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jessiqa's review
4.0
This is the second book in Whyte's Camulod Chronicles, a saga of the Arthurian Legend. These are historical novels, as opposed to the fantasy books that generally populate the Arthurian genre.
This book follows Publius Varrus, as did the last one. He's a blacksmith, but also the leader of the army at the Colony. They run into a spot of trouble at the Colony, thanks to an old foe, but once that is cleared up, they make some very powerful friends. The threat of Saxon raiders comes closer to home in this book as does the need for true laws at the Colony. All of this is setting things up for that which is to come. You know it's a long series when Merlyn isn't born until the end of the second book.
Arthurian legend is one of my favorite genres of all time. This deep-seated love is borne of an awesome Brit Lit class my junior year in high school. Mrs. Nixon introduced me to The Once and Future King by T.H. White and I was hooked. My home library has not been the same since. I started this particular series believing that it was a trilogy. Learning my mistake after I had already finished the first novel, I was fully set to continue with the series anyway. The first had me drawn in that much, even though there wasn't a single character in it who I knew from all my other readings in the genre. The same is true mostly of The Singing Sword until Merlyn and Uther Pendragon (cousins) are born at the end of the book.
My point is that the story and the history and the anticipation of my beloved story are all well enough to keep me interested. I knew that the metal from the skystone would become Excalibur, how could it not? The joy is in getting there, in learning about the end of Roman Britain and the rise of all the warrior-kings. I'm thoroughly engrossed in Whyte's telling of how these historical facts intermingle with the Arthurian legend.
I just started book three. I can't wait to see where this leads me.
This book follows Publius Varrus, as did the last one. He's a blacksmith, but also the leader of the army at the Colony. They run into a spot of trouble at the Colony, thanks to an old foe, but once that is cleared up, they make some very powerful friends. The threat of Saxon raiders comes closer to home in this book as does the need for true laws at the Colony. All of this is setting things up for that which is to come. You know it's a long series when Merlyn isn't born until the end of the second book.
Arthurian legend is one of my favorite genres of all time. This deep-seated love is borne of an awesome Brit Lit class my junior year in high school. Mrs. Nixon introduced me to The Once and Future King by T.H. White and I was hooked. My home library has not been the same since. I started this particular series believing that it was a trilogy. Learning my mistake after I had already finished the first novel, I was fully set to continue with the series anyway. The first had me drawn in that much, even though there wasn't a single character in it who I knew from all my other readings in the genre. The same is true mostly of The Singing Sword until Merlyn and Uther Pendragon (cousins) are born at the end of the book.
My point is that the story and the history and the anticipation of my beloved story are all well enough to keep me interested. I knew that the metal from the skystone would become Excalibur, how could it not? The joy is in getting there, in learning about the end of Roman Britain and the rise of all the warrior-kings. I'm thoroughly engrossed in Whyte's telling of how these historical facts intermingle with the Arthurian legend.
I just started book three. I can't wait to see where this leads me.
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