Sean Pidgeon

Who was the historical King Arthur? When and where did he die? Did he exist at all? What do we really know? These are the questions posed in archaeologist Donald Gladstone's unfinished book. With the help of OED linguist Julia Llewellyn, whose expertise in the Welsh language (as well as her personal connections in Wales) will prove invaluable, he pursues the arcane, elusive evidence in this lyrical and cerebral mystery that is also a restrained and convincing love story. And the countryside show more of England, Wales and Cornwall, from Oxford to Tintagel to Wye and points in between, functions as a major character in FINDING CAMLANN, lovingly rendered and giving up its secrets only via painstaking attention to its details.

It's not every day that a plot hinges on clues found in carbon dating, lexicography and ancient poetry, but Pidgeon makes it work, inviting the reader to engage with his protagonists in their quest for answers to one of history's most compelling mysteries. show less

Finding Camlann was a good concept, poorly executed. Arthurian legend combined with real archeology is a very interesting concept, and then tossing in the connections to the failed Welsh Uprising of Owain, it makes for a very compelling story. Unfortunately Pidgeon does not tell it well. The clues our intrepid hero's follow are irritatingly easy and seem to drop in their laps at the exact right time. There is no real detective work or true research happening, and when the characters are show more themselves scientists and researchers, this strains credulity. show less

Finding Camlann is the search by Donald Gladstone, an archaeologist, for the substance behind the Arthurian myth. Working from three different points of view with an aging Welsh scholar and an Oxford linguist, Gladstone's search channels in toward the physical proof of Arthur's final battle and resting place. I loved the interwoven story lines, the search for source material and the piecing together of Arthur's historical presence.

Fine, just. The style is variable, but improves after a fairly rocky start. However, the opening Scrabble game is sadly prophetic of the intellectual challenge of the rest of the novel: the characters miss the blindingly obvious repeatedly, only to have 'insight' fall into their laps or be offered freely by another. It is unclear why the author made his hero an archaeologist, when he behaves as a historian for the sake of the plot (and could have had the same preoccupations as a historian); show more and the Welsh uprising subplot feels like a superfluous handle to free the heroine from her marriage. All in all, frustratingly unsatisfying without being awful - not least because of occasional flashes that feel utterly authentic, such as Donald's way of navigating cross country based on historical and archaeological features. show less