Jack Whyte

The Camulod Chronicles — (1992-2005) Publisher: Everyone knows the story — how Arthur pulled the sword from the stone, how Camelot came to be, and about the power struggles that ultimately destroyed Arthur's dreams. But what of the time before Arthur and the forces that created him? How did the legend really come to pass? Before the time of Arthur and his Camelot, Britain was a dark and deadly place, savaged by warring factions of Picts, Celts, and invading Saxons. The Roman citizens who had lived there for generations were suddenly faced with a deadly choice: Should they leave and take up residence in a corrupt Roman world that was utterly foreign, or should they stay and face the madness that would ensue when Britain's last bastion of safety for the civilized, the Roman legions, left? For two Romans, Publius Varrus and his friend Caius Britannicus, there can be only one answer. They will stay, to preserve what is best of Roman life, and will create a new culture out of the wreckage. In doing so, they will unknowingly plant the seeds of legend — for these two men are Arthur's great-grandfathers, and their actions will shape a nation... and forge a sword known as Excalibur.

The Skystone

You’ll be forgiven for overlooking that Jack Whyte’s The Skystone is an adaptation of Arthurian legend. Believe it or not, Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table are nowhere to be found. Instead, Whyte’s story is about Roman general Caius Britannicus’ dream for Britain.

The Skystone is set amidst the Roman withdrawal from Britain. Britannicus’ legion has faced hard fighting along Hadrian’s Wall. They have retreated to Londinium, and the Romans are about to leave permanently. The Romans may be retreating, and their Empire may be ending, but Britannicus elects to retire to his British estates. What’s more, Britannicus is determined to create a bastion of civilization that will survive the fall of Rome.

It’s a compelling premise and even the most modest history buff knows that things are about to get much “darker” in Europe before they get better. Utopian societies are often planned for remote islands, but readers know that this island is not as remote as it seems. Britannicus, for all his brilliance as a general, politician, and visionary, has charted a course for his descendants that will be marked by centuries of raids and invasions. How can Britannicus’ colony survive?

Fortunately, all of those concerns are far down the road, and Whyte prefers to approach his subject gradually. In fact, although Britannicus is the architect on whom this story relies, he is not the protagonist. Instead, we are told the story of Publius Varrus, a wounded legionary and a talented blacksmith who recalls his time fighting with Britannicus in various campaigns. Although he may seem a simple man, Varrus is more a philosopher than he realizes. In fact, he will become a pivotal figure in the creation of Britannicus’ colony.

Whyte has a talent for action scenes, and he adds a few political intrigues, feuds, and rivalries to keep his reader occupied. However, the bulk of The Skystone is about meticulously building a colony that can give rise to Arthur, a king who can unite the British against their invaders. As such, although there are a few duels and romances, The Skystone is primarily concerned with reflection, consideration, and especially dialogue. Whyte’s heroes work their way carefully through ideas that a contemporary reader would take for granted, and Whyte has a talent for solving mysteries within the framework of a 5th century Roman soldier’s worldview.

Perhaps the most difficult mystery of all is that of the Skystone. It produces a better quality of metal than anything else Varrus and Britannicus have ever encountered. Where did it come from, and where can more be found? At the start of the novel, Varrus only has enough to make a knife, but what if there was enough to make a sword?

A 5th century audience might find such a sword magical. —Ryan Skardal

The Singing Sword

In some ways, The Singing Sword, second in Jack Whyte’s A Dream of Eagles (Camulod Chronicles in America) series, is just like The Skystone. The Roman Empire is in retreat and soldier/ blacksmith Publius Varrus chronicles the early days of Caius Britannicus’ Roman villa. Arthur is still nowhere in sight.

Whyte has a great talent for outlining battles and duels, but his passion is for world building through dialogue, particularly dialogue that allows him to explore the ideas of this time as they might have been created at the time. Still, progress is steadily made, however patiently. Publius is tempted by another woman, while alliances with the Celts are made and the colony — now named Camulod — slowly overcomes its enemies and the hurdles of administration. It can be a long, tedious bit of work. But for Whyte, and for many fans of fantasy, storytelling is about the details.

After all, this (well, not The Singing Sword, but the series as a whole) is the story of Arthur, a legend that many fantasy authors have strived to adapt in an original way. And few do as thorough a job of historical world building as Whyte, if for no other reason than because few decide to start the story of Arthur generations in advance.

Perhaps Whyte is at his best when outlining how Roman tactics gave rise to the knights that we often associate with Arthur and his Round Table. The Romans valued their legions, not cavalry. However, when we think of Sir Galahad, we think of a knight, armored, horseback, and carrying a lance. Where did these things come from? Although Publius and Caius have decided to protect civilization in Camulod, they are not bound by the past. Instead, they continue to innovate. And Publius’ greatest creation may well be a long sword made from the sky stone. He calls it “Excalibur.”

The Singing Sword, like The Skystone before it, is not a novel for the faint of heart. As exciting as Whyte’s action sequences may be, they are often separated by vast amounts of exposition. On the other hand, fantasy fans who think they’ve read it all might do well to check out this historical fantasy. If nothing else, it’s an impressive feat of world building, and it’s been assembled with an eye for historical detail. —Ryan Skardal

The Eagle’s Brood

The Eagle’s Brood, by Jack Whyte, is the third book in the A Dream of Eagles series (Camulod Chronicles, in America) and it does something that up to this point has been unthinkable: characters that are recognizably from Arthurian legend take center stage.

For two novels, Whyte’s take on the Arthurian legend has focused on the exploits of Publius Varrus and his visionary general Caius Britannicus. Now, a new generation has taken over, one including Uther Pendragon and Caius Merlyn Britannicus. Still known as Caius, our narrating Merlyn is decidedly surprising. He’s young, he’s a warrior armed with a sword, and he’s into debauchery. He and Uther are the princes of Camulod, and they know it.

However, they haven’t let power go to their heads. Instead, they take the task of running the colony, perhaps the last bastion of civilization in medieval Europe, very seriously. And although they are fierce allies against Camulod’s bitter enemies, Caius and Uther are also rivals. Caius is the silver bear of Camulod and Uther is the red dragon. Who is more powerful?

Although Whyte has swapped protagonists, The Eagle’s Brood recalls Whyte’s first two novels in structure, which allows for a smooth transition of narrative voice. Once again, there are fierce battle scenes and duels, but they are more than balanced with planning of battles and logistics, philosophizing about Christian doctrine and politics, and, of course, administrating Camulod. Caius and Uther also do their share of innovating weapons and warfare. In fact, they invent the mace, a weapon so fierce that their physicians harangue them for inventing it. Swords may scratch here and there, but victims of the mace often find their bones crushed beyond the point of medical aid.

Details like these are a nice touch, and Whyte is nothing if not meticulous about historical detail. These stories and their protagonists are products of the Middle Ages and although they are creative and innovative in an age that is often associated with stagnation, Whyte ensures that his heroes come by their ideas honestly.

However, Whyte does “let up” a little bit on the exposition. There is more time devoted to love and romance, not to mention action and adventure. Still, Whyte’s great strength remains his ability to flesh out a world that could give birth to Arthur. The Eagle’s Brood is a fine piece of historical adventure.
—Ryan Skardal

The Saxon Shore

When we think of Arthurian legends, we tend to imagine certain things. Merlyn is ancient and wise, and Arthur is strong and a leader of men. In his A Dream of Eagles series (Camulod Chronicles in America), Jack Whyte does his best to undermine these expectations. When we meet Merlyn in The Eagle’s Brood, the third book of the series, he is a warrior. Now, we meet Arthur, a toddler with golden eyes. Will he prove fit to carry the sword that Publius Varrus forged in The Singing Sword?

Unfortunately, we don’t find out in The Saxon Shore.

Instead, The Saxon Shore follows Caius Merlyn Britannicus (still known as Caius), who finds himself the leader of a beleaguered Camulod. Last bastion of civilization or not, Camulod has been sorely weakened by its battles in The Eagle’s Brood, and Caius is doing everything in his power to ensure that the colony survives. Times are desperate indeed, particularly with the oncoming Saxon raids. If the colony is not strong, they may not be able to withstand the Saxons. However, Merlyn is also charged with raising and training Arthur. If nothing else, it’s a difficult set of challenges for Caius to overcome.

Whyte takes a decidedly temporal approach to Merlyn’s legend. Actually, he has fun creating scenes that would go on to prove Merlyn’s reputation as a notorious wizard. In one scene, Caius is able to shoot an entire herd of deer with his bow thanks to a peculiar wind. Later, he and his twin attack brigands from two nearby hills; it almost looks as though one man is teleporting back and forth between those hills. Up to this point, Caius has been a legendary leader of men, one so influential that it seems as though Arthur, no matter how impressive, could never fill his shoes. Whyte, as always, calls upon history to provide him with an out, and he inflicts leprosy on Caius/ Merlyn to alienate him from his men (if not in The Saxon Shore, surely it will happen eventually in one of the later novels).

As always, Whyte does a fine job with his battle sequences and world building, and we make it all the way to Ireland in this installment. Almost certainly, a few readers were unable to make it through The Skystone and The Singing Sword, but it is truly gratifying to see all that foundational work paying off. And if nothing else, Whyte truly has provided the details to take his Roman legionaries, step by step, all the way to this proto-Round Table colony.

However, the story is not over yet. Arthur is still a young man and his destiny awaits. The Saxon Shore is, beyond any doubt, a work in the midst of a series, but it begins to pay dividends on the investments of the early novels in this unusual historical fantasy series. —Ryan Skardal