Some readers' reviews/comments for Shadow Lands {Obviously there are those among you who have been scarred to cynicism by life's disappointments and revelations, and who may feel that I've just made up the following. Well, this will restore your faith and trust in humanity - I haven't made up the following reviews. In an uncertain world often shadowed by half-truths and lies it's nice to find something certain and trustworthy isn't it?}* NB Reviews that have been posted on Amazon can be found on the lower part of this page I purchased the Shadow Lands trilogy from Simon at a summer medieval bash in rural Cheshire last summer. Sadly they languished at the bottom of a drawer until a few short weeks ago. On rediscovering them, I immediately embarked on a marathon, non stop, hell raising journey through an ancient Britain set in a distant dark and sinister future. A great lover of all things Arthurian, I'm not easy to please when it comes to new tales of the legendary celtic monarch. Indeed, I have always believed John Boorman's 1981 epic 'Excalibur' was beyond equal. Not so. In Shadow Lands, Simon Lister's pen has made the infamous sword mightier than ever before. There's no shiny suited knights here. Nor are there any pouting damsels in distress. Indeed Arthur himself is reinvented as a dark, seemingly cold hearted butcher who's raison d'etre is simply to preserve Britain's existence, whatever the cost. The action is fast, furious and at times difficult to keep pace with. There's lots of back stabbing, bucketfuls of treachery and even a few moments of tenderness thrown in. A terrific read. One note of caution - the concluding pages leave more than a few loose ends tantalizingly undone. Fear not. I have it on good authority that volume 4 will reveal all. Hollywood, you'd better start digging deep. With a cast of thousands this one's going to cost you!
John P - (email)
A family member went to a reenactment fair and found your stall, from there they purchased your trilogy (which you signed, thank you) and gifted it to me at Christmas. Now I opened the gift and thought 'Oh god here we go again'. They had seen your books and decided that was the sort of thing I was into. Not quite!!!. Well I started reading the books a couple of weeks ago, which I am sorry to say was a token gesture because they were a gift. Well the first book I thought, macho crap!! but something kept me reading, I think a connection with the characters. I found myself picking up the second book and read very quickly and then suddenly I was at the end of the third book. Mouth open all agog and wanting to know the future story. I loved your books. The characters were amazing and real, I followed each character and was gutted whenever one died - the twists were a joy and the ending left me astounded. So much for me and my macho crap. Looking forward to another episode, please write one! Thank you for such an entertaining 2 weeks. Allie - (email)
Bought your 3 books last year at the Medieval festival in Lanark.
Took me a while to get to them but have just finished them and have to say they where great!
Each book got better and better, what i really liked about them was that they weren't the usual "i know whats gonna happen next" book, which sadly most are these days!
...Surley there will be a fourth book?...Anyway, well done on a great series!
Franny A - (email) I got the copies of your books at the Colchester Medieval Fare and just wanted to say what a fantastic read. I love the whole Arthurian story, and loved your whole angle on this amazing tale. Great books can't wait to read more from you!
Mark G – (email) I have just finished reading the Shadow Lands trilogy - may I say I absolutely loved them, I couldn't put the books down. I look forward to reading any future books you write with anticipation, thank you for a most enjoyable experience. Rory D – (email) I purchased your books at the March medieval fair. I was hooked from the very first page, and just can't put them down. Best books I have read in years, thanks. Sue P – (email) ...I thoroughly enjoyed all 3 of them. The writing was easy to read it was descriptive and very powerful. You felt the characters were personal friends and really wanted them to succeed. I also loved the fact that most of the places like whitehorse hill, and the haven are all places I know very well so was able to imagine them without modern civilisation and how they would have looked to Arthur and his team. Thanks for a great read and I look forward to your 4th book. Lesley M – (email) I can't believe that I have actually finished all three of the trilogy - what am I going to read next?
A really first class tale and very beleivable stuff, excellent, looking forward to some more of your work.
Look out Cornwell!! Don J – (email) I bought a set of your trilogy at the Festival of History and could not put them down. I found the characters wholly believable and was quickly drawn in as the story unfolded. The only disappointment throughout was knowing that there were only 3 of your books available to read and would request that you put me on your mailing list to advise me when you complete the sequel (I hope!).
Tony K – (email) I recently purchased The Shadow Lands Trilogy from you at The Festival Of History (Kelmarsh Hall).
I have just finished them and wanted to say how much I enjoyed them. So much so that I read the last two in 3 days!
I loved the darkness of the books but found that the personal lives of the characters really shone through... I understand through your website that there will be a follow up to the books. I can't wait for this and would love to know when it is for sale.
Celine G – (email) I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your books. I was on holiday for a week, & totally immersed myself in the trilogy. What an adventure, it would surely make a great Movie trilogy. Peter R – (email) I finished reading the trilogy within a week of receiving them, I am in agony waiting for a fourth book! and wish you had not told me so! Your writing skill is amazing and the books flow beautifully, I can but dream that this (these) great piece(s) of "Arthurian magic"can be made into a film! Diane W – (email) ...I'm glad I bought all three, because I couldn't put them down until I'd read them all. I have read a large number of books on Arthur, both fiction and so-called factual, but found your trilogy a real treat! How you managed to write such an engrossing story without losing the original legend thread I found brilliant! I can't wait for the follow up book(s) - a trilogy perhaps? David R – (email) ive jus finised readin de last ov ur books
i fort dey were GREAT!!!
cnt w8 4 da nxt 1
if its as gd as de last 3 den dey wil b awsome!!! Ben J – (email)
I arrived back in Spain on Monday and have already completed the
trilogy. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and am now looking forward to
the sequel, which of course has to come ...
The books were well written, full of description, action packed and a
really good story. Anne – Granada I have finished the trilogy and very much enjoyed it. The story is so different from the existing versions that it works!... Thanks again for a great read. Joe - Camelford (Arthurian Centre) I took the 3rd of the set on holiday. Finished it a couple of days ago. I am very impressed. I've read a lot of Cornwell's books and your battle scenes are as good as his. I hope you write more. If you do let me know… these are a great set of books.
David - Nuneaton
I bought "Shadow Lands" from you, which I have since finished reading. Thank you for writing such an amazing story I haven't been able to put it down and am greatly looking forward to reading the sequels! It is very rare for me to find a new author/writer whose work I enjoy but you have got me hooked! Once again thank you very very much for such an amazing read! Diane - St Albans What a book, should be a film, one of the most exciting books I have read in a long time ... Once again can I say that the books are an excellent read. Steve - (email) I would like to thank you for writing such a brilliant set of books, it was great to read a new version of Arthur not the rehashed stories I have read up to now. I brought the complete set of books at the medieval trade fair back in the autumn and when I got home could not put them down. I wondered are you planning on writing any more books in the future? Vicky - (email) I recently finished reading the fantastic, nay, superb, Shadow Lands trilogy. I was completely immersed from the word go and barely spoke a word to my girlfriend until I'd finished! Everything about the books lit my imagination and I can't say I've enjoyed reading anything as much for quite some time.
Many congrats on writing such a great trilogy and if you have any more short essays from your childhood knocking about, then write them up and publish them!!!
Jimmy - Woking
'A tremendous read with unexpected twists and outcomes. This takes the story of Arthur in new directions whilst maintaining the mystery and majesty of the original legends. Strong characters and an imaginative storyline keep it a fast paced and bracing read. The characterisation of Arthur is a triumph. This book is for those of us who like their narrative laced with the cold hand of reality and enough guile to keep you on edge. A great read and a splendid addition to the story of Arthur.' Mark - Inverness These books brilliantly achieve the re-telling of the Arthurian legend in a future context that nevertheless remains recognisable to the student of early Medieval Britain. The characters are engaging, the storytelling is fluid and the writing sensuously evokes its subject matter throughout, making each book a real pleasure to read. Shame there's only three of them! Richard - London 'I've just finished the first book of the trilogy 'Shadow Lands' and can't wait to start book two 'Causeway'. I'm sure it will be just as gripping as the first book and will leave me as eager to commence the final part of the trilogy 'Haven'. The author has captured the essence of the Arthurian age and one feels transported back to a distant time, even though it is set in the future. The story is exciting, the characters entirely believable and in places one senses the author's own sense of humour creeping through in what is otherwise a dark and brooding book. Put simply, once started this reader was captured and has to know how it all ends.’
Dave – Worcester Park
‘A fantastic spin on the Legendary tale. A truly gripping read, lots of colourful characters to identify with; I dare you to make it Arthur. I believe this trilogy has all the elements to transform into a big screen classic.’
Paul – Anova Books, London
‘A profound tale of the dark and light sides of humanity, of evil and integrity, how we affect our planet, and the inextinguishable flame of hope.’
Anna – London
‘Have just finished reading the first chapter and totally hooked already!’
Karen - London
{Review for Haven} An exhilarating and fitting conclusion to an excellent trilogy. These three books succeed brilliantly in mixing the grand and epic nature of the tale with the human details of the characters involved. More importantly it shows the way that great events shape the lives of ordinary people and how they in turn respond and determine their own future. John - London
I think they were amazing and I could not put them down. I'm hoping there may even be a 4th book!! Am spreading the word of how good they are. An amazing achievement and I hope and feel they deserve to do really well. Hollywood?!!
Patrick - Old Windsor
I acquired your book one at the festival of history, and looking forward to reading the next two instalments which I have just ordered. I have no hesitation recommending Shadow lands to like-minded friends.
David - Penrith
Much enjoyed the book. Great plot and quality writing.
What's the next one going to be?
Ruth - Kingston
{The following is an extract from an email exchange, which was forwarded to me, between two brothers, one of whom bought the other the first Shadow Lands book for Christmas} Dave: Hello
Forgot to tell you I have finished shadow lands
Very impressed
Did you say there was another one already written?
Paul: that was quick, yes there are two more.
Do you want them? Dave: Yes
It surprised me because I don’t usually read fantasy books but I couldn’t put it down
Paul: Have ordered the next two for you... REVIEWS POSTED ON AMAZON Franics Aitken Simples...... Just buy them! To me King Arthur was Sean Connery running around in tin foil with loads of good looking people, then I read Cornwell's Arthur..which I loved and had less tinfoil and good looking people and was very realistic.
Simon Lister takes Arthur to a new, and very realistic level. When I say realistic I mean the man, not the story, although there are parts of the story (set in the future) which may well ring true one day.
Arthur is flawed, brutal, not easy to like but I loved him and the 3 books.
Each book, the characters and the writing got better and better and I was truly sad to finish the last book, although it surely is only the last for a short while! Belinda Osborne WOW!!! I have just finished reading all three of these books and well - WOW! I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending these to everyone from teenagers to grandparents. They are a cracking good read and I can't wait for the next series of books from a brilliant new author. Margaret Monk King Arthur returns to troubled Britain I bought all three books together and from the first chapter I was hooked! These books are definitely not the romantic fiction of Mallory, the characters are much darker, being warriors not knights. The story runs at breakneck speed and I could not put the books down. I read them one after another and can't wait for another book from the author (as has been promised). I would recommend these books to anyone who wants to know what happens when King Arthur returns to troubled Britain. Edwin Deady Once and Future A rewarding book and series. It will take the reader an interesting time to adjust to the changed conditions of the writer's world but like the works of T.H. White and Tolkien it is worth it. The echoes of Arthur resound in this new Matter of Britain. This is very much a unique take on the legend and some of the characters you thought you knew from childhood will surprise you.
Would you want to live there? No. To visit the place with Simon Lister is fun and with him as your guide you will feel the oppression of the dark forest, the anguish of the fight against overwhelming odds and finally the..... but read it for yourself. Mr MT German Arthurian Legends with a difference This is the 1st part of an enjoyable trilogy by Simon Lister. I bought all 3 (Causeway and Haven being the sequels) at a Fayre in May where I got to meet the author and for a great price had a signed copy of each. My interest in Aurthurian legend really started probably with the film Excalibur back in the 80's but there are only so many times one can read the same old classic tale. Bernard Cornwell wrote the Warlord Trilogy a while back and to date these were the best I had ever read but Simon Lister's books are a close second!
All 3 books are a very clever mixture of fact, fiction and fantasy and reading the 1st is not enough, you need the other two! There are characters from the old legends but this is totally re written with a different take of the whole on England coming together to fight a rather mysterious foe from the far East. Mr Lister has cleverly written each chapter so you want to know more, it is not a complaint in any way but the next chapter will be on a different subject leaving you in suspense about the outcome of the previous chapter, of course this follows on from chapter to chapter and this is very clever.
If this author was to somehow release a 4th book I would definitely buy it, I recommend anyone who wants to read Arthur tales with a difference also does so! Patrick Clarke Shadow Lands A fantastic trilogy. Once I started reading the first, I struggled to put it down and had several evenings reading late into the night. Each book keeps you hanging in until the end with twists and turns as the books progress.
A fascinating look at the world post apocalypse and how humankind adapted. Mr JD Slaughter Shadow Lands The Shadow Lands trilogy starts fast and gets quicker. For me it wasn't 'just another' fantasy genre escapade; it's, predominantly, set in the UK, with characters from the past, fighting a war set in the future! How bonkers is that?!
I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy and found it hard to put each book down. There are twists and turns and the ending caught me by surprise.
I would definitely recommend it. Booklover ‘lukesmum’ An unusual take on an old story I love Arthurian stories and I was really excited when I saw the author selling these books at The Festival of History. I bought the whole trilogy and couldn't wait to start reading. I have just finished the last one and to be honest I am not quite sure how I feel about them! This review relates to the complete trilogy.
The prose style is good and I found the books easy to read however sometimes the the conversation seemed a bit stilted. Arthur is almost an antihero and definitely breaks free of previous stereotypes - I almost didn't like him.
The story moves at a breakneck pace which can mean that even the main characters lack any real depth and it is difficult to find sympathy with the almost constant deaths. Each death is dealt with in a fairly matter of fact way which fits the whole idea of the story but for me personally was a bit harsh.
The story itself is very well thought out and as the previous reviewer states you get tantalising hints that the story is actually set in the future rather than in the past and I would have liked this aspect of the story to have been expanded.
All in all I think these books are well worth a read but the story could have been extended and more depth added to characters. An example is when a group visit a ruined city - that episode was dealt with in a matter of a few pages where I would have liked more detail and suspense. Maybe by making each volume longer or spreading the story over more books the story could be given the detail it deserves. D Shaboe Shadow Lands - A review of the first part of the trilogy I've just finished the first book of the trilogy 'Shadow Lands' and can't wait to start book two 'Causeway'. I'm sure it will be just as gripping as the first book and will leave me as eager to commence the final part of the trilogy 'Haven'. The author has captured the essence of the Arthurian age and one feels transported back to a distant time, even though it is set in the future. The story is exciting, the characters entirely believable and in places one senses the author's own sense of humour creeping through in what is otherwise a dark and brooding book. Put simply, once started this reader was captured and has to know how it all ends.
* I can prove it too because I've got the original emails and it's probably possible to tie the email adresses to IP addresses, which in turn can be tied to the corresponding locations throughout the country. I suppose die-hard cynics might point out that I could have travelled around the country and set up email addresses and sent the emails to myself from those different places but I really don't have the inclination for such subterfuge. Besides, I'm too busy covering my tracks from the Grassy Knoll and trying to get those damn shadows right in the Lunar landing photographs.
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