Rating: 
Summary: pointless
Review: If this Whyte is so smart about the Roman era in England, why does he misuse the word DECIMATE like every other ignorant John Q. Public? From context, he means DEVASTATE (p. 414 paperback). Decimation was a punishment used within the Roman army: if a unit had misbehaved badly enough, one in ten (10%) of the members of that unit were killed, I believe by stoning, and the killings were performed by their fellow soldiers in that unit. Certainly a severe punishment from an emotional standpoint but not catastrophic to the military function of the unit. Devastation, of course, means a severe level of destruction, certainly more than 10%. Mr. Jack Whyte has at least one foot of clay.
Rating: 
Summary: Foot of Clay
Review: If this Whyte is so smart about the Roman era in England, why does he misuse the word DECIMATE like every other ignorant John Q. Public? From context, he means DEVASTATE (p. 414 paperback). Decimation was a punishment used within the Roman army: if a unit had misbehaved badly enough, one in ten (10%) of the members of that unit were killed, I believe by stoning, and the killings were performed by their fellow soldiers in that unit. Certainly a severe punishment from an emotional standpoint but not catastrophic to the military function of the unit. Devastation, of course, means a severe level of destruction, certainly more than 10%. Mr. Jack Whyte has at least one foot of clay.
Rating:
Summary: pointless
Review: If you were to sum up this book by saying that in it Arthur grows from the age of 8 to 15, you would have covered everything of importance that takes place within. Armed with this knowledge, you could move seamlessly from The Saxon Shore (second only to this book in its rambling tediousness) to The Sorceror and barely miss a thing. While I think Whyte's goal of trying to put the Arthurian legend in historical context is not a bad one, I am growing more and more disillusioned and -- frankly -- bored with each succeeding book. Merlyn is a self-absorbed, unlikeable hero and I dislike the idea of Arthur's reign being something that was due entirely to planning and scheming on the part of his relatives, as if he is nothing more than a figurehead. Not to mention that the story is so altered from the original Arthur tale that if the names were changed you wouldn't recognize it. Unfortunately, what truly mars this book for me is something else entirely. In an attempt to raise Arthur in anonymity, Merlyn brings him to, of all places, the kingdom of the very man (Derek) who murdered Arthur's father and raped his mother. The characters' dismissal of this rape as, ultimately, unimportant is profoundly shocking. Merlyn, always exploring his feelings, expresses some unease at the memory of actually seeing the rape occur, but he befriends Derek, calls him and portrays him as a good man, and says that "rape and venery are part of war and part of the payments soldiers take for risking their lives." Well, I guess that makes it okay, then. Even the best of books would suffer greatly by such a scenario and this book is far from that. If you are interested in learning about King Arthur, I recommend looking at the original Malory, or Mary Stewart, or even Marion Zimmer Bradley -- anywhere but here!
Rating: 
Summary: An Absorbing Intermisso
Review: It seems fitting that book five of this series should proceed at a measured pace giving the young Arthur time to grow toward becoming the legendary king. The details of life as it might have been after the Roman recessional continues to hold the reader's interest as do the adventures chronicled in "..Rivers Bend." Mr. Whyte has done his homework in regard to a couple of key elements of this series. By so doing he bolsters the credibility of other faucets of his work in which the reader might not have detailed knowledge. The iron working techniques described were known to the sword makers of Damascus and might well have been within the ken of such cosmopolitan Romans as Varrus and Britanicus. His assessment of meteoric iron as a superior source of blade steel has some historical precedent. James Bowie's knife was "forged from a piece of a star." The persistence of republican Roman ideals long after the Empire had moved into despotism and decline is quite believable. They could well have provided the same cultural anchor for Camelot as they later did for the 18th Century Enlightenment and the fledgling American Republic. Not surprisingly, book five of the series is not the place to start reading the Camulod Chronicles. It is however, a very satisfying installment. This reader eagerly awaits the next volume
Rating: 
Summary: Trashy
Review: Perhaps these books can be criticized for historical inaccuracies, that's not my concern, for me the troubles are much more fundamental. The characters are plain ridiculous; they seem to have stepped right out of some bizarre adolescent fantasy or trashy romance novel where all the men are brawny and pompous and all the women lusty and curvy. Still I read the series because I'm a sucker for ancient settings and can skim through the really stupid chapters. If you can suspend disbelief and your sense of what is good writing these books might work for you. If not seek out Bernard Cornwell and Parke Godwin for engaging writing about Arthurian times.
Rating:
Summary: the calm before the storm
Review: Somewhat slow paced, readers of the series will still find this book very interesting. It just seemed a necessary task to set up what is to come. I personally enjoyed it for I find the 'daily life' of people very interesting during these periods of great historical significance.
Rating:
Summary: Can I give him 0 stars? History, this is not...
Review: Thank goodness this series finally seems to be running out of steam. Bernard Cornwell did more in one book (and he has three in his Arthurian series) than Whyte has done with his entire series. The characters continue to be caricatures, the plots wooden, pretentious, and impossibly convoluted, and the history ... isn't. I will admit that 5th century Britain is not one of the most documented eras in all of history, but there is more information than many authors give credit for; Whyte, taking a seperate tack, has decided that history is wrong and it will be a lot better if he simply rewrites it so that it turns out correctly, more or less as a modern Libertarian fantasay. How can the characters actually believe what they are themselves saying? Does this community so based on personal freedoms actually need a king? Does anything make sense in this book? Mary Stewart did a fine job in her Merlin books of creating a believable extrapolation of a "historical" background to the Arthurian legends. Bernard Cornwall has also done brilliantly. Whyte, however, falls into much the same category as David Drake -- all that matters is lots of bloody, testosterone-pumping action and hack philosophy. I am appalled by this series.
Rating:
Summary: Coming into the world of Historical Fiction with class!
Review: Thank the heavens for Jack Whyte. As a student of the Arthuian legends, I find Whyte's books a fantastic read, especially his new one, "Fort" I'm looking forward to Metamorphosis, and find my self waiting like a child at christmas. To all who may read Whyte or has yet to discover this mans talents, good luck and good reading!!!
Rating:
Summary: Hurry up Jack!
Review: The only problem I have with the Camulod series is the time wasted in waiting for Mr. Whyte to complete his next book. "Fort" is another one in the series from Jack Whyte that deserves a slow read. Jack, do us all a favor...we are not interested in the sexual life of Merlin...stay the course you laid with "the Singing Sword"... Otherwise, it's a superb read. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Great book but it could stand some editing
Review: This is the first of two books called the Sorcerer; part two is subtitled: Metamorphosis These are parts five and six of what I think is the most entertaining and plausable retelling of the Authurian legend I have ever read. My only comment is that they should both have been part five. There was a fair bit of unnecessary material in both books, that if edited out, would have made an outstanding single book. Besides this, volume 5 continues like the others to be a very engrossing read. The story of post-Roman Britons remaking their society in a land being overun by invaders is facinating. I highly suggest reading it along with all others in the series.
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