The Killing Way by Anthony Hays

Welcome to AD 458: Dark Age Britain. In the first of what appears to be a new series, the legend of King Arthur is turned on its head with the author, Anthony Hays, depicting life in post-Roman Britain as one full of hardship and death. This is no paradisiacal Camelot we are entering.

For those more attune with the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable as portrayed in "Le Morte Darthur," originally written by Sir Thomas Mallory circa March 1470 AD and printed by Caxton in July 1485, ‘The Killing Way’ is so far removed from the original premise of Arthur as most know it, that readers who like the traditional legend may be disappointed. Having said that, the historical accuracy portrayed by Hays makes the book more readable than otherwise would be; as a crime novel it would be a little lacking without the Dark Age context as IMHO it lacks the nuanced intrigue of other historical fiction crime investigations with characters such as the monk, Cadfael and another classic, the hunchback Tudor lawyer, Matthew Shardlake.
However, in terms of history, Anthony Hays has clearly done his research; according to the flyer accompanying the book he spent 6 months researching in Glastonbury and its surrounds, and discussing issues with academics. This is to his credit as it does lift the book from being a run of the mill who-dunnit, as do the political machinations over Arthur’s ascension to kingship.

The book portrays Arthur as being ready to take up kingship but requiring a vote from fellow lords to make the ascension. Thrown into the mix of political intrigue from the outset is the narrator of the tale, Malgwyn, a veteran who fought with Arthur against the Saxons in a previous guise. Discovering his wife’s sister has been murdered leads Malgwyn back into Arthur’s service as investigator of the death; with Arthur’s old friend and advisor Merlin accused of the murder, the political backlash is omnipresent and he risks losing his place as king. The novel goes on to describe the subsequent investigation and outcome; I’ll leave the plot there (except to say for those interested, Guinevere is in the mix).

Despite my minor criticism, the book is well written, a good, fast read and I did enjoy it. I would happily read any subsequent tales about Malgwyn’s adventures, especially as the other side of the tales would be about the development and subsequent reign of Arthur as king. In a way, this is the novels’ best compliment; Hays has put enough hooks into ‘The Killing Way’ to bring a reader back for the next instalment.

3 Mr Mushroomheads for me and good enough to get the next one in paperback.

Bowmore_Assassin


Click here to buy from Amazon
The Killing Way by Anthony Hays : Publisher – CORVUS (Corvus Books Index)
ISBN - 978 - 0 – 85789 – 005 - 4 Hardback - UK RRP £14.99