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Summary: The third in the Camulod Chronicles series
Review: This is the third in the series of novels called the Camulod Chronicles. If this is your introduction to the series, you will benefit from taking them in order, beginning with 'The Skystone,' although the books will stand alone. This book introduces us to a young Caius Merlyn Britannicus and the adventures he has growing up. The plot is complex, one adventure leading to another. The characterization is excellent, and the book held me enthralled. In the end, of course, since this is the story of Merlyn and Arthur, he meets his ward. Jack Whyte, like Mary Stewart and Bernard Cornwell, has done his research well--such research as is available. Each wrote a fascinating series, and each approached their subjects from a different viewpoint, of course. It is, after all, fiction. John Steinbeck also wrote a book on the subject: The 'Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights,' deriving his material from one of the earliest sources, Thomas Mallory. All are worthy and entertaining. My advice would be to read and enjoy all of them, which I have. Joseph Pierre,
Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity
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Summary: A good series gone bad
Review: A wonderful series with outstanding military and historical foundation and detail, gone bad. The writer doesn't even seem to know his own characters anymore. The sex scenes seem like they were written by a 14 year old kid. When I began to get the distinct impression that the author had lost his way, I put the book down. As a historian, I'm disappointed that Whyte has chosen to sell out with this drivel.
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Summary: One step closer to Arthur!!
Review: I enjoyed the third book in the Camulod series slightly less than the previous two.I felt that the author got bogged down with detail in both the battle scenes and the theological discussions.Merlyn comes through as very human rather than the complete mystic that he's been portrayed in other stories,being brought out of his rather pompous attitude towards right and wrong by his cousin,Uther. If you are planning to read the entire series,this is an important bridge between the earlier times of the Roman occupation and the first emergence of Arthur,as a baby.Now for number four-The Saxon Shore.
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Summary: Difficult to put down
Review: I forget how I came upon this series of books but I can tell you that once you start you will not be able to put the books down. This Canadian author must have travelled back in time to be able to write so discriptively and knowledgeably. The series begins just shortly after the Romans leave Great Britain and continues on through the life of Merlin and on through the early years of young Arthur. I cannot begin to tell you how enjoyable this series of books are....a must read.
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Summary: Diminishing Returns - Sequelitus
Review: I read the second book first, not realizing this was a series, and liked it enough to purchase the others. Reading them one after another, I see a marked dropoff in quality with this installment. Never strong on character, the plotting gets weaker and a lot reads like filler. If I didn't have the remaining volumes already I would not buy them. I recommend the Skystone and Singing Sword and stop there.
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Summary: Accurate history and great story
Review: In the back of our minds we all know that the Arthurian legend originated from a 5th century warlord who was attempting to maintain Roman culture in Britain - and this series of novels follows that assumption, mixing aspects of the classic tale with rather interwoven history.
My only problem with the series thus far is the invention by the Camulodians and the Pendragon of such things as the longbow and the stirrup, which didn't appear until the 14th and 8th centuries. This, however, can be explained away that these people die eventually, and with them this knowledge vanishes. For any lovers of the Arthur legend and Roman history, these books are amazing. For everyone else, they are, to quote critics, a "ripping good yarn"
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Summary: Tower to Whyte! Pull up, Jack! Pull up!
Review: Jack Whyte achieves a mildly unsatisfying semi-closure in The Eagle's Brood. In an apparent attempt to tidy up the landscape before Arthur's arrival, he manages to kill off most of the characters from the first three books, including a sexually perverted Uther. At least, I hope Uther is dead. On the positive side, The Eagle's Brood is fast-paced and entertaining, and it promises more of the same in subsequent books. However, Whyte is beginning to demonstrate that he is assuredly not Mary Stewart, Parke Godwin, Stephen Lawhead, or Bernard Cornwell. If he wishes to join such august company, he needs to do a better job with continuity and cut down on the sordid sex and violence. The Arthurian legend is a more than adequate vehicle to propel a good writer like Whyte in to a truly exceptional author. So, Jack, get with it! Let's see a compelling and exciting transition to the life of Arthur. And please, no psychological baggage!
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Summary: interesting ties
Review: The first book of this series, The Sky Stone, was original, well constructed, with amazingly clear detail on life in 5th century Britian. The main characters were well drawn and each, the heroes and the villans, held my interest. The second book, The Singing Sword, was almost as good but there was a little padding going on. The Eagles Brood, the third of the series is a wonderful 300 page book - padded into a 600 page book. The story line follows the previous books, but it is too much of a good thing. The details of life during that time were well and exhustingly explained in the first two books. We don't need the detail all over again. The book is over populated with insidental characters that are presented as major figures who then are quickly killed off or just left out of the ensueing narrative. Minor characters, with important messages, just seem to pop up here and there in order to pull the stoey line back on track and help move it along. Frankly, towards the end of this book I was just waiting for it to end. Enough is enough!
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Summary: Wonderful read - couldn't put it down!
Review: There is one horrifying thing about this book - that is the year or so we'll probably have to wait for the fourth (and final?) volume of the cycle. "Eagles' Brood" brings the whole Arthurian legend to light, filling in the gaps, providing fascinating details and characters you can't help but care about. Added to the mix are compelling sub-plots on theological struggles in the early Christian church, innovations in weaponry and warfare, and life in a self-contained community. I have loved the whole series so far, and highly recommend it (and as a personal note the the Author... PLEASE, write more, and soon!)
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Summary: Mary Stewart didn't need pronography: Why does Jack Whyte?
Review: This book is enjoyable for the same reason that Mary Stewart's _Crystal Cave_ was. It presents Merlin as a real person, not a shadowy magician, and explores an estimation of the _real_ environment of King Arthur's world from Merlin's perspective. The first person narrative copies Stewart's approach, and works as well. Impressive historical setting and the rich description of late Roman Britain gives the story a depth not often found in the fantasy genre. The detailed ironmongery and militarist/feudal bent of the era are well captured, though a sense of how an agrarian economy supported all of these horsemen and warriors is missing. The book's major shortcoming is the pornographic detail of some wenching scenes. It is one thing to explain how carnal appetites were approached with both pre-Christian casualness and great gusto by young Brito-Roman aristocrats-- it is entirely unnecessary to the story to go into genital approach angles and a detailed accounting of who was licking whom. In contrast, a very tender erotic scene was drawn where Merlin and Cassandra first become intimate, and it was done without using pornographic detail. Perhaps by using the extreme contrast Whyte was illustrating with heavy quill the difference between lust and love. And there was a bit of psychobabble thrown in where Merlin goes into a four page digression that amounts to measuring manhood, literally, with Uther. Again, a far too heavy handed, and basically unnecessary tool for showing the differences in temperament between Uther and Merlin. Those weaknesses aside, the story is very readable, though only suitable for adult readers, due to the adult content of about fifteen pages of material. Better editing and less graphic language woud have made this a four or five star book. Of course, I will contiue enjoying the series, because old Britain fairly jumps off of the page and into my living room when I read it.
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