Here’s what loyal readers of Peter David’s work are saying about his new book, The Camelot Papers, on Amazon…
“The Camelot Papers is an intriguing look at the potential reality behind the legends of Camelot.”
“It’s a lot of fun reading the book and getting those “Ahhhh, that’s where X came from” moments. PAD has some very clever ideas behind the truth of The Sword in the Stone, Excalibur’s origin, Merlin’s “wizardry” and the like.”
“The book has PAD’s trademark humor, solid characterization, fun nods to the traditional Arthur stories, a good mystery, and I stayed up two hours after I should have been in bed to finish the last two chapters.”
“I liked seeing how David handled all of the pieces of the King Arthur legend to create his own story. If this becomes a series, I would certainly pick up more books.”
Over at Good Reads, one reviewer wrote, “I liked seeing how David handled all of the pieces of the King Arthur legend to create his own story. You could see how some of it was factual, according to Viviana, and how some of it would be warped into legend. He created some interesting characters (with the exception of Viviana) and if this becomes a series, I would certainly pick up more books. Personally, I really want to see more from the trouser-wearing Guinevere and the not-really-a-wizard Merlin.”
What did you think of The Camelot Papers? Don’t be shy–let us know!
And while you’re at it, remember to check out Demon Circle, our Crazy 8 Press tag-team fantasy novella, all the proceeds of which go to The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund!
It’s very Peter David. The biggest complaint I have is the sheer number of ellipses. I have a personal hatred of ellipses.
…
No, really. I do.
Other than that, it was clever and moved fast. It had enough foreshadowing to make you think you knew what was going on, and usually you’d be right, but there were a few surprises. It all makes sense in the end. And as usual, the tone is the best part. Viviana is like a female Apropos. Smart. Haughty. Cynical. And still a coward who tries to keep themselves on the periphery and succeed only in taking center stage. Plus, even characters who play relatively small roles in the story succeed in making you like them or hate them. The more you see of David’s characters, the less clear cut they are, actually. The sort of moral ambiguity that shrouds not only Modred, but Merlin and Morgan Le Fey as well (so really, the whole assortment of Arhturian Ms) was pretty neat. Early on, you want to back Merlin, but he can be a real ass. Morgan and Modred always have you waiting for the other shoe to drop. And when it does, you’ll suspect there is a hidden, third shoe ready to succumb to gravity’s sweet promises at any moment. So yeah. A good light read, with some complexity if you’re willing to dig that deep, but it isn’t necessary to do so.
Glad you liked Peter’s first effort for Crazy 8 Press. We’ll have his nose back at the grindstone soon for his December release, a book in his Hidden Earth series.
In the meantime, you may want to check out No Small Bills, Aaron Rosenberg’s tongue-in-cheek (do ducks even have cheeks?) space fantasy, out today or tomorrow depending on the publishing gods…as well as my November book, a contemporary fantasy adventure tentatively titled Blood of the Gods.
Mike Friedman