Gritty, action-packed, and addictive — Camelot reimagines Arthur’s legend with brutal battles and raw humanity. A must-read for fans of Bernard Cornwell! ⚔️🔥

Peter Gibbons delivers an absolutely electrifying continuation of his Arthurian saga in Camelot. From the very first page, I was swept into Dark Age Britain—a brutal, divided land where Arthur Pendragon must wield not only Excalibur but also every ounce of strategy and resolve to unite a fractured kingdom.

This is historical fiction at its most gripping: full of visceral battle scenes, political rivalries, and a richly atmospheric setting that makes the Dark Ages feel alive. Gibbons excels at balancing relentless action with fully realized characters—Arthur’s strength, Merlin’s mystique, and the camaraderie of his companions shine against the chaos of Saxon invasion.

As a fan of Bernard Cornwell, I found this every bit as compelling—fast-paced, bloody, and impossible to put down. Gibbons brings a fresh yet grounded energy to Arthurian legend, capturing both the brutality and the hope of Britain’s fight for survival.

Camelot is a must-read for fans of epic, battle-driven historical fiction. Highly recommended.

GIBBONS' ARTHURIAN ADVENTURE CONTINUES

I have read the two previous books in this series, "Excalibur" and "Pendragon". I was, therefore, eager to read this installment. "Camelot" is a historical novel dealing with the rise of Arthur from obscurity to king and battle leader of the Britons. What makes Gibbons' approach so interesting, in my opinion, is that in this story, Arthur and the Britons directly attack the Saxons in Saxon territory. Many other versions of Arthur's career have the Britons fighting only defensive battles against their enemies.
The character of Arthur is one of a reluctant hero coming into his own and accepting the legend that Merlin spins around his deeds. The battles and fights here are often brutal, highlighting the harshness of life in Post-Roman Britain. Besides Merlin, other familiar characters appear, each with distinct personalities and ambitions. This book sees the building of the fortress Camelot, usually attributed to Merlin, but here, there is a twist. I recommend this book to Arthurian fiction lovers and those who enjoy historical fiction about ancient warfare.

Peter Gibbons’ Camelot delivers exactly what it promises—Dark Age Britain soaked in blood, steel, and superstition. The story moves briskly, but much of it feels like a sequence of relentless, bloody battle scenes interrupted by the ideological clash between the new religion of Christianity and the “old gods” of the druids.

Arthur Pendragon, here wielding the legendary Excalibur, is more mythic than historical, so it’s worth remembering that he’s almost certainly a figure of legend rather than fact. The plot is familiar: Britain fractured by petty rivalries, threatened by the Saxon tide, and only Arthur’s vision can unite the land. That unity, of course, comes at the cost of endless skirmishes and political backstabbing.

If you’ve enjoyed Bernard Cornwell’s Last Kingdom series—as I did—you may appreciate the gritty, mud-and-blood atmosphere here. That said, the book does lean heavily on well-trodden Arthurian beats and can feel derivative at times. Still, for readers looking for action-driven historical fantasy steeped in Dark Age grit, Camelot will scratch that itch.

I really enjoyed getting to read this entry in the Chronicles of Arthur series, it had that feel that I was looking for and uses the Arthur element that I was expecting from the previous book and from Peter Gibbons. I was engaged from the first page and thought the overall feel worked in this, it had that brutal concept that battles have and thought worked overall in telling this storyline. Peter Gibbons does an amazing job in writing this and can't wait for more.