A feature of modern book retailing ever since I came into the publishing business nearly thirty years ago, is that any book where you cannot succinctly say in a few words what the book is about, and what is unique about it, is likely to fail. For the reps cannot get it across in the 30 seconds or so that a bookseller takes to decide if they want to buy it or not.

In the case of non-fiction books, this is not such a difficult problem to overcome. e.g. “it’s a new diet book, that offers a high fiber approach to weight loss.” In the case of fiction, it can sometimes be very difficult to offer such a concise account of what the book is about. In the case of established authors, the bookseller of course, knows and understands something of the author’s track record, but especially with new fiction authors, publishers routinely print extra proof copies, to give away to booksellers and those who promote books in the media, so that they can read the work, given that a brief description can not do justice to the novel.

A facet of the past ten years or so, is that one is constantly asked to compare one novel with others - and such pressures end up forcing some into invidious and absurd comparisons. “It’s a sort of cross between the Bible, War and Peace and Harry Potter.”

In the case of The Legend of Dagad Trikon, how can one realistically and briefly, describe a novel with the following elements?

Climate change.
Good versus evil
Saga, quest.
Epic
Apocalypse
Gnosticism
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
Excalibur
Holy Grail
Knights Templar
Catholic Church
Chastity
Virginity
Crusades
Cathars
Marriage
Cairo
Moscow
Washinton DC
Delphi
New Delhi
Riverdale, Bronx
Iceland
Glaciers
Gods
Mount Kailash
Archangels
Music
Divine Music
Soul Music
Sahara
Hanuman
Gabriel
Michael
Meditation
Yoga
Self-Realization
Transcendence
Transformation
Joy
Fulfillment
Success
Satisfaction
Eternal feminine
Divine Mother
Germany

Maybe if someone knows, they’ll let me know.

Chrétien de Troye (1150-1190) is possibly the greatest French novelist of the Middle Ages. He started writing the novels of the Arthurian saga at the court of Marie de Champagne and the characters of Merlin, Lancelot, Arthur, Guenievre and Parsival were soon to inspire countless lesser authors of the lower Middle Ages. The unfinished tale of the Grail binds the knights of the Round Table to the legend of the Holy Grail.

The symbolical quest for the mystical cup that contained the blood of Christ was understood by literary critics as an appeal to the warring knights of his time: cease your futile quarrels for land, possessions or women and seek a loftier goal: find your true identity and find true love. Rediscovered after World War Two, the opus of Chrétien de Troyes continues to fascinate the many researchers who attempted to decipher the true meaning of the tale of the Grail.