Book Reviews

REVIEWS FOR TWELVE IN 12

The Saxon Shore Book Four of The Camulod Chronicles (aka Dream of Eagles Cycle) by Jack Whyte

769 pages, Penguin Book, Fiction

I picked this book up while taking a class on Arthurian Literature.  I already owned Uther which turned out to be book 7.  I was looking for a book on Arthur for the class and decided to track down the series.  The series starts with the stone that Excalibur is made from, which is further back than Arthur.  I miscalculated because this book is not about Arthur either.  At least not directly.

Whyte has taken the legend of Arthur and created a whole world, a whole universe to place the story in, with specific details of each flower and stone.  The Saxon Shore is told from the voice of Merlyn, who is better known as Caius or Cay.  It starts when Arthur is an infant and ends when he only five or so, recounting the lengths Cay goes to ensure the safety of this future king.  So how does Whyte make nearly 800 pages fly by so quickly?  In his excellent storytelling and world creation.

If you don’t like books that explain everything in detail, this is probably not a series for you.  Think of an Arthurian version of Lord of the Rings.  Descriptions of buildings, battles, social structures, rules for meetings, along with Merlyn’s own opinion of all that he sees can become tiresome.  But I found them to be eye-opening.  I could actually see the great city of Camulod and the mountains of Cambria.  The world Whyte creates came alive for me, and I feared the villains and worshiped the heroes as if they were real.  I found myself laughing at their antics, cheering at their victories, and crying at their losses.  I’m starting to view Merlyn and the child he protects not as mystical legends, but rather as actual beings who really existed.

I’m planning on buying all the books in the series and adding them to my collection of “Books that I Live With.”  I’m nearly done with Book Five!

The Fort at River’s Bend Book Five of The Camulod Chronicles (aka Dream of Eagles Cycle)
By Jack Whyte
461 pages – Tor Books – Fantasy/Fiction

Back cover review: Merlyn Britannicus, leader of the Colony known as Camulod, is faced with the task of education his young charge, Arthur, future King of the Britons.  Fearing for the life of his nephew when an assassination attempt goes awry, Merlyn takes Arthur and his boyhood companions Gwin, Ghilleadh and Bedwyr on a journey that will take them to the ruins of a long abandoned Roman fort – far from Camulod and the only place where Merlyn feels they will be safe.  It is there that Merlyn will enlist the help of this close-knit group of friends to help Arthur learn the skills of a warrior and the tough lessons of justice, honor and responsibilities of leadership.  Arthur is just a boy… but the day is not far off when he will have to claim the sword that is his birthright: Excalibur.

Whyte continues the story of the boy Arthur and his guardian, Merlyn better known as Caius, in the fifth installment of the series.  In the previous book, an attempt on Arthur’s life prompts Caius to move the boy to a secret hideout as he grows into manhood.  They, along with a small party, go to an abandoned Roman fort called Mediobogdum.  There, in anonymity, both Arthur and Caius grow in their own ways.  Whyte again is in his element, describing everything from the changing physical features of Arthur and the emotional changes of Caius to the seasonal changes around them.  Caius has merely been a soldier and leader up to this point, with little to make him seem mystical or magical.  The only hint at the sorcerer of legend comes in the form of his dreams, which seem to be prophetic and become more pronounced as the book continues.  The book concludes with Caius deciding to return to Camulod, as Arthur is no longer a little boy, but a young man.  Trouble is also brewing in Camulod and its surrounding areas.

One of the things I’ve enjoyed so much about this series is the thoroughness Whyte applies.  While at times stories and events can seem extra information, I nearly always finding myself finding their importance someplace else.  These people are alive – eating, sleeping, bleeding and loving just as any other person I know.  The book is not just about Arthur and his changing, but also how Caius begins to change from the warrior to the elder mentor.  I’ve always loved reading series over single books.  I find myself being sucked into the world created by the author and revel in characters from past books coming in and out of the story.

Differing from other Arthurian literature I’ve read, Whyte doesn’t focus on Arthur specifically, but rather the world around the boy.  Often times Arthur is a side character, and pages fly by without his name.  The books aren’t about Arthur, but rather how the world reacts to his presence.  Merlyn’s driving force to all his decisions has been his dream of a united Briton under Arthur.  The world and his reactions are fueled by the desire to see that dream become reality.  A dream handed down from his great-grandfather – the Dream of Eagles.  I’m looking forward to the next book and to reading the first books I skipped over.  Had I known better, I definitely would have started this series with Book One as opposed to Book Four.

This is what happens when you have lots of rehearsels with little actual playing.  Gotta love getting paid to sit in an orchestra rehearsal and read books!