And the Clive Owen King Arthur movie bears a distinct resemblance to the premise of Island of Ghosts, although this is not an Arthurian novel.

Huh, that's interesting. In plot or premise? I thought most of the premise (Sarmatian soldiers) was ripped from From Scythia to Camelot, an interesting hypothesis. I actually kind of love it just because I went in with stunningly low expectations and was surprised at what they did get right about the Sarmatians.