The Collapsing Castle

Middleton's third evocation of ancient British myth intruding into contemporary life - and by now the formula's wearing a bit thin. Unlike in the extraordinary The People in the Picture (1988) or the murkier The Lie of the Land (1989), here it's a man who's beset by olden forces: historian Daniel Seagrief, whose adventure begins when he teaches an adult-education course on "The Origins of England." Before his first class, Daniel meets a mysterious fellow-teacher (of witchcraft), Adrian Osterburg. During his second class, Daniel speaks of the myth of Vortigern, the Welsh king whose traitorous liaison with the Englishwoman Rowena conceived the modern British race; as he does so, he notes the intense interest of an alluring female student, Eppie Anderson. Soon, Eppie invades Daniel's dreams, as do disturbing images of a burning tower; seeking out Eppie - who turns out to be a barmaid - Daniel confesses his obsession with her; although she's also obsessed with him, she flees his embrace. At the suggestion of Osterburg - who oddly turns up in the company of David's chic wife, Marian - David visits one of Vortigern's haunts, only to receive a vision of a burning tower. His lust for Eppie grows, and nearly culminates in a powerfully erotic scene when she - at Osterburg's prompting, it turns out - shows up as the new nanny for David and Marian's daughter, Sophie. But Eppie flees again, and as he pursues her David learns that Osterburg has been sleeping with Marian for years, and in fact is Sophie's real father. But who else is Osterburg? Taliesen incarnate? And is David a variant of Vortigern? And is Eppie Rowena? And what does the burning, tower signify? The answers come rather crudely and bloodily as myth bursts upon modern reality at a Mayday celebration at Oxford, sealing David's fate. Very Anglo-centric, with flurries of arcane mythological speculation clouding up the pages. Still, Middleton's an elegant writer, with strong insights into human passions - and it's time that he turn these talents to fresher matters. (Kirkus Reviews)