Our Man in Camelot

By: Anthony Price

Narrated by: Simon Schatzberger

Anthony Price ingeniously combines the machinations of British Intelligence with the legend of King Arthur in an extraordinary thriller that crackles with suspense from start to finish.

A US Air Force plane mysteriously vanishes on a flight from its base in Britain, and its ace pilot with it. The CIA investigates the missing pilot, and makes some odd findings; findings that will take British intelligence officer David Audley back to the sixth century in an absorbing battle of wits with the Soviet secret police.

Anthony Price is the author of 19 novels featuring Dr David Audley and Colonel Jack Butler, which focus on a group of counter-intelligence agents. Approximately 20 years elapse between the first and last novel in the series, and most of the plots are connected with one or more important events in military history.

The first three novels were adapted into a six-part BBC TV drama in the 1980s, and The Labyrinth Makers and Other Paths to Glory have both been produced as BBC radio dramas. All 19 titles will be reissued in e-book format through Orion’s ‘The Murder Room’ project.

©1975 Anthony Price (P)2013 Audible Ltd

Now if you like Arthurian lore, this is an ...

interesting listen.

Be warned though, Simon Schatzberger does American English poorly. That is the three stars rating. The story is quite enjoyable,and Schatzberger is good with the British English and narrative.

Apart from some excellent references for the Arthurian mystery, there are lovely little references to Tolkien too. If you know your Hobbits and how Bilbo came to find the One Ring, then you can appreciate that there is a double trick being played. As an aside, Anthony Price was the first jouno to review 'Lord of the Rings'.

This is Cold War and it seems the Americans (allies) do not want the British to know what they are up to in the UK.Yet they also want help. It ia lighthearted look at the maxim 'enemies of my enemies are my friends' and in this period no one believes the CIA.

In order of writing this is the 6th book (1975) in the series. It seems to me though that each novel is a stand alone.

One of Price's Best

Would you consider the audio edition of Our Man in Camelot to be better than the print version?

No. Brit Simon Schatzberger's American voices were jarring at first, and there are a lot of American characters in this book. At first I thought that was going to make it a difficult listen, but he actually manages to pull off most of them. The leads are from the South, and I think it's easier for British actors to do a convincing Southern accent than any more generic "American."

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Absolutely! But it's for a certain kind of reader. If you're into Cold War spies AND you're into Arthurian lore, then this book is PERFECT for you! But be warned that there isn't a lot of action. There's a lot more of characters with names like "Sir Thomas" and "Handforth-Jones" discussing Malory and the Venerable Bede. Personally, I love that stuff! Price's books almost always tie in a (then) contemporary espionage investigation with archaeology and/or military history, and the way that he finds to make the CIA interested in searching for an Arthurian battlefield is quite brilliant. Our Man in Camelot will probably appeal to fans of Dan Brown (though Price is a better writer) or The Historian (though this book is much shorter) as much as fans of Deighton and Le Carre who would probably enjoy Price across the board.

What does Simon Schatzberger bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Schatzberger is generally quite a good narrator with a knack for making each character distinctive; he just threw me a bit at the beginning with his somewhat jarring American accents.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

For sure. And it's not that long, so I guess conceivably you could.

Any additional comments?

This is one of my favorite David Audley novels that I've read. The Alamut Ambush is also terrific. Both deal with conflicts arising between the espionage agencies of supposedly friendly nations.

the second worst of the 19 books. Doesn't take away from the over series.

the second worst of the 19 books. Doesn't take away from the over series.

I am by no means a scholar or a professional critic, Price is still BY FAR my favorite writer in almost any genre.

Pfft

Only most basic Arthurian lore. Dated 70s thriller with offensive attitude toward women, bad American accents.