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some_okie_dude27's review
Knowing how jocular Sean is, I wasn't expecting much going into this. I was fearing that the book would become a Pratchett-esque joke fest, laughing at its own cleverness and trying to force others to laugh along with him with a gag-a-minute schtick. I've also never been really fond of the King Arthur mythos, as it's much too romantic and 'standard' for my tastes, but I respect it as an important piece of English folklore. So there was a lot going against me enjoying this book.
How surprised I was when I found how much I came to enjoy it. The Camelot Shadow is a charming, evocative reimagining of the Arthurian mythos, from an author who has a mastery of tone and atmosphere, while the book certainly has its moments of humor, Sean never sacrifices character depth or dramatic intrigue for a punchline, few authors can pull such a feat as successfully. But I find what makes this book truly intriguing is the way that Sean plays with Arthurian mythology, making it accessible for the more novice reader, while also caving in his little pokes and prods at the mythos for Arthurian junkies. Sean's playing with the mythos is comparable with Mignola and Gaiman in its inventiveness, playing with archetypes and characters who we're already familiar with, and managing to do something unusual and new with it, a rare feat for many authors.
Sean's pace and tone is moody and evocative, quite different from the silly, wisecracking guy that I know. The pace is deliberate, yet hardly dull or boring, Sean crafts a world that is full of possibility and wonder, yet also brooding and at times melancholic, while Sean makes Arthurian myths accessible to his audience, he never talks down to or insults the intelligence of his audience. He allows his characters to grow and change throughout the story, defining the plot by the actions and desires of the characters rather than letting the plot define the characters actions. Sean managed to get so much right, and I was impressed by how much Sean kept me guessing throughout the book, and it's rare for a book to do that for me nowadays.
For a novel about Arthurian scholars, it hardly feels dull, moving like an Indiana Jones film yet relying more on intrigue and following two sophisticated gentlemen rather than a rugged adventurer. It's like a Dan Brown novel, yet with the wit of Dickens and the sense of wonder of Gaiman. I might even go as far as to say that Gibson is far more intriguing and imaginative than Brown, but I won't go there...I'm not in the ruffling feathers business. Gibson certainly exceeds Brown in the way that he can lay out plot twists without making the story convoluted or worse nonsensical.
Sean's reinvention of the Arthurian mythos is nothing short of clever, unusual, and imaginative and it's a book that makes me curious to see what Sean will do next. I have seen that he's put a few more books out since this one and it makes me even more excited to see what he does next, which is rare for me nowadays. It's also rare to read a fantasy that goes against the grain as much, few books earn such comparisons: American Gods, The Stand, Hellboy, Oryx and Crake.
I hate being wrong a lot of the time, but there are times like this where I'm grateful that I was.
kitvaria_sarene's review
4.0
3,5 rounded up
Read for SPFBO, this is just my personal opinion, group verdict might differ widely
Read for SPFBO, this is just my personal opinion, group verdict might differ widely
linz's review
4.0
The Camelot Shadow is one of those books that I probably wouldn't have discovered on my own. Not that the book description wouldn't have captured my attention - quite the contrary, actually - but because I get a lot of my book recommendations from bloggers and friends on Goodreads, and, unfortunately, this book never came across my radar until, by chance, I received a friend request from the author on Goodreads. I found it after browsing his profile and I immediately bought it for my Kindle. It would truly have been a shame if this book never crossed my path. Let that be a lesson, authors! It never hurts to engage fans and potential readers. :)
The Camelot Shadow is an interesting novel that draws from Arthurian lore and legend. It's definitely a twist on the usual King Arthur tale, however. Set in the 1800's, it focuses on Lord Alfred Fitzwilliam and his quest to discover the truth in the legends, as he also tries to save his wife, who is dying. Alfred is a book lover and collector, and is regarded by some as an expert on the legend of King Arthur.
He is approached one night while at a dinner party by an odd man, and is invited to meet with someone requesting his help. Although he is hesitant at first, his curiosity gets the best of him, and he agrees to the meeting. He has no inkling about the perilous journey ahead.
Though Alfred is fairly level-headed, you can't have a story about King Arthur without a little magic, and even though the plot is focused on discovering the truth in the legends and magic of Camelot, the story never seems too far-fetched or fantastical.
I loved the writing style of this book. It almost felt like I was reading a book that was written in the 1800's, not just set there. The characters were well-written, the plot was original, and the writing was engaging. I became attached to several of the characters, and found myself on the edge of my seat worrying about their safety at times.
In short, if you're a fan of King Arthur stores - especially ones set in the not-so-distant past, I would highly recommend The Camelot Shadow. Part Arthurian legend and part mystery, this was a book that kept me interested to the very end.
The Camelot Shadow is an interesting novel that draws from Arthurian lore and legend. It's definitely a twist on the usual King Arthur tale, however. Set in the 1800's, it focuses on Lord Alfred Fitzwilliam and his quest to discover the truth in the legends, as he also tries to save his wife, who is dying. Alfred is a book lover and collector, and is regarded by some as an expert on the legend of King Arthur.
He is approached one night while at a dinner party by an odd man, and is invited to meet with someone requesting his help. Although he is hesitant at first, his curiosity gets the best of him, and he agrees to the meeting. He has no inkling about the perilous journey ahead.
Though Alfred is fairly level-headed, you can't have a story about King Arthur without a little magic, and even though the plot is focused on discovering the truth in the legends and magic of Camelot, the story never seems too far-fetched or fantastical.
I loved the writing style of this book. It almost felt like I was reading a book that was written in the 1800's, not just set there. The characters were well-written, the plot was original, and the writing was engaging. I became attached to several of the characters, and found myself on the edge of my seat worrying about their safety at times.
In short, if you're a fan of King Arthur stores - especially ones set in the not-so-distant past, I would highly recommend The Camelot Shadow. Part Arthurian legend and part mystery, this was a book that kept me interested to the very end.
acton's review
5.0
Thank you, Sean Gibson, for sharing your wonderful novel! I've been enjoying it.
The Camelot Shadow is a well written historical novel about Arthurian legend, specifically the hunt for Excalibur's scabbard. I was not aware that this famous sword had such an important sheath, and was intrigued by the "new" information (I might have to read more about this).
The riveting plot of this story has two opposing groups desperately seeking this scabbard. In one corner, Nigel, backed by England's government and queen, and in the other, a secret sect of Druids. These Druids know that Nigel has evil plans for the world.
Somehow, Nigel and his minions find Lord Alfred, an antique book collector and Arthurian legend expert, and try to enlist his help in finding this relic. At this point, Nigel tries to convince Alfred that this scabbard could be used to end disease and suffering, shamelessly taking advantage of the fact that Alfred has a terminally ill wife, Ellen. (When Nigel demonstrates some of his power to astonish Alfred, I assumed, at the time, that the magic wasn't real, but a demonstration of a magic trick that would have either been new at the time, or an anachronism. Because of this, I thought there would be time travel, but--not exactly.)
Alfred knows this is secret business, but of course he confides in his closest friend, Will. Eventually, however, we learn that Will is one of the Druids. This provides both a lovely plot twist and quite the dilemma for Will, as well as their friendship, later on.
I must note here that I really enjoyed the dialogue between Alfred and Will. Actually, all of the characters were thoroughly developed and there were not too many characters to keep up with.
Also, the concept of the scabbard as a sort of horcrux (if you'll forgive the Harry Potter allusion) for Merlin's power is a fascinating idea.
Even though this is a very serious story, there was some delightful humor mixed in, as well. I particularly like the way Will comes to speak to Alfred at the end.
One thing I would have liked to read more about was Alfred's history and relationship with Ellen. A few flashbacks, or some specific memories with her, would have been nice, in my opinion.
Bravo!
The Camelot Shadow is a well written historical novel about Arthurian legend, specifically the hunt for Excalibur's scabbard. I was not aware that this famous sword had such an important sheath, and was intrigued by the "new" information (I might have to read more about this).
The riveting plot of this story has two opposing groups desperately seeking this scabbard. In one corner, Nigel, backed by England's government and queen, and in the other, a secret sect of Druids. These Druids know that Nigel has evil plans for the world.
Somehow, Nigel and his minions find Lord Alfred, an antique book collector and Arthurian legend expert, and try to enlist his help in finding this relic. At this point, Nigel tries to convince Alfred that this scabbard could be used to end disease and suffering, shamelessly taking advantage of the fact that Alfred has a terminally ill wife, Ellen. (When Nigel demonstrates some of his power to astonish Alfred, I assumed, at the time, that the magic wasn't real, but a demonstration of a magic trick that would have either been new at the time, or an anachronism. Because of this, I thought there would be time travel, but--not exactly.)
Alfred knows this is secret business, but of course he confides in his closest friend, Will. Eventually, however, we learn that Will is one of the Druids. This provides both a lovely plot twist and quite the dilemma for Will, as well as their friendship, later on.
I must note here that I really enjoyed the dialogue between Alfred and Will. Actually, all of the characters were thoroughly developed and there were not too many characters to keep up with.
Also, the concept of the scabbard as a sort of horcrux (if you'll forgive the Harry Potter allusion) for Merlin's power is a fascinating idea.
Even though this is a very serious story, there was some delightful humor mixed in, as well. I particularly like the way Will comes to speak to Alfred at the end.
One thing I would have liked to read more about was Alfred's history and relationship with Ellen. A few flashbacks, or some specific memories with her, would have been nice, in my opinion.
Bravo!
paperbackstash's review
4.0
There’s always an automatic, free-pass-given brownie point bonus when the protagonist is a book lover, because – seriously - as a reader, reading stories about characters who obsess with books makes sense – especially when they have to use books in the adventure at hand.
The Camelot Shadow focuses on Lord Alfred Fitzwilliam, a man who not only loves reading, but who loves collecting valuable tomes (he blows me out of the running with that since I only indulge in cheap books.) The story is a historical Arthurian fantasy adventure type, something I have little experience with. It seems everyone in the world but me knows about King Arthur and tales surrounding, to the point where there is even a fantasy sub-division named about him.
Even though I know little about it, I found the subject interesting as it unraveled; it wasn’t too out there for me to grasp. There are a few hints and jabs in the wrong directions to leave the reader a few surprises, and the historical feel is one that slowly twists and reveals as you go through the motions with the main character. It’s multiple POV, yet thankfully the shift changes only when needed, staying mainly in Lord Alfred’s head.
Alfred was likeable – he was older, enjoyed keeping to himself, a sympathetic friend, intellectual type who remained humble. His best friend was a favorite of mine, the bookseller who had more up his sleeve than he was showing. The villain was creepy, unusual, and made even more interesting because of the other semi-villains he surrounded himself with. And Trusty John was just awesome, really, that’s all there is to say about him.
What made the book so enjoyable wasn’t so much the day old power-struggle of good and evil, but the political machinations that kept popping up in both the good and bad circles. Some people change face later, some hesitate, some follow because they’re misled, and others stay so loyal throughout that they fit the definition of fanaticism.
It’s a slower novel, which works since the plot is directed by scholarly types. Instead of getting an excitable, energetic adventurer, we get a man who can’t resist the lure of this mystery and the potential hope it holds for his wife. I loved Sean Gibson’s writing style - I think it fit the historical time period and this sort of adventure ideally.
The Camelot Shadow has layers of intrigue, some epic battles, intelligent twists, and characters who stand out and stand up. Recommended.
krisstareads's review
4.0
I will say, right up front, that I am not a history major. I can't speak to the historic aspects of this book. I can only tell you what a pleasure it was to read. The characters were deep, brilliant, likeable, flawed... all the good things that make up us humans. The book does start out a bit slower, but once it picks up in the middle, it's go time. I will highly recommend it to those who like historic fiction and fantasy.
mistled's review
4.0
The author saw this sitting on my to-read shelf and sent me a note asking if I wanted a copy to review. As we are here talking, I would hope my reply is obvious.
4.something stars. At the moment, let's go with 4.3 (ish).
The Camelot Shadow is a historical fiction mystery adventure fantasy... thing. Fantasy in that magic is real (though only known to secret societies and the like). Mystery in that they are trying to find something lost to history and legend. Threat at every turn brings adventure, and lots of detail about (I think) the late 1800s gives us historical fiction. Weave in a re-imagining of Arthurian legend and you have this book. Well, and scotch. A lot of scotch.
As a few of my GR friends know, I've had a terrible time with books lately. Mostly in that the books I am reading are well done, but I simply do not like them. So I was elated to find that this one is well written, and I enjoyed it. I didn't want to throw it across the room a single time, which might not sound like a high bar, but trust me, I've wanted to throw a lot of books lately. Perhaps I am just more critical as I age.
One thing I found especially good is that I enjoyed reading about all of the characters. There are no characters like Bran (from ASoIaF) where you want to skip any chapter he happens to be in (He is boring. It is known). There's no Katniss off moping in a closet somewhere. You won't want to be best friends with some of them, but skimming a few pages forward because a character entered a scene never crossed my mind.
This is a fairly complex story with dense enough prose to slow you down as you read. I saw a person or two comment on the word choices, and while I never reached for a dictionary for a meaning, I did go look up 'indefatigable' to see if that was real or just some prefixes that happened to make sense. ;)
That being said, the dialogue is excellent, and often funny. I didn't find myself rereading pages or anything. It's not confusing. It just has words like 'indefatigable' in the fight scenes.
Ultimately though, this quest for a magic artifact is really about one man, who had given up all hope, desperately clinging to the impossible chance that his wife can be saved.
4.something stars. At the moment, let's go with 4.3 (ish).
The Camelot Shadow is a historical fiction mystery adventure fantasy... thing. Fantasy in that magic is real (though only known to secret societies and the like). Mystery in that they are trying to find something lost to history and legend. Threat at every turn brings adventure, and lots of detail about (I think) the late 1800s gives us historical fiction. Weave in a re-imagining of Arthurian legend and you have this book. Well, and scotch. A lot of scotch.
As a few of my GR friends know, I've had a terrible time with books lately. Mostly in that the books I am reading are well done, but I simply do not like them. So I was elated to find that this one is well written, and I enjoyed it. I didn't want to throw it across the room a single time, which might not sound like a high bar, but trust me, I've wanted to throw a lot of books lately. Perhaps I am just more critical as I age.
One thing I found especially good is that I enjoyed reading about all of the characters. There are no characters like Bran (from ASoIaF) where you want to skip any chapter he happens to be in (He is boring. It is known). There's no Katniss off moping in a closet somewhere. You won't want to be best friends with some of them, but skimming a few pages forward because a character entered a scene never crossed my mind.
This is a fairly complex story with dense enough prose to slow you down as you read. I saw a person or two comment on the word choices, and while I never reached for a dictionary for a meaning, I did go look up 'indefatigable' to see if that was real or just some prefixes that happened to make sense. ;)
That being said, the dialogue is excellent, and often funny. I didn't find myself rereading pages or anything. It's not confusing. It just has words like 'indefatigable' in the fight scenes.
Ultimately though, this quest for a magic artifact is really about one man, who had given up all hope, desperately clinging to the impossible chance that his wife can be saved.
gingerbookaddict's review
4.0
This book was provided by the Author. I figure the least I can do is give an honest review :)
Thank you Sean!
I enjoyed the tone of the book the most. Sean can be quite um verbose at times. To me, this translates to mean: Sean uses big words and wit to get his point across and I saw this characteristic in his writing. I quite enjoyed it.
The little pieces of humor were what kept me reading for the fist half of the book. It was a little slow in getting off the ground. I felt the character's frustration at so many dead ends. The story did pick up though and the entire last quarter had me held hostage (No. Sean did not get Stephany to come and 'coerce' me into finishing I did it all by myself.)
From what I have seen, Sean's writing style is eclectic and always contains some unique humor.
I very much look forward to seeing what else he has in store for us. (Gauntlet down!)
Thank you Sean!
I enjoyed the tone of the book the most. Sean can be quite um verbose at times. To me, this translates to mean: Sean uses big words and wit to get his point across and I saw this characteristic in his writing. I quite enjoyed it.
The little pieces of humor were what kept me reading for the fist half of the book. It was a little slow in getting off the ground. I felt the character's frustration at so many dead ends. The story did pick up though and the entire last quarter had me held hostage (No. Sean did not get Stephany to come and 'coerce' me into finishing I did it all by myself.)
From what I have seen, Sean's writing style is eclectic and always contains some unique humor.
I very much look forward to seeing what else he has in store for us. (Gauntlet down!)
trish204's review
3.0
A book with the word "Camelot" in its' title and a promising quest according to the summary? I'm in!
However, the book turned out to be quite different from what I had expected.
...
Let me begin my review by saying how much I liked the book's "tone" by which I mean the author's ability to match what I consider to be very authentic dialogues and descriptions of Victorian England. This made it very easy for me to slip back into the story in no time (even while surrounded by yelling people on the train), with vivid images of the characters' surroundings and encounters. This is a huge plus because it made me feel extremely comfortable, especially whenever Alfred's library was described. :-D
But it wasn't just England (London in particular) that was described wonderfully; the same can be said for Lucca (which really is a wonderful city).
Moreover, the fact that people's gut feelings turned out to be wrong quite often, was very funny to me. I don't know if it was intentional (Sean?) or not, but it made certain happenings more believable (I often find a string of "lucky right guesses" too unrealistic and annoying).
However, there are several reasons why I "only" gave 3 stars:
1. The book often has lenghty passages. While I wouldn't mind in general, also because the protagonists aren't the youngest anymore so IronMan-ish action would be unrealistic, it was a bit too slow for me.
2. I didn't actually care who would succeed in the end. Now, this might be attributable to the fact that, for some reason, I couldn't actually root with anyone other than a certain green-cloaked, grumpy man (and why I kind of liked him I'll probably never know). The only thing I did care about was
3.
Unfortunately, that did it for me. I just couldn't reconcile the clash of all these elements.
Nevertheless, I did enjoy the book, thanks also to some funny discussions amongst the characters or their clumsy-but-kind-of-adorable ways. So it's 3 stars from me.
However, the book turned out to be quite different from what I had expected.
...
Let me begin my review by saying how much I liked the book's "tone" by which I mean the author's ability to match what I consider to be very authentic dialogues and descriptions of Victorian England. This made it very easy for me to slip back into the story in no time (even while surrounded by yelling people on the train), with vivid images of the characters' surroundings and encounters. This is a huge plus because it made me feel extremely comfortable, especially whenever Alfred's library was described. :-D
But it wasn't just England (London in particular) that was described wonderfully; the same can be said for Lucca (which really is a wonderful city).
Moreover, the fact that people's gut feelings turned out to be wrong quite often, was very funny to me. I don't know if it was intentional (Sean?) or not, but it made certain happenings more believable (I often find a string of "lucky right guesses" too unrealistic and annoying).
However, there are several reasons why I "only" gave 3 stars:
1. The book often has lenghty passages. While I wouldn't mind in general, also because the protagonists aren't the youngest anymore so IronMan-ish action would be unrealistic, it was a bit too slow for me.
2. I didn't actually care who would succeed in the end. Now, this might be attributable to the fact that, for some reason, I couldn't actually root with anyone other than a certain green-cloaked, grumpy man (and why I kind of liked him I'll probably never know). The only thing I did care about was
Spoiler
Ellen's death and the fact, that Alfred didn't get to say goodbye! Since the last thing Alfred had said to his wife was a lie and because I know the feeling of not getting to say goodbye to a loved one, that struck a cord with me.3.
Spoiler
When it was revealed that Nigle created the scabbard in order to hide part of himself so he could not be killed (not completely anyhow), it was just too Voldemort-ish. And as soon as I had halfway recovered from that, there were Zombies in the mix, too.Unfortunately, that did it for me. I just couldn't reconcile the clash of all these elements.
Nevertheless, I did enjoy the book, thanks also to some funny discussions amongst the characters or their clumsy-but-kind-of-adorable ways. So it's 3 stars from me.
kthryn's review
4.0
Finally finished this baby. It took me longer than I had expected to get through but that was not for lack of intrigue - it was a surprisingly dense book that dealt really closely with a bunch of characters and a plot line that was so well thought out, I had to take my time to keep up. It was brilliant. By far my favourite thing about it though was Gibson's writing. Not often can I say that every page of a book was beautiful. Definitely recommend.