UK Editor Rachel A. Hyde Read our review of the first in the Albion series: Albion: The Last Companion There are many novels about King Arthur and his legendary Golden Age, but I had yet to come upon one that deals with the period after his death until this series which began with Albion: The Last Companion. These books are set ten years after Arthur’s defeat at the Battle of Camlann. Patrick McCormack, in common with the majority of modern authors, has chosen not to depict the mediaeval dream world of Malory and Tennyson, but to show his readers what Britain in the Dark Ages must have truly been like. There are no knights here striving to be preux, no supernatural creatures from the realms of Faery. Rather, there are warriors and those whom they protect and exploit, eking out an existence in a country which the Romans have abandoned. Arthur’s chief attribute was charisma and a larger-than-life personality, both of which were needed to rule over the scattered communities and keep the invaders at bay. As Arthur’s gatekeeper Glewlwyd says when the High Lord of Dyfed, Vortepor, visits his realm: "It is Arthur’s dream of what might be. We take the best of Roman, spice it with a dash of the native British and borrow whatever is good from the Saxons." This seems to describe in a nutshell what someone like King Arthur might have strived for, if he ever truly existed. Before Arthur died, he entrusted the chalice from the Western Isles that symbolised his sovereignty to his queen Gwenhwyvar. But she vanished after Arthur’s death - so where is the chalice now? Is it with the original guardians the Clan Menestyr, Nai the warrior or hermit Budoc, who was once one of Arthur’s Companions before he retreated into a Breton monastery? Nai, a warrior of the warband of Geraint of Dumnonia (the West Country), has already done much to stop the chalice from falling into the wrong hands. This time, he must find Gwenhwyvar and protect her from the many enemies who are closing in on them, now that the country is up for grabs following Arthur’s death. Patrick McCormack has equipped his readers with a Dramatis Personae of Albion. This is invaluable since, with the exception of the scholar of Arthurian myth, most readers are more familiar with the names from Malory than those in the obscure texts used to create this novel. Also useful is a map and a list of place names. The notes on the background of the book make interesting reading and throw some light on the sources that the author has drawn on. At times I wished there had been more action. The different names confused me as I tried to remember who was who, as this is a largely unfamiliar version of the "Matter of Britain". It grew more exciting as the book went on, as the names became more familiar and the chase intensified. Albion: The White Phantom is a thoughtful and interesting read which provides a glimpse into a believable Dark Age Britain, and gives speculations into what it might have been like after the untimely death of such a strong ruler as Arthur. |
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