The Skystone - Camulod Chronicles 1 - Jack Whyte Book Review

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Review Summaries

" Forge, Jan 2001, 14.95, 352 pp. ISBN: 0765303728 By the latter half of the fourth century, anyone with a fraction of intelligence could see the pending apocalypse as the Roman Empire is collapsing. Places on the outer rim are becoming increasingly dangerous as civilization nears collapse. Many of the nobles flee for the sanctuary of Rome, but those who remain behind in places like Britain struggle to survive. Gaius Publius Varrus recognizes the imminent collapse and worries about the future of Britain. With his closest friend General Caius Cornelius Britannicus, Publius decides it is time for Britain to begin its own heritage that breaks away from Rome into something greater before his land descends into an age of darkness. Honor over betrayal and justice over unfairness is his goal symbolized by the forging of a special sword made from the rock that fell from the heavens so that his great-grandchildren can thrive in a wondrous world. THE SKYSTONE, book one of Jack Whyte's Camulod Chronicles, is a fabulous pre—Arthurian tale that reads more like a historical fiction due to the inclusion of the mundane everyday life especially that of the soldier. Done in a first person narrative that is told in retrospect by Publius looking back over seven decades, the engaging story line is loaded with historical tidbits that make this book a must read for the Camelot crowd and the ancient historical buffs. Though the women are not quite as developed as the men, readers will want to obtain book 2 THE SINGING SWORD that continues to chronicle the pre-legend days of yore. Harriet Klausner

Crested sapwood supportable noradrenaline runout. "
Harriet Klausner, Resident Jack Whyte Scholar

""The Skystone" is the first of the Camulod Chronicles, Jack Whyte's brilliant portrayal of the events leading up to King Arthur. The Romans have recently left Britain, leaving the country open to invasion from the Saxons. Publius Varrus and Caius Brittanicus, Arthur's great grand-fathers, have banned together, with a community of people, to save a part of Britain. They fight against invaders from within and without, and form a friendship that will last through decades, and carry onto their children. From beginning to end, a truly exciting book.

Crested sapwood supportable noradrenaline runout. "
Pamela Piarowski, Resident Jack Whyte Scholar

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Overall Review

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book - very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - King Arthur
Romance plotlets: - destined love (dream or prediction)
Political power play Yes
Political plotlets - saving govt/kingdom from external overthrow - preventing/managing clash/war between govts/kingdoms
Tech./$$$/Info hunt Yes
Stealing/recovering/destroying - magical weapon
Inner Struggle Yes
Plotlet: - fighting a personal illness/handicap - search for identity/new understanding
War or Invasion Yes
Major kinds of combat: - hand to hand - sword fights
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - infantry soldier - mage/magician
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - missing body parts/abilities

Main Adversary
Identity: - none - Male
Age: - 20's-30's - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - diplomat
Eccentric: Yes - obsessed - mentally ill - deluded - emotionally unstable - wild
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
Terrain - Forests
Earth setting: - general past - during "Tolkien" (fairytime) times
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 1st - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - descript of touching personal anatomy - descript. of non-breast female anat.
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog - significantly more descript than dialog

Most similar books by Gordonator ranking
The Coming of the King by Nikolai Tolstoy
The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell
One Knight Only by Peter David
The Sword and the Circle - Arthurian Trilogy 1 by Rosemary Sutcliff
The Last Enchantment - Arthurian Saga 3 by Mary Stewart

Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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