by Jack Whyte
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Product Description
Everyone knows the story-how Arthur pulled the sword from the stone, how Camelot came to be, and about the power struggles that ultimately destroyed Arthur's dreams. But what of the time before Arthur and the forces that created him?
How did the legend really come to pass?
Before the time of Arthur and his Camelot, Britain was a dark and deadly place, savaged by warring factions of Picts, Celts, and invading Saxons. The Roman citizens who had lived there for generations were suddenly faced with a deadly choice: Should they leave and take up residence in a corrupt Roman world that was utterly foreign, or should they stay and face the madness that would ensue when Britain's last bastion of safety for the civilized, the Roman legions, left?
For two Romans, Publius Varrus and his friend Caius Britannicus, there can be only one answer. They will stay, to preserve what is best of Roman life, and will create a new culture out of the wreckage. In doing so, they will unknowingly plant the seeds of legend-for these two men are Arthur's great-grandfathers, and their actions will shape a nation . . . and forge a sword known as Excalibur.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 A superb work of historical fiction!, 2008-02-13
After finishing Ken Follet's World Without End, I've been starved for another really good work of historical fiction. I'd seen that someone mentioned Jack Whyte's Camulod Chronicles as something people who enjoyed Pillars of the Earth and World Without End would enjoy.
Being that I was never much into King Arthur (not that I have a dislike for the character/legend...just something that I never took the time to explore), I wasn't in that much of a rush to read it.
I'm so glad that I finally picked up this book though. From the beginning to the end this book is quite captivating. The main characters are fictional, but the turmoils and events of the time are based on truth and how Whyte explains and nods to the Arthurian legend and Excalibur are not only clever, they're quite beleivable!
This book is filled with characters that are a joy to read and always entertaining.
I highly recommend this book and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series as soon as I can get my hands on all of them!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
First Book in the Camulod Chronicles, 2007-12-07
Jack Whyte was born and raised in Scotland, but has lived in Canada for the last forty odd years. He is the author of the Camulod series of books and has just had published the first in a trilogy about probably the most famous Order of knights, ever to come through the pages of history, the Knights Templar.
First published in 1992 this is the start of the Camulod Chronicles. This series has blossomed into at least nine books and gives a fresh and interesting approach to the Arthurian legends. If Arthur did exist and it is quite possible that he did, it certainly was not how Hollywood and many recent books on the subject portray him, a noble figure in armour of a style that was in use several hundred years after Arthur, had turned to dust.
As the title suggests this book revolves around the secret of the Skystone. An old soldier, a retired centurion, now a blacksmith, purely by chance finds the secret of an ore-bearing stone that has fallen from the sky. Although the blacksmith knows that the stone has fallen from the sky, what he does not know is that the stone is part of a much larger 'stone,' in fact it is a meteorite and the discovery of the strange metal hidden within the stone provides a link to a legend, over two centuries later, when a boy named Arthur is born. A boy who is destined to be a king . . .
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Best Series Ever, 2007-06-21
This book lays the groundwork for the best series I have ever read. More fiction than history, these books are hard to put down. I read the first 7 in the series, and look forward to the rest.
Not only does Jack Whyte entertain you, he gives you a new perspective of military occupation, chronic diseases, religious politics, love of one's home, and total desparation. The Skystone is not all inclusive; you must read further for Whyte to raise your standards for a well written series.
Because of the bloody violence, this book is more likely to be enjoyed by men than women, but all readers have something to gain from reading The Camulod Chronicles.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Enjoyable Novel , 2007-06-07
I found the novel to be an enjoyable read - more historical fiction than fantasy, which is my preference. it was hard to put down and kept me engrossed. I recommend.
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
 Don't Expect Too Much, 2007-05-01
I will say in defence of those who "rave" over this book - its fun for junk reading. Like other reviewers, I found this book to be poorly written, some gratuitous sex, homophobic in its presentation of the psychotic villain as the first and only homoerotic male presented in the book - imagine in Roman Britain... The female characters are disappointing. Also at times rather anachronistic. It makes me sad that so many reviewers clearly read this book as if it were history - BIG mistake. Read it as a fun escapist easy and quick read. Try to ignore its flaws if those things matter to you - or skip this book/series if you can't get past the inaccuracies, p/c problems, and weak writing/plot development. I probably won't continue on to the rest of this series.
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