THE LAST PRIEST OF TINTAGEL

In Taylor’s historical novel, the study of theology leads to a life of unforeseen tumult and adventure for one young Cornishman.

In 14th-century Oxford, Piran Chegwin is training for the priesthood. His nemesis is Martin de Villiers, a racist villain who hates people from Cornwall and is determined to ruin Piran. His scheming knows no limits—Martin begins with a plan to discredit Piran’s scholarly work before progressing to attempted murder. But Piran’s intellect and good character win him a powerful mentor and protector in Archdeacon (later Bishop) de Grandison, a close friend of Pope John XXII. De Grandison shields Piran by procuring him a coveted post at the papal court…until de Villiers strikes again with a slander campaign. Piran is then sent to Tintagel, a remote outpost in his native Cornwall, where he says a daily mass for the king’s son while living in near isolation. Here, he waits out the Black Death as it decimates England’s population. It is a safe but lonely life, until he starts receiving visions from the time of King Arthur and befriends an old mystic (“’Twas all about Ygraine, you see. Everything that happened”). Taylor has extensively studied the historical material, including doing primary research in Oxford and Exeter. The novel’s atmosphere is rich and convincing, and the action feels rooted in a real time and place without relying on sprinkled-in facile period details. The author effectively captures the monotony of 14th-century life, when a letter might take many months to arrive and sheltering in isolation from the plague might take years. The narrative encompasses papal court intrigue, royal politics, and personal vendettas while always remaining focused on the routines and revelations of daily life. Perhaps too much tension is provided by de Villiers, whose hatred is so powerful that his grudge persists for decades and ruins his own career. Piran is a charming protagonist, but he does not develop or change much along his long journey; he begins as a good person with a calling for the priesthood and ends the same way.

An immersive depiction of an unusual historical milieu.