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Giles Kristian
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Camelot: The epic new novel from the author of Lancelot Kindle Edition

by Giles Kristian (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,517 ratings
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'So beautiful, so haunting . . . bitingly real . . . Giles has given us a vital, glorious story: rich, rewarding, and utterly revealing of our times' Manda Scott

Following his acclaimed Sunday Times bestseller, Lancelot, Giles Kristian's new novel returns us to the realms of Arthurian legend . . .

The Saxons have returned and their war bands stalk the land. The lords of Britain look only to their own survival, unable or unwilling to unite as they once did under Arthur.

And in a monastery hidden in the marshlands of Avalon, a novice monk prepares to take his vows. However, two strangers - the wild-spirited, Saxon-killing Iselle and the ageing warrior Gawain - will pluck him from his sheltered existence and his world will be turned upside down.

Together they will go in search of the last druid, to find the cauldron of a god, and to raise an army to hold the darkness at bay.

And as they journey, so the novice will cast aside his training and embrace his legacy.

For he is a warrior born.

His name is Galahad. And he is the son of Lancelot . . .

Acclaim for Lancelot:

'A masterpiece.' Conn Iggulden

'Stands head and shoulders above the rest.' Manda Scott

'Glorious. Tragic. Lyrical. Totally gripping.' Ben Kane

'A gorgeous, rich retelling.' The Times

'An extraordinary writer . . . an exceptional book.' Dr Janina Ramirez

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  1. Print length
    443 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Transworld Digital
  5. Publication date
    May 14, 2020
  6. File size
    3704 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07RDVMDYT
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Transworld Digital (May 14, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 14, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3704 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 443 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,517 ratings

About the author

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Giles Kristian

Giles Kristian

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Giles Kristian's first historical novels were the acclaimed and bestselling RAVEN Viking trilogy – Blood Eye, Sons of Thunder and Odin’s Wolves. For his next series, he drew on a long-held fascination with the English Civil War to chart the fortunes of a family divided by this brutal conflict in The Bleeding Land and Brothers’ Fury. Giles also co-wrote Wilbur Smith’s No.1 bestseller, Golden Lion. In God of Vengeance (a TIMES Book of the Year), Winter’s Fire, and the Historical Writers’ Association Gold Crown shortlisted Wings of the Storm, he returned to the world of the Vikings to tell the story of Sigurd and his celebrated fictional fellowship. Lancelot was published to great acclaim and hit The Times bestseller charts at No. 3. It was also a Sunday Times bestseller. He followed Lancelot with Camelot, and his new novel, a thriller called Where Blood Runs Cold, was The Times’ Thriller of the Month. To find out more about Giles: www.gileskristian.com

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
1,517 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2020
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If you felt like you read Lancelot and needed a follow up then this is it. Lancelot ended with Galahad watching his father die. For me that was a very hard ending. I can handle sad endings but this was heartbreaking. This book picks up right after that. The characters are the same in some cases but the new core characters are brand new and with their own identities. Galahad, while Lancelot's son, is not Lancelot. His story is unique, original, and blends in well with the first book.

I'm not alone in giving this book 5 stars. It was one of the best books I've read in the past several years and I really, really, really hope there is another book to follow this one. This story is fantastic and I have the feeling it is just getting started.
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Doglet
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2020
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This is a really good read. Engaging and fun. Galahad and some other famous names are re-imagined in this tale of what happened after the death of Mordred and the disappearance of Arthur and Merlin at the battle of Camlann. Fans of the movie 'The 13th Warrior' and Michael Crichton's novel 'Eaters of the Dead' will encounter a familiar scenario - all in good sword and sandal (sword and mail shirt?) fun.
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Marjorie Wertz
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic new novel on the Arthurian legend
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2021
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What a great read! A new spin on the Arthurian legend.
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Sandy Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome reading
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2020
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Enjoyed all books by this author. Can't wait for the next one
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Tina Tharpe
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2020
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Everything this author writes is GOLD
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Timy
3.0 out of 5 stars Twists, battles, backstabbing, drama
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2020
I didn't even start reading Lancelot yet, when Camelot appeared on my radar. I knew I would love Lancelot and if that was the case, I reasoned, then I definitely will love Camelot as well. Fortunately for me, that meant I didn't have to wait too long between the two books and I had fresh memories going in. But maybe because of the current circumstances or because I had too high expectations, Camelot didn't exactly turned out to be what I hoped it would.

If you haven't read Lancelot, this review might contain spoilers for that book, but not for Camelot.

Events happen 10 years after the end of Lancelot. The biggest warriors of Britain, Arthur and Lancelot are dead. The kingdoms that once were united under his bear flag are divided once more. Some fight the Saxons still, others are powerless against the raids and yet some others try to struck a pact with them. The High King's seat is empty and though Lord Constantine still fights, even he has less and less options to defend the island. A small group of Arthur's warriors are still carrying his dream of Camelot and grabbing on the last strings of hope go on a journey to try to keep that dream alive.

Galahad, after his father's death was taken to a small island, Ynys Wyrdyn to join the monks who keep the Holy Thorn - according to legend Joseph Arimathea stepped his foot on that island and from his staff the Thorn tree grew. Galahad is not fully initiated yet, but he is close to it when the past comes knocking. Gawain and his companions come to collect him to fulfill his fate. Soon, however the chance of choosing his own path is taken from him, and he finds himself joining forces with legends, taking on the journey of his life - not only to find Camelot, but to come to piece with his past and accept his role in the future.

In Camelot, we meet some old friends such as Gawain or Lord Constantine or Merlin or even Morgana but we also have new characters: Iselle the fiery warrior from the marshes who has more courage than most of the soldiers or Yvain the monk who is not quite as devoted as his brothers. Personally I can say he was my favourite character in Camelot.

I honestly wish I can say I enjoyed Camelot as much as I did Lancelot, but... I didn't. Don't get me wrong, it's really well written, I just failed to connect or care about any of the characters. Galahad was pretty flat and weightless as an MC here, and though he did have some character ARC, I still couldn't make myself feel anything toward him. It didn't really help that I kept thinking he is much younger than 20 or so years... I liked Iselle, but we don't really get to know her either. I think my biggest issue here is that although we spend a lot of time with them as they journey up and down through Britain with a host of other characters, we really don't get to know them somehow.

Maybe it's because I'm really not into the journeying trope, but I wish this book was more focused on the conflicts between the Saxons and the kingdoms. We only get glimpses and of course a battle here and there, but I wanted more (not of battles, but the politics and backstabbing). I wanted to know why I should root for Galahad and company, why should I hate Morgana and her offspring beside the obvious reasons. I was bored a lot, although I also have to give credit where it's due: there were a couple of really powerful moments captured in Camelot which really made it worth reading the book. But damn that ending was... not satisfying and a bit abrupt if I'm honest. I also didn't buy the romance plot...

I think we can say Camelot is not as character driven as Lancelot was. Which is absolutely fine. The plot might have taken different turns than I expected going in, but I definitely appreciated Kristian's way of showing us early Christianity in Britain and how it clashed with the old faith as well as the Saxons'. Probably would have gone a bit deeper into these issues as well, but oh my. Kristian undoubtedly has a way with descriptions and painting a vivid picture of the world in which his stories are set.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about Camelot. There were aspects I enjoyed but I also felt underwhelmed at the end. Lancelot definitely put the bar high and I don't think Camelot was able to live up to it. Even so, if you enjoyed Lancelot, I don't see why you shouldn't also read Camelot. It has some nice - if a bit predictable - twists, battles, backstabbing, drama. Underneath it all, Camelot is the story about dreams, about unyielding loyalty and the notion that you never should give up.
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Mishka Zakharin
2.0 out of 5 stars disappointing
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2021
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Kristian is a good writer with strong characters -- and amazingly detailed battle scenes. I liked 'Lancelot'. But this sequel was disappointing. I won't get into spoilers other than to say that I didn't like Kristian's treatment of Arthur here any more than I liked what the 3rd Star Wars trilogy did to Luke Skywalker; to reduce a hero of legend to a quitter, just a big loser. Maybe it's to make them seem more human, more relatable? Personally, I want my heroes to be larger than life... There is certainly a lot that is worthwhile in this novel, 'Camelot', but the ill use of Arthur (and a few lesser inconsistencies or improbabilities), really sort of ruined it for me. (Though this has not turned me off from reading Kristian in the future.)
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars gripping realistic prose !
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2020
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Very believable characters,
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Top reviews from other countries

Archibald S Milloy
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb writing in the best Bernard Cornwell tradtion
Reviewed in Canada on August 11, 2020
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There are many versions of the Arthurian legend and this one is as good as it gets. Strong characters epic battle scenes, a story that kept me going right to the end. I hope Galahad and Iselle march together again.
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P.Bremer
5.0 out of 5 stars Page-turner
Reviewed in Brazil on July 7, 2020
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The book is definitely a page Turner! Plot twists and many other ingredients that make a good read.
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Gary O'Brien
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful tale of hope in a time of darkness. Please note that this review contains some spoilers for Lancelot.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 6, 2020
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A decade has passed since Arthur and Lancelot fell in battle against the Saxon hordes. With its greatest warriors dead and Merlin having seemingly abandoned it, Britain has been torn asunder, its lands drowned in the blood of its peoples, slaughtered in the name of Woden and Thunor. Yet hope still beats in the hearts of a few, among them Galahad, the son of the greatest and most in famous of Arthur's warriors, who against all odds, 'dared to keep the dream of Camelot alive.’

Like its predecessor, Camelot is written in first person, this time from the perspective of Galahad, the son of Lancelot. The last time we saw him was on the hill overlooking the climatic Battle of Camlann in which Arthur and the Kings of Britain fought to stem the tide of invading Saxons. We watched as Galahad helped his father don his armour and ride to the side of Arthur one last time.

'Stay here and I will find you after...I am proud of you. My son.'

It was a truly heartbreaking moment to witness a father part from his son with loving words yet ultimately abandoning him, even if it was for a justified cause. That scene stuck with me. At the beginning of Camelot, we learn that Galahad survived the battle and was brought to a monastery on the secluded island of Ynys Wydryn by Arthur's nephew, the legendary warrior, Gawain, where he has been risen as a Christian Brother of the Thorn. However, circumstances early on in the novel force him to flee from the comfort of faith and onto the road of fate. What follows is a wonderful coming of age story in which Galahad must adapt or die.

'I was Galahad ap Lancelot, I was a killer of men.'

It is easy to see the shared similarities between Galahad and his father, both in circumstance and character, however, there are some fundamental differences between them. Galahad lacks the sense of certainty his father had in his place and purpose and is burdened by the legacy he left behind. At the same time, he undergoes a crisis of faith as he witnesses the cruel reality of the world beyond Ynys Wydryn and comes face to face with the violent gods of ancient Britain and Germania. Nonetheless, he meets these challenges head on, replacing prayers with steel, and begins to carve his own legacy and place in the world with the help of those closest to him, such as the stalwart Gawain and the she-wolf Iselle.

'My arrows work better than your prayers.'

Not only do each of these characters help shape the man that Galahad becomes, they also experience their own growth and play significant roles in the events of the novel. There are some other familiar faces too, including the last of Arthur's famed horselords, all old men now, worn by age and loss. There is the former antagonist-turned-ally, Lord Constantine, who still has hopes of claiming the title of High King, and the ambitious, self-serving mother of Mordred, the Lady Morgana, who will do anything to stay in power. We also get to meet the Saxon king, Cerdic, and his son, Prince Cynric, both of whom were absent from the pages of the previous novel, yet whose presence could still be felt through the incessant advance of their armies. All in all, Kristian's writes a great cast of characters that are memorable and impactful.

'...the soft hiss of swords being drawn up the throats of leather scabbards.'

One of the things I love most about Kristian's writing is his prose. I am a fast reader, but with Camelot, I found myself slowing down, even pausing altogether, so as to savour his masterful use of language. The way in which he describes things is simple (in the sense that it is easy to read), poetic and beautiful. Symbolism is also used to great effect, and I found myself dwelling on the significance of birds and a particular sword (not Excalibur), both of which I feel are deeply important to understanding the relationship between father and son in this book. It is rare that I read a book outside of my profession in which I find myself pondering such, but Kristian's wonderful writing demands it.

'War. Blood to water the summer wheat. Flesh to satiate the carrion feeders of earth and sky.'

You cannot review Kristian's writing without talking about his ability to write some of the best action sequences in literature. Like Lancelot, there is plenty of action throughout Camelot, particularly towards the latter half of the book, and every time I found myself bloody exhausted. Kristian puts the reader right into the thick of things, and makes you feel every fear, blow and death, be it during a fleeting skirmish or the steel storm of armies clashing. There is one entire sequence that is so atmospheric and terrifying that sent me back to the first time I watched the cult- classic, The 13th Warrior, a film-adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel, Eaters of the Dead. I will not say anymore. You just have to experience it for yourself.

Overall, I loved this book. Camelot is a worthy successor to Lancelot. Just as good if not better.
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Merlin
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping
Reviewed in Australia on June 27, 2020
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It took a little while to buy into this story but once I had I could not put it down. A fantastic idea of what could have happened. The last battle was incredible.
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June.Reads
4.0 out of 5 stars brilliant
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 29, 2024
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Giles Kristian's books are so good! Very detailed, slow in a good way. Camelot is a sequel of Lancelot, telling the story of Lancelot's son.
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