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mrbear's review against another edition
3.0
This is challenging to review. On the one hand, I read it, and didnt put it down. On the other hand, I cant really say that this book “worked” for me. The parallel narrative with the previous book made me slightly curious about filling in the gaps, but also made the book drag a bit at times (and the points where the author “fast forwards” while reminding you of Merlyn’s perspective were very jarring). The main issue I had is that the character development and progression of Uther is just not great. Honestly, Merlyn’s wasnt either, and I found myself missing Publius Varrus and the general tone and theme of the first two books. There’s a lot of chaos in this one - armies appearing out of nowhere to put Uther into bigger and bigger messes that, while atmospheric, never really made a lot of sense. If Lot is so unlikable and nuts, how is he convincing thousands of mercenaries to show up and fight whomever they see on the road? Maybe the world was really like this, but from a reader’s perspective, it just felt like senseless chaos, and Uther’s abnormally developed sense of honor was completely at odds with the situations he found himself in. Concepts didnt develop in this book the way they promised to in the first 2-3. We didnt learn more about the concept of Camulod, or even Cambria, and overall the philosophical style of the first two books was totally absent.
Maybe all of this was intentional (to some extent, it surely was), but the books are definitely trending in a direction I’m less curious about, and thats disappointing. I’ll keep reading, but I look forward to the next less than I did before.
As a note, I read this after The Eagles’ Brood because that’s how my books were numbered. Realizing now that maybe that was not the correct reading order, but while reading it felt reasonable/natural.
Maybe all of this was intentional (to some extent, it surely was), but the books are definitely trending in a direction I’m less curious about, and thats disappointing. I’ll keep reading, but I look forward to the next less than I did before.
As a note, I read this after The Eagles’ Brood because that’s how my books were numbered. Realizing now that maybe that was not the correct reading order, but while reading it felt reasonable/natural.
ltg61's review against another edition
1.0
I really, really tried to like Jack Whyte. I wanted to like him, but my god are his books an absolute grind to get through. While Uther is my 3rd and final attempt at getting into Jack Whyte, these complaints can be applied to his other books in varying degrees.
1) Horribly flat characters. Character development goes something like this: Bad man is bad, good man is good. Thats it.
Also, I think Whyte has some large person-worship, because it seems the only characters that get physical descriptions are described as "the big man."
2) The dialogue is atrociously unbelievable. As I believe I read in another review for another one of his books; why is it that even the rough-and-tumble characters speak in stuffy, proper english? It just further serves to make his writing even more flat and empty.
3) Irritating pacing. For example, particularly in this book, we're forced to read through way too many pages of awkward sex scenes (I'm no prude, but with Whytes writing style, they read like my grandmother describing a porno flic to me), but all the battles, tactics and politics which could have served to give some kind redeeming quality to this numbingly boring read, are skimmed over.
I tried, I really did, Jack, but your books may be the very definition of "bland".
1) Horribly flat characters. Character development goes something like this: Bad man is bad, good man is good. Thats it.
Also, I think Whyte has some large person-worship, because it seems the only characters that get physical descriptions are described as "the big man."
2) The dialogue is atrociously unbelievable. As I believe I read in another review for another one of his books; why is it that even the rough-and-tumble characters speak in stuffy, proper english? It just further serves to make his writing even more flat and empty.
3) Irritating pacing. For example, particularly in this book, we're forced to read through way too many pages of awkward sex scenes (I'm no prude, but with Whytes writing style, they read like my grandmother describing a porno flic to me), but all the battles, tactics and politics which could have served to give some kind redeeming quality to this numbingly boring read, are skimmed over.
I tried, I really did, Jack, but your books may be the very definition of "bland".
tmobil's review against another edition
4.0
Favorite Quotes
I knew even then, the first time that I saw you, that I loved you.
I suspect that much of life is like that. We seldom see what is closest to our eyes.
A man is a fool to live in hopes of a better tomorrow. I have a thousand, better ways today to spend what time remains ahead of me, and I have brighter, lighter and more pleasant places in which to spend it.
She knew exactly how he was feeling, because experience had taught her that the kind of excitement she was feeling at that moment was never, ever one-sided. On the contrary, she knew that it was born of acute and mutual anticipation, and she knew, too, that it would not be denied.
Their sudden intimacy was like the explosive combustion that engulfs and consumes a moth that has fluttered too close to a candle flame; a completely unexpected turn of events that took both of them unawares and swept them irresistibly up and out of themselves as it hurled them into each other’s arms.
I knew even then, the first time that I saw you, that I loved you.
I suspect that much of life is like that. We seldom see what is closest to our eyes.
A man is a fool to live in hopes of a better tomorrow. I have a thousand, better ways today to spend what time remains ahead of me, and I have brighter, lighter and more pleasant places in which to spend it.
She knew exactly how he was feeling, because experience had taught her that the kind of excitement she was feeling at that moment was never, ever one-sided. On the contrary, she knew that it was born of acute and mutual anticipation, and she knew, too, that it would not be denied.
Their sudden intimacy was like the explosive combustion that engulfs and consumes a moth that has fluttered too close to a candle flame; a completely unexpected turn of events that took both of them unawares and swept them irresistibly up and out of themselves as it hurled them into each other’s arms.
jaxboiler's review against another edition
3.0
This definitely became a chugging type of book for me to read. It provides the story behind one on the characthers, Uther, that is one of the main characters in the main series so it was interesting to read about his side of things. But at time it just seemed to get dragged down. It does provide some answers to question that popped up in the main series. It was an interesting read but not something I would pick up and read again.
tri_sara_topps's review against another edition
2.0
While the writing was good in certain sections, I found this book very slow, hard to get through, and easy to put down. Too many of the characters are also just not likeable enough to be redeemed when they do morally wrong. Already knowing this story from one side from the rest of the series, I don't feel this one focusing more on Uther brought anything new or unique enough to warrant this book. Definitely not my favorite in the series.
writtendark's review
5.0
I bought this book when it was published, as I was a huge fan of the series. For some reason, it just didn't click with me, so I put it down after the first couple of chapters. Recently, I decided to re-read the entire series, and gave Uther another try. I can see where I stopped before, but I kept going and found it just as gripping and fantastic as any other of these Jack Whyte books.
Much of the story had been gone over in one of the earlier books, but in this one, we see things from an entirely different point of view, and questions that have been mysteries for many books now have answers. Since the story was already part of another book, you know it's a tragic one, but it was a beautiful tragedy.
Much of the story had been gone over in one of the earlier books, but in this one, we see things from an entirely different point of view, and questions that have been mysteries for many books now have answers. Since the story was already part of another book, you know it's a tragic one, but it was a beautiful tragedy.
elusiverica's review
4.0
The seventh book in the Camulod Chronicles. It’s set during the same time period as The Eagles’ Brood (book three), but from the perspective of Uther Pendragon. This is the story of Uther’s childhood in the Pendragon clan, the duty he feels to follow in his father’s footsteps and become their king (even if he would secretly prefer to live in Camulod), his romance with Igraine of Cornwall and the birth of their son Arthur. I liked that we finally got an answer to the mystery of who killed Merlyn’s wife Cassandra, and I loved that Uther knew Merlyn suspected him but was certain that if he could just talk to his cousin and explain, all would be right between them again. He loved Merlyn like a brother until the day he died, even when Merlyn hated him, and he would have been glad that Merlyn took charge of his son and raised him to be king - in fact, it would probably be his ideal scenario. That makes me feel much better about that whole arrangement.
This book was different from the others in the series, because it was told in third person instead of first person. Uther isn’t the type to write memoirs, unlike Merlyn or his grandfather Varrus. This means that for the first time, we got women as POV characters. At first I wasn’t thrilled about this, because what it mostly seemed to mean was more rape/attempted rape scenes. But then we got to Igraine, and having her point of view was excellent. I enjoyed her romance with Uther more than any other romance so far in the series.
This book was different from the others in the series, because it was told in third person instead of first person. Uther isn’t the type to write memoirs, unlike Merlyn or his grandfather Varrus. This means that for the first time, we got women as POV characters. At first I wasn’t thrilled about this, because what it mostly seemed to mean was more rape/attempted rape scenes. But then we got to Igraine, and having her point of view was excellent. I enjoyed her romance with Uther more than any other romance so far in the series.
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