Second Book in the Camulod Series
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Jack Whyte was born and raised in Scotland, but has lived in Canada for the last forty odd years. He is the author of the Camulod series of books and has just had published the first in a trilogy about probably the most famous Order of knights, ever to come through the pages of history, the Knights Templar.
The story takes place in the fifth century AD Britain an island that has all but cast off the yoke of the Romans. Occupiers for more than 400 years, they have brought much to the island, their roads have made travel that much more bearable and their buildings and public baths have brought a new and lawful way of life to a people the Roman's once called barbarians.
Those who initially resented the Roman's invasion have been moldering in their graves for centuries and in the south of the land the people are mostly Romano-Britains, many of whom mourn the passing of Roman law and authority along with the withdrawal of the Roman egions from Britain's shores.
Two Romans in particular, Publius Varrus and Caius Britannicus have made their homes in Britain and are determined to stay and are prepared to fight if necessary for their adopted land. Not everyone is sorry to see the Romans leave and many in the north of Britain see it as an opportunity to advance themselves . . .
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More of the King Arthur History With More To Come
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When promised a history of King Arthur, some readers may expect the story in one book. If that's the case, don't bother with this series. If you're interested in King Arthur and, more importantly, the legends that surround him, pick up The Singing Sword and the previous installment The Skystone and start reading. You'll get the history you've been looking for and one heck of a story to go with it.
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Jack Whyte has clear insight into human wants and needs...
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This book, though at times disturbing in its exploration of the depths of the human soul, is at its core an uplifting and triumphant story. Varrus struggles with some VERY real and very unattractive temptations in this book...but that is only a fraction of what takes place. The end (mum's the word) is so powerful that I had to stop, pause, go back 5 pages and begin it again. I have rarely felt that I knew charcters better (perhaps Aubrey and Maturin in the O'Brian books) and I savored every moment I was allowed to inhabit their world and share their thoughts. Read it.
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Even worse than the first...
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Whyte is back again writing his sad attempts at historical fiction without understanding history, legends, or even basic logistics. How can The Colony hide? There must be well over 3000 people, apparently better armed than anyone else in the district, and yet they are so sneaky no on realizes that they are there. On top of this the writing comes from the "one damn thing after another school"; there is no organic plot flow, but only happenstance strung together hamfistedly, with occaisional perverse sex scenes to spice matters up. The man must still be writing more because, even after two books, he has yet to introduce Arthur. I fear the page when the king appears...
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And now a less bombastic take.
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I must first mention that I personally rate this book at four 1/2 stars(The Skystone being 5 stars). However,I will officially rate this book at five so I can offset the off base incomprehension in this forum. There is an unnervingly realistic human aspect to this story which many people do not find confortable to confront. When in denial of human fraility, it is easy to dismiss a story when the main character you are pulling for gives into a wretched temptation or goes along with activities that are contradictory to there moral inclination. I believe that Mr. Whyte's story is more then realistic historical fiction. It also is realistic human fiction. When a story conveys that kind of realism on both fronts, it makes for excellent reading. That is what sets these chronicles apart from most other Authurian fiction. Highly recommended.
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