Uther

Rating:
Summary: ACK! It tricked me!
Review: This book epitomizes why I do NOT read series. And, even though it is listed on Amazon.com as part of the "Camulod Chronicles", the book cover itself does not indicate that it is a book in a series.

This book could have benefited from some serious editorial input. At one point, the text speaks of Uther's mother as 'dead' when in fact it is Merlyn/Cai's mother who is dead. Very disconcerting. Especially since the author likes to play the 'in medias res' card so often, introducing an event or character and then going back to fill in the details up to the point this event/character is mentioned.

The Author assumes, of course, that the reader has read every other book in the series, and does not bother to re introduce characters or even put in more than a cursory description of some characters. So when they do something or say something that the series-reader would completely understand, the non-series reader goes 'huh?'

Similarly, digressions and movements backwards in time to show how the character first met the main character, Uther, are rather jarring and not really helpful in advancing the plot.

In one paragraph, Uther will be 15 and within months of his manhood rituals. 2 chapters later he will be 17 and not yet considered a man by his clan. Which is it? And why should we care?

Additionally, there are not enough place details given to really distinguish Cambria and Camulod in the readers mind. No real descriptions of buildings, daily life, and other details that might make it more interesting. No real idea of how the two places are related in space, what the journey between one and the other may entail, etc. Sure, Camulod is Roman, and the people wash, but that's about all I know about it from reading _Uther_.

The Arthurian legends are a rich source of material, a powerful collection of archetypes, and I do not fault Mr. Whyte at all for wanting to play in the sandbox, but I do fault his editors for not encouraging Mr. White to follow a timeline and watch the relative ages of the characters in relation to the plot and the births/deaths/events of the rest of the book.

Very disappointing. I won't be trying to play catch-up by reading the previous books in the series.

Rating:
Summary: "Is it fiction or memory?"
Review: Uther the seventh volume of the of Jack Whyte's Arthurian Legend gives life to an often neglected and much maligned figure, Uther Pendragon the father of King Arthur. As a child Uther's days were divided between Camolud, the birthplace of his mother, and Cambria, a more northern area in which his father and grandfather have been powerful elected kings. Uther finds himself more at home in Camolud with his cousen and constant companion Merlin, then in Cambria which he is destined to rule. From the birth of Uther to his ultimate demise we are presented with an heroic warrior king. The reader is caught up in page after page of events of the time. The author weaves a fascinating and suspense filled story about a courageous ruler. Another 623 pages would have been welcome. Uther is extremely well written, laying the ground for subsequent novels. One wonders if this saga is fiction or memory!

Rating:
Summary: Read it for what it is...
Review: What Uther does for the series is what J.R.R.Tolkein's, The Silmarillion, did for the Lord of the Rings. It's a collection of contextual notes and thoughts the author had lying around that answers some questions and enriches the history of his series (my explanation for why it is written in the person it is written in). Unforunately, its release is very untimely and I am willing to bet that it has something to do with money and the publishers. Although that is pure speculation. I can't divine any other reason why Whyte would release this book which is more of an appendix to the storyline, UNLESS, unless he had to tell Uther's side of the story before going on with Arthur's. We can only hope.

Sadly, while the information it divulges is really enlightening, it disrupts the beautiful magic and engaging story that Whyte had woven up to that point. I encourage people just starting in on the series to not read it until after the main story is finished.

Some author's don't realize that often the most engaging part of a story are those parts left untold. Those deeds and tails left to the readers imagination form some of the greatest ties between story and reader when left to our speculation. In that sense I almost wish I hadn't read Uther at all, but then I love to read so there is no way I could have restricted myself even knowing what I know now.

To the reviewer who was upset that this was an installment in a series... well, I for one don't understand how someone fails to enjoy the complexity that can only come from a story written over several volumes. The best TV shows, movies, video games, and books are all parts of series. And if you didn't want to read a book in a series there are literally dozens of indicators on the cover, in the first pages, and in the acknowledgments virtually shouting at you that this is part of series and should be considered that way.

And as a personal note, I thoroughly dislike author's that demean the intelligence, committment and attention spans of their readers by using up large portions of successive volumes retelling the story and explaining character profiles. I can understand the need for a quick summary in a t.v. show where someone might have missed an episode due to some other committment but the need utterly fails in regard to books and even movies.

I have read just about every spin-off of the Authurian Legend that has been written (Mary Stewarts (fantastic), Stephen R. Lawhead's (mostly good), T.H.White's (inventive)),and countless other minor variations and Jack Whyte's telling is by far my favorite of them all. He has the amazing ability to make the legend's seem like very real people and after the reading is through restore them properly to their legendary status.

The series comes highly recommended even if Uther seems rather out of place.

Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Read it for what it is...
Review: What Uther does for the series is what J.R.R.Tolkein's, The Silmarillion, did for the Lord of the Rings. It's a collection of contextual notes and thoughts the author had lying around that answers some questions and enriches the history of his series (my explanation for why it is written in the person it is written in). Unforunately, its release is very untimely and I am willing to bet that it has something to do with money and the publishers. Although that is pure speculation. I can't divine any other reason why Whyte would release this book which is more of an appendix to the storyline, UNLESS, unless he had to tell Uther's side of the story before going on with Arthur's. We can only hope.

Sadly, while the information it divulges is really enlightening, it disrupts the beautiful magic and engaging story that Whyte had woven up to that point. I encourage people just starting in on the series to not read it until after the main story is finished.

Some author's don't realize that often the most engaging part of a story are those parts left untold. Those deeds and tails left to the readers imagination form some of the greatest ties between story and reader when left to our speculation. In that sense I almost wish I hadn't read Uther at all, but then I love to read so there is no way I could have restricted myself even knowing what I know now.

To the reviewer who was upset that this was an installment in a series... well, I for one don't understand how someone fails to enjoy the complexity that can only come from a story written over several volumes. The best TV shows, movies, video games, and books are all parts of series. And if you didn't want to read a book in a series there are literally dozens of indicators on the cover, in the first pages, and in the acknowledgments virtually shouting at you that this is part of series and should be considered that way.

And as a personal note, I thoroughly dislike author's that demean the intelligence, committment and attention spans of their readers by using up large portions of successive volumes retelling the story and explaining character profiles. I can understand the need for a quick summary in a t.v. show where someone might have missed an episode due to some other committment but the need utterly fails in regard to books and even movies.

I have read just about every spin-off of the Authurian Legend that has been written (Mary Stewarts (fantastic), Stephen R. Lawhead's (mostly good), T.H.White's (inventive)),and countless other minor variations and Jack Whyte's telling is by far my favorite of them all. He has the amazing ability to make the legend's seem like very real people and after the reading is through restore them properly to their legendary status.

The series comes highly recommended even if Uther seems rather out of place.

Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Arthurian legend tale
Review: When his father died, Uther became King of Cambria ruling over the feral Pendragon tribes. At around the same time his cousin Caius Merlyn Britannicus becomes the monarch in Camulod.

However, Uther's life as the sovereign of Cambria is wrought with constant skirmishes with his offensive neighbor King Lot of Cornwall. Uther travels all over England on adventures that would destroy a lesser person especially his fights against the treacherous Lot. Still, Uther falls in love with his arranged bride, Ygraine of Ireland. Surprisingly, she returns his feelings even though she mistrusts males after being a victim of the bellicose Lot. Their love culminates with the birth of the future king.

UTHER: THE CAMULOD CHRONICLES is a fascinating look at the Arthurian legend by focusing on Arthur's parents mostly his sire. The plot is cleverly designed so that the story of the house of Uther fits quite comfortably within the previously established legend as scribed by Jack Whyte in his other Camulod Chronicles. This is a must read by Arthurian fans as is the previous works in this series, especially THE EAGLE'S BROOD (Merlyn's companion tale).

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Plagued by errors and creative misspellings
Review: Whyte's Uther is rife with errors gramattical and otherwise, such as in the beginning of Book 4, where he apparently forgets who it was that died in battle, Ullic's father or uncle.

Further, however, there is nothing "fresh" about this book, as another reviewer proclaimed. It is yet another tired attempt to merge history with the fantasy of the Arthur legend, and it fails miserably, as have most, if not all, of the others. Merlin a mere mortal (and relation of Uther, at that!)? Uther a mere war chief of a rag-tag bunch of Celts? The Arthur legend is not historical, and this book merely demonstrates, with rank amateurish storytelling, why authors should cease to try to make it so.

For a real kick in your Arthurian appetite, pick up Robert de Boron or Nennius, or even Mallory. See what it's all about!

Rating:
Summary: Re-hash
Review: Whyte's working REAL hard to drag this series on and on. This book takes a 3-book step back to cover in excruciating, mind-numbing, dull-as-paint detail the experiences of Uther as be grows to become the leader we read about in previous books. Hence, many pages are a re-hash of events from previous books. Similarly, we have to read through the miserable passages in which young Uther is instructed by his elders. I had my hopes up with the last book, it was a nicely balanced between well-written action and the typical awkward dialogue of the series. But after this one I just might be thru with Whyte. The novel is peppered with ludicrous scenes and cartoonish behavior on the part of characters. For example, one morning, young Uther saves a woman after she has been gang-raped and beaten. A few hours later they make love, she just can't resist him. As in previous novels, characters always raise one eyebrow whenever they are puzzled or have a question to ask. Who raises an eyebrow when they have a question? Preposterous. Odd happenings in the novel for the 5th century in Britain. Characters repeatedly make puzzling references to "God" and the ideals of the characters are rather modern in their views of children, slavery, etc. I suppose one could forgive that as part of a fantasy world.

Get this one from your library, or in paperback.