"The Bones of Avalon"

Phil Rickman has worked as a BBC radio and TV reporter, and he currently writes and presents the book program “Phil the Shelf’ on BBC Radio Wales. He is also the author of the internationally bestselling crime series featuring Merrily Watkins.

He applied the Page 69 Test to his latest book, The Bones of Avalon, and reported the following:

Page 69, huh? You looked, didn't you? Page 69 gives an excellent idea of what the plot is about - basically Dr John Dee, astrologer-royal to Queen Elizabeth I, has been ordered by Elizabeth's chief minister to find the bones of King Arthur, from whom the Tudors claimed to be descended. Page 69 finds Dee quizzing the notorious Bishop Bonner, now under house arrest. In the previous reign, Bonner was responsible for the burning of hundreds of non-Catholics. Despite this, he's a fun guy.

'What does King Arthur represent? (asks Bonner) but magic... enchantment? The king who does not die but waits in some misty, spiritual realm until he shall be summoned. The S-word, John, the S-word...'

Sorcery.

Learn more about the book and author at Phil Rickman's website.

My Book, The Movie: The Bones of Avalon.

Visit the complete list of books in the Page 69 Test Series.

--Marshal Zeringue