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Saturday Night's Alright For Commenting: 5/21/2016

In a very special S.N.O.T., we have an excerpt from Joshua Darwin's new book Camelot Fallen.

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Josh Darwin

Fellow BRBer Joshua Darwin, or AgentWD40 as he's known around these parts, wrote a book. To celebrate this beautiful achievement, I asked him to give us an excerpt from his book. Take it away, Josh:

Howdy, fellow BRB'ers!

Yes, I really do say "howdy."  I'm a third-generation Aggie.  Deal with it.  Anyway, for tonight's S.N.O.T., Matt was gracious enough to invite me to talk to you guys about my revisionist Arthurian novel, Camelot Fallen, which will be available in paperback within the next couple of weeks (WARNING:  Shameless Self Promotion!).  I actually wrote a FanPost about it fairly recently, which you can read HERE if you like, so I'm gonna be sure not to repeat myself too much.

As I've told many of you before, I began working on this novel seven years ago, back when my wife and I were living in Scotland and I was working on my masters degree in Medieval & Renaissance Studies at the University of Glasgow.  You see, I've long been a fan of the Arthurian canon, so I took a course in Arthurian Literature during my undergrad, and it was also a primary focus of my masters research, along with Shakespeare and the English Reformation.  Speaking of which, regardless of your religious views or lack thereof, there is something truly magical about holding an original 1611 King James Bible in your hands (from an historical perspective, at the very least), so if you ever have a chance to visit the Special Collections section of one of the oldest and largest university libraries in Europe, I highly recommend it.

For those of you who would like a taste of what to expect, here are a few choice excerpts, one from each book:


"Arthur was mesmerized.  The shining sword felt as light as a feather and yet stronger and more powerful than any weapon, word, or conviction he had ever known.  In truth, it was almost a presence unto itself, calling out to him through the darkness in a still, small voice that could be heard by no one else on earth.  Slowly he turned the magnificent blade back and forth in his hands, admiring every detail, every glimmer of otherworldly brightness, while the grim despair that had held his soul captive gradually melted away like snow at sunrise.  He felt as if he were just waking from a long and terrible dream – a living nightmare during which he had been trapped deep within himself, locked away like a prisoner in his own mind.  The world he had known before seemed dull and grey, and all he now looked upon was richer, brighter, and saturated with colors so vibrant that it almost burned the eyes to stare at them for longer than a few moments.  His newfound vision reached through time and space as well, showing him the proud faces of his mother and father at the hour of his birth, his whisking away to Armorica by the gentle hand of Nimue, and Merlyn’s glorious stand against the dark spirit who sought to slay him in the cradle.  Finally, he knew who he was.  And more importantly, he knew what he must do."


"A flash of lightning illuminated the all-consuming night, and Agravain watched as the mist rose up and began to coalesce into a single entity whose serpentine form and enormous, bat-like wingspan suddenly blanketed the starless skies. The creature writhed and twisted, bursting forth from the womb of Hell into this mortal world, and Agravain shook with horror as layers of sallow, cadaverous skin began to stretch across its reptilian body. Finally two eyes opened, filled not with light but with darkness visible, and the monster shook the earth with a thunderous, bone-chilling roar. The White Dragon had come."


"A profound, seething hatred filled Maleagant’s icy gaze, and he chuckled softly to himself, motioning to the other riders in his retinue to lower their weapons and retreat a few paces. Gwenivere watched with great apprehension as Lancelot drew the battered sword he had pilfered from the tower guard and turned to face his enemy, jaw set in determination, ready and waiting for a confrontation that could only be satisfied through bloodshed. A haunting stillness fell over the lonesome forest clearing, and while the early morning sun had already begun to stretch her glowing fingers through the trees, coloring the dreary landscape with patches of pink and orange light, there was no chorus of songbirds to announce the new day, no comforting commotion made by fishermen or farmers hard at work in the fields – only the eerie quiet of inevitability and the foreboding promise of death that weighed heavily upon the waking dawn. At long last, Maleagant broke the silence, lifting his war hammer skyward and letting out a terrifying battlecry as he spurred his mighty destrier into a gallop and rushed toward Lancelot with a sneer upon his withered lips."

So there you have it.  I'll make sure to let everyone know when the full, collected edition is released, or you can also follow me on Facebook for regular updates.  In the meantime, I'll do my best to hang around the comment section and answer any questions you might have.

Go Texans!

If you like what you read, you can purchase it on Amazon for Kindle here.

Enjoy your Saturday night, everyone, while you do whatever it is that you do. Feel free to talk about this or anything else you like on this beautiful Saturday night. The floor is yours, but always remember to abide by the community standards.