The Fort at River's Bend (The Camulod Chronicles, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Jack Whyte (Author) "We stood together on the forward deck of a galley that moved slowly forward through a bright, still September morning, mere months after the murderous..." (more)
Key Phrases: Publius Varrus, Arthur Pendragon, Sons of Condran (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Fearing for the life of his nephew, eight-year-old Arthur Pendragon, after an assassination attempt in their beloved Camulod, Caius Merlyn Brittanicus uproots the boy and sails with an intimate group of friends and warriors to Ravenglass, seeking sanctuary from King Derek. Though Ravenglass is supposed to be a peaceful port, danger continues to threaten and it is only through the quick thinking of the sharp-tongued, knife-wielding sorceress Shelagh that catastrophe and slaughter are averted. Derek, who now realizes the value of the allegiances Merlyn's party bring to his land, offers the Camulodians the use of an abandoned Roman fort that is easily defensible. The bulk of the novel involves the growth of Arthur from boyhood to adolescence at the fort. There he is taught the arts of being a soldier and a ruler, and magnificent training swords are forged in Excalibur's pattern from the metals of the Skystone. While danger still lurks around every corner, this is a peaceful time for Britain, so this installment of the saga (The Saxon Shore, etc.) focuses primarily on the military skills Arthur masters, as well as on the building and refurbishing of an old Roman fort. Whyte has again written a historical fiction filled with vibrant detail. Young Arthur is less absorbing a character than many of the others presented (being seemingly too saintly and prescient for his or any other world), but readers will revel in the impressively researched facts and in how Whyte makes the period come alive.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
In the fifth installment of the Camulod Chronicles, Caius Merlyn Britannicus has fled Camulod after a failed assassination attempt on young Arthur. Arriving in the neutral port of Ravenglass, Merlyn discovers that the king is Derek, the man who killed Uther Pendragon, Arthur's father, and raped Ygraine, his mother. He wisely suppresses his emotions and bargains for the use of an abandoned Roman fort located in the hills above the town. To ensure the group's safety, and to keep Arthur's presence secret, Merlyn and his young charge publicly board a ship leaving the harbor, then trek back overland to the fort, where "Cay" and his apprentice are welcome. Over the next few years, Arthur begins to grow into the man who will become the legend and one day wield the sword smelted out of skystone just for him: Excalibur. Until then, Cay must keep him alive and hidden from his enemies. Not as bloody as some of its predecessors in this series, Whyte's latest continues to bring the myth convincingly to life. Melanie Duncan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (March 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812544188
• ISBN-13: 978-0812544183
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #250,997 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 5 in The Camulod Chronicles (Dream of Eagles) Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is only the first half, April 8, 2007

By	2shoes (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fort at River's Bend (The Camulod Chronicles, Book 5) (Paperback)

It's worth knowing that this is only the first half of the novel called The Sorcerer as it was written by Jack Whyte. It was split into two parts (this one and Metamorphosis) and renamed by marketers. So, if the book doesn't seem to have a satisfying resolution for some, that should explain it. I got this information from an FAQ on the author's website.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the calm before the storm, May 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fort at River's Bend (The Camulod Chronicles, Book 5) (Hardcover)

Somewhat slow paced, readers of the series will still find this book very interesting. It just seemed a necessary task to set up what is to come. I personally enjoyed it for I find the 'daily life' of people very interesting during these periods of great historical significance.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Absorbing Intermisso, April 4, 2000

By	M.E.C (Texas) - See all my reviews

It seems fitting that book five of this series should proceed at a measured pace giving the young Arthur time to grow toward becoming the legendary king.

The details of life as it might have been after the Roman recessional continues to hold the reader's interest as do the adventures chronicled in "..Rivers Bend."

Mr. Whyte has done his homework in regard to a couple of key elements of this series. By so doing he bolsters the credibility of other faucets of his work in which the reader might not have detailed knowledge. The iron working techniques described were known to the sword makers of Damascus and might well have been within the ken of such cosmopolitan Romans as Varrus and Britanicus. His assessment of meteoric iron as a superior source of blade steel has some historical precedent. James Bowie's knife was "forged from a piece of a star." The persistence of republican Roman ideals long after the Empire had moved into despotism and decline is quite believable. They could well have provided the same cultural anchor for Camelot as they later did for the 18th Century Enlightenment and the fledgling American Republic.

Not surprisingly, book five of the series is not the place to start reading the Camulod Chronicles. It is however, a very satisfying installment. This reader eagerly awaits the next volume