In the dark times after Rome fell, Briton tribes were left to fend for themselves from bandits and raiders. As Saxons, Angles, and others storm the island looking for land and treasure, one man struggles to preserve what remains. His name is Ambrosius Aurelius, but history will remember him as wizard Merlin. He will help a young man named Arthur unite the tribes, strike back at the invaders and bring in a golden age of peace and prosperity. But even as their enemies fall one by one, Arthur and his knights find themselves weakened from within.

In DARK AGE MONARCH: The Reign of King Arthur, Joseph J. Swope attempts to depict a more grounded version of the Arthurian legend. His novel tries to balance fact and fiction, history and myth. In addition, he presents us with copious notes speculating about real-life events and people that could have inspired the ancient stories. While some might consider such an approach off-putting, neophytes delving into Arthurian myths for the first time will discover this novel is a valuable introduction to the lore and the historical research it inspired.

Regrettably, there is also a distinct impression readers are getting a truncated outline of stories that should have been much richer and darker. Arthurian legends are full of blood, passion, honor, and betrayal. Regrettably, the author’s fairly bland prose fails to convey the operatic drama in these tales. In addition, his characterization and dialogue lack subtlety or nuance. His protagonists don’t talk. Instead, they explain their intentions and thoughts to the audience in a way real people – or even literary characters – don’t do. The novel also fails to impart the dark, heavy depths of the Arthurian legend. However, it is also clear that Swope has spent considerable time exploring and researching Arthurian lore. He genuinely cares about the subject matter, and his passion shines throughout the book. DARK AGE MONARCH: The Reign of King Arthur performs an admirable job as an introduction to a body of historical and scholarly work of people who spent the last ten centuries chasing their own Holy Grail, attempting to expose the men – and women – behind the myth.

Joseph J. Swope’s well-researched DARK AGE MONARCH: The Reign of King Arthur works as a solid introduction to the rich lore of the Arthurian legend.

~Danijel Štriga, for IndieReader