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ALBION There are very 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. This book does just that as the events happen 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, but warriors and those whom they protect and exploit, eking out and 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 Arthur might have strived for if he ever truly existed. The tale unfolds gradually as hermit Budoc, who was once one of Arthur’s Companions before he retreated into a Breton monastery, remembers his past life. Also remembering the great leader but for different reasons are the Irish pirates Eremon MacCairbre and his fell band of raiders. Sailing with them is a druid whose task it is to find the chalice, which Arthur’s Comanions brought back from the Western Isles thirty years earlier. This made him Emperor of Albion and so is a vital prize for any would-be successor. But Eremon is not the only raider who wants to take Arthur’s place, for Saxons led by Wicga are also on their way now Britain lacks an overlord. The picture that unfolds is of an island under siege and up for grabs, an uncertain place where few enjoy old age and Christianity is one of many religious options. Budoc guards the chalice and in the nearby village Eremon’s raiders land and put all the inhabitants to the sword. Young Eurgain escapes and eventually meets up with Budoc, as do Ceolric, captured son of Wicga and Gorthyn and Nai, two warriors of the warband of Geraint of Dumnonia (the West Country), who seek vengeance on Eremon’s henchman for the death of Erfai, Gorthyn’s father. Together, they vow to avenge the killings and to prevent Eremon finding the chalice and replacing Arthur as High King. Patrick McCormack has thoughtfully 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 the author has 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 during the first half of the novel I wished there had been fewer flashbacks and more action, but found that this was a necessary device to acquaint the reader with what is a largely unfamiliar version of the “Matter of Britain”. All in all, a thoughtful and interesting read which gives a glimpse into a believable Dark Age Britain. |