I have been asked by some readers to comment on the rather grim social context of The Never KingThe Never King and its relation, if any, to the present day.

In The Never King – which takes place within the recognizable future – the threads that comprise the fabric of British society are rapidly unraveling. A ceaseless influx of immigrants is fueling the rise of widespread “closet bigotry” and the legitimization of far-right nationalist thugs who may be organizing for a take-over of the British government. And the latter is controlled by deeply entrenched political parties that are so corrupt and ineffective in governing that anti-government demonstrations are now commonplace and are often violently repressed by the police. A feeling of desperation is slowly spreading through the land and people are ready to embrace the first demagogue who promises easy cures for the many ills of society. It is in this context that a latter-day Arthur suddenly materializes. Is it just possible that he is the “Once and Future King” who has at last returned – as the wizard Merlin had promised – to once again save Celtic Britain? Or is he just a Trojan horse for the fascists who will help them seize control of the government?

I started writing The Never King more than a decade ago when the particular brand of British nationalism that led to Brexit was still years away, when the immigration crisis that has roiled Europe and Britain wasn’t even on the horizon, and when neo-fascists – although never extinct in the Western democracies – had yet to score significant wins at the ballot box. And, of course, a dangerous authoritarianism had yet arrive in the White House in America. However, the seeds of all of this had already been sown so it didn’t take an exceptional imagination to see the possibilities.

Of course, The Never King is intended to be a fantasy, an adventure story, a thriller, and a romance. It is not intended to be a political treatise or a Jeremiah-like prophesy. Therefore, the unraveling of British society – although a necessary context for the story – remains firmly in the background.

And that is just as well because I don’t think that the future is likely to be as grim as it is portrayed in this book (which, I might add, ends on a strongly positive note). In my view, mankind has a remarkable capacity to plunder its own best interests but we also have an equally remarkable capacity to dramatically turn things around when the plundering finally goes too far.

And if you do, by chance, believe in fairies – and that belief is at the heart of The Never King – then you might also believe that they, like the angels, are here to look after us and keep us from straying too far.