The Singing Sword (The Camulod Chronicles, Book 2) [Mass Market Paperback]

Jack Whyte (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 1997

We know the legends: Arthur brought justice to a land that had known only cruelty and force; his father, Uther, carved a kingdom out of the chaos of the fallen Roman Empire; the sword Excalibur, drawn from stone by England's greatest king.

But legends do not tell the whole tale. Legends do not tell of the despairing Roman soldiers, abandoned by their empire, faced with the choice of fleeing back to Rome, or struggling to create a last stronghold against the barbarian onslaughts from the north and east. Legends do not tell of Arthur's great-grandfather, Publius Varrus, the warrior who marked the boundaries of a reborn empire with his own shed blood; they do not tell of Publius's wife, Luceiia, British-born and Roman-raised, whose fierce beauty burned pale next to her passion for law and honor.

With The Camulod Chronicles, Jack Whyte tells us what legend has forgotten: the history of blood and violence, passion and steel, out of which was forged a great sword, and a great nation. The Singing Sword continues the gripping epic begun in The Skystone: As the great night of the Dark Ages falls over Roman Britain, a lone man and woman fight to build a last stronghold of law and learning--a crude hill-fort, which one day, long after their deaths, will become a great city . . . known as Camelot.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A sequel to The Skystone, this rousing tale continues Whyte's nuts-and-bolts, nitty gritty, dirt-beneath-the-nails version of the rise of Arthurian "Camulod" and the beginning of Britain as a distinct entity. In this second installment of the Camulod Chronicles, Whyte focuses even more strongly on a sense of place, carefully setting his characters into their historical landscape, making this series more realistic and believable than nearly any other Arthurian epic. As the novel progresses, and the Roman Empire continues to decay, the colony of Camulod flourishes. But the lives of the colony's main characters, Gaius Publius Varrus?ironsmith, innovator and soldier?and his brother-in-law, former Roman Senator Caius Britannicus, are not trouble-free, especially when their most bitter enemy, Claudius Seneca, reappears. Through these men's journals, the novel focuses on Camulod's pains and joys, including the moral and ethical dilemmas the community faces, the joining together of the Celtic and Briton bloodlines and the births of Uther Pendragon and Caius Merlyn Britannicus. Whyte provides rich detail about the forging of superior weaponry, the breeding of horses, the training of cavalrymen, the growth of a lawmaking body within the community and the origins of the Round Table. It all adds up to a top-notch Arthurian tale forged to a sharp edge in the fires of historical realism.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"From the building blocks of history and the mortar of reality, Jack Whyte has built Arthur's world and showed us the bone beneath the flesh of legend."--Diana Gabaldon

"The very best storytellers keep their readers glued to the story with plot, character, and a keen sense of the dramatic . . . . Whyte breathes life into the Arthurian myths by weaving the reality of history into it."--Tony Hillerman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (May 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812551397
• ISBN-13: 978-0812551396
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #625,703 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jack Whyte is an actor, orator, singer, and poet and the author of the critically acclaimed Dream of Eagles series. He lives in Kelowna, British Columbia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Whyte strikes again, January 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Singing Sword (The Camulod Chronicles, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

While not the "Grabber" that The Skysone was, Whyte has managed a solid second book in what must now be considered an ongoing series leading up to, and including, the Arthurian period. Traditionally, second books in a series seem to fall short of the first, but Whyte's The Singing Sword does not miss by much. He is historically accurate, bringing in actual events like the Pelagian heresy, the final withdrawal of the legions from Britain in the early Fifth century, and the tangled succession crisis of a divided empire. Whyte's long suit is character development and his ability to create flawed human beings with which the reader can identify. Also, the book moves along with plenty of action to propel the story forward. Critics may argue that Whyte places the genesis of the Arthurian period too early, but there is no solid historical basis to the contrary. Whether neo-Roman, Celt, tribal Briton, or some combination of all, we can only speculate about whom Arthur's ancestors may have been. Whyte's explanation is plausible. The Singing Sword is an excellent "bridge" to The Eagle's Brood. Thanks to Jack Whyte for a first rate "read". [e-mail]

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This Series Sings, April 24, 2002

By 

Shawn M. Warswick "High School History Teacher" (El Paso, Tx United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Singing Sword (The Camulod Chronicles, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Jack Whyte continues his tale of Publius Varrus and Caius Brittanicus and their formation of the "colony" of Camaloud. In this, the second novel in the series, the Legions have departed and Arthur's Great Grandparents are struggling for their survival.

Whyte's strong suit is his faithfulness to historical detail. From the departure of the Legions to the Pelagian Heresy, from life in a divided and crumbling Empire to the invasion of post Roman Britain by the Saxons and other "barbarians."

Once again, as in the first installment, Whyte's description and detail of adult sexual situations makes it a novel not for the young or those who easily blush. However, this isn't a condemnation of Whyte or his novel. It is simply more "adult" oriented than the average fantasy novel.

Another strong suite for Whyte is his character development. Each character grows and expands as the story evolves. Furthermore, Whyte doesn't make his characters caricatures so common to most fantasy novels. For example, Publius is certainly a flawed hero and we are shown his more "human" side.

You like Action? There is plenty of action moving the story along. Before you know it, the novel is done and you are dying to read the next installment.

This series does an amazing job bringing the world King Arthur would be born into to life. It may not be what really happened, but it is certainly possible. Just be warned, this novel will leave you hungry for the next intallment.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My goodness. What a pleasure of a read., February 23, 2003

By 

G. Parnell "garythemessage" (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Singing Sword (The Camulod Chronicles, Book 2) (Hardcover)

Forget the romantic setting of ancient Roman Brittania! Jack Whyte's writing style is unmatched by most modern writers. He could write an entire novel about jelly donughts and make it read like a charm. I cannot put it into words exactly how Jack Whyte writes. All I can say is that his words are a pleasure. I ripped through all 547 pages of this paperback in a few days. What an ease and joy. Very relaxing. Very gratifying. It just cements my opinion about all the garbage that is being published today. People making millions on books that are horrible reads. Jack Whyte is the exception!

Jack is obviously well schooled in the history of very ancient England. The Celts, Picts, Scots and Romans are all represented with stunning clarity and picturesque description.

My father had this book laying around in his den. I picked it up and breezed right through it. I hadn't read anything by Jack Whyte prior. I was an instant fan from page one. I hadn't even read the first book "The Skystone" either.

I guess one might want to read the books in order, but I know from experience that this isn't necessary! If you, too, have been put off by modern authors - give Jack a chance to reclaim your "gosh wow!"

Gary
Florida