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January 2013 Indie Next List
“This is a new and gripping look at the history and landscape of Britain and the legend of King Arthur. A linguist and an archeologist search for the truth behind the myth, as they climb foggy hills and glean new meanings from a mysterious poem. We follow them in the throes of love and dread, through long-lost battles and modern feuds, as they look with fascination at the secrets and natural beauty of an ancient land that lives anew. Finding Camlann will please both scholars and poets and will intrigue historians and lovers of romance.”
— Daniel Butler, Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, MA
Description
A compelling argument about the origins of King Arthur wrapped in a brilliant novel.
Set against a rich historical landscape evoked by the secret places and half-forgotten legends of the British countryside, Finding Camlann is both a "fascinating mystery that will engage readers attracted by history, myth and language" (Washington Independent Review of Books) and a "beautifully written, intelligent, and ingenious" (Gillian Bradshaw) novel of how stories shape our notions of the past—and of ourselves.
Archaeologist Donald Gladstone is sure that there never was a "real" King Arthur—that is, until a surprising find at Stonehenge seems to offer hard evidence of Arthur's existence. Teaming up with Julia Llewellyn, a gifted linguist working at the Oxford English Dictionary, Donald sets off on a literary and mythological quest that will change both of their lives. Gloriously many-layered, Finding Camlann is a deeply satisfying love story, a gripping detective story, and a narrative journey of myriad pleasures.
About the Author
Sean Pidgeon is a reference publisher at John Wiley & Sons. Born and raised in the UK, he now lives in New Jersey with his American wife and children.
Praise For…
Finding Camlann is a lovely book, simultaneously an emotional and a historical journey. It finds new things to say about the legend of King Arthur, and says them in a touching and compelling contemporary tale of love.
— Iain Pears, author of An Instance of the Fingerpost and The Dream of Scipio
Finding Camlann delivers a wallop of pleasure to both the head and the heart. It is suffused with an irresistible sense of mystery, its many paths, whether to the unknowable past or to the inner truth of those we love, disappearing into swirling fog.
— Rebecca Goldstein, author of Thirty-Six Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction
Sean Pidgeon has given us an experience so rich and engrossing that attempts to slow my reading to savor the novel longer were foiled by the fact that I couldn't put it down. If you are not already excited by the fascinating legends and vibrant scholarship around King Arthur, you will be once beginning Finding Camlann.
— Matthew Pearl, author of The Dante Club