Gawain is a young warrior in post-Roman Britain, a place where the old imperial order has collapsed and local warlords are trying to hold things together against waves of invaders. He joins King Arthur’s forces not out of legend or prophecy but because Arthur is the most capable military leader around, and the Britons need every fighter they can get.
In The Retreat to Avalon, Gawain proves himself in battle while Arthur campaigns to defend British territory. The fighting is grim and realistic. There are no magical swords or enchanted lakes. The second book, The Strife of Camlann, deals with the political fractures and betrayals that lead to the famous final battle between Arthur and Modred. Gawain is caught in the middle of it.
Sean Poage draws on his own military background to write Gawain as a soldier first. The character is brave but not invincible, loyal but not blind to the flaws in the people he follows. Poage strips the Arthurian legend down to what it might have looked like as actual history, and Gawain is the lens through which readers see that world.
Reading Order
See the complete The Arthurian Age reading order for all books in the series.