The Singing Sword

So the Chronicles of the Roman Preppers continues to be unintentionally hilarious as old war buddies band together to prepare for the coming of the Roman Apocalypse. Still fairly entertaining although not much happens. I would have given it 3 stars if I had not become weary of the women's roles in this story and totally offended by the way he describes gay men. I haven't decided whether to continue my rereading of this series (as prelude to finally finishing the last volumes) or spend my time on something less hopelessly trapped in its own limited perspectives.

With the second volume of the Camulud chronicles, Mr. Whyte has departed from the world of "Historical Fiction" to the murky area between "Arthuriana" and Fantasy. The first volume, "the Skystone" worked well in presenting a pre-scientific world, quite reasonably. But now, we have the invention of the hilted sword usually thought to have occurred in Scandinavia in the 900's CE. And, the stirrup, now considered to to have ben brought to Eastern Europe at about 650 in Byzantium, and sliding into the further west in the Carolingian period. of the 800's. So, we are into romance as opposed to the tighter world of say Sharon Penman, or Bernard Cornwell. So, how does it stack up as fantasy, dealing with the matters of "Things too real to be show more true." So so, so far. The characterization is a bit stiff, and now we are coming to see how well the tropes of the Arthurian world are negotiated by Mr. Whyte. Overall the series remains readable, but not compelling. Looking at the title, which could be an homage to the "Prince Valiant" Comic strip of Hal Foster, I am now searching for further little amusing touches. The novel was first published by Viking Penguin in 1993, in Canada. show less

I thought this was a fair bit better than the first book. It lost some steam at the end - and having now started book 3 I wonder if that could have been offset by starting the otherwise abrupt transition to a new perspective there more in this book - but I still thought structurally this book was solid, did a good job of developing and exploring some interesting topics, and kept the plot moving along well. Some of the same disappointments hold as before, I still wish I learned more about the history from these books, it almost feels like Whyte just needed a team of historians to read these books and suggest places to add more dashes of reality and context. But that’s a huge ask, they’re still good reads, even if I’m slightly show more apprehensive about the next book. show less

When we last encountered Publius Varrus and his friend Caius Britannicus, the two men had founded a colony in south-west Britain, hoping to preserve Roman values and public order even after the Empire inevitably withdraws from the island. This second book in the series shows us the teething struggles of the infant colony, as Saxon raids multiply along the coast and, far across the sea, the Roman empire begins to tear itself apart. While I was glad to be reunited with our two doughty protagonists, of whom I grew rather fond in the first book, I felt that this sequel failed to live up to its eventful predecessor. Pacing becomes a serious issue here, and some factors which only niggled faintly in the first volume became problematic in The show more Singing Sword. And yet there’s still the pleasure of watching various Arthurian motifs (or characters) coming into being. In short, a curate’s egg – and hopefully only a temporary misstep...

For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2019/11/07/the-singing-sword-jack-whyte/ show less

This is the second book in Whyte's Camulod Chronicles, a saga of the Arthurian Legend. These are historical novels, as opposed to the fantasy books that generally populate the Arthurian genre.

This book follows Publius Varrus, as did the last one. He's a blacksmith, but also the leader of the army at the Colony. They run into a spot of trouble at the Colony, thanks to an old foe, but once that is cleared up, they make some very powerful friends. The threat of Saxon raiders comes closer to home in this book as does the need for true laws at the Colony. All of this is setting things up for that which is to come. You know it's a long series when Merlyn isn't born until the end of the second book.

Arthurian legend is one of my favorite show more genres of all time. This deep-seated love is borne of an awesome Brit Lit class my junior year in high school. Mrs. Nixon introduced me to The Once and Future King by T.H. White and I was hooked. My home library has not been the same since. I started this particular series believing that it was a trilogy. Learning my mistake after I had already finished the first novel, I was fully set to continue with the series anyway. The first had me drawn in that much, even though there wasn't a single character in it who I knew from all my other readings in the genre. The same is true mostly of The Singing Sword until Merlyn and Uther Pendragon (cousins) are born at the end of the book.

My point is that the story and the history and the anticipation of my beloved story are all well enough to keep me interested. I knew that the metal from the skystone would become Excalibur, how could it not? The joy is in getting there, in learning about the end of Roman Britain and the rise of all the warrior-kings. I'm thoroughly engrossed in Whyte's telling of how these historical facts intermingle with the Arthurian legend.

I just started book three. I can't wait to see where this leads me. show less

A long-awaited reread of this Arthurian retelling! Set in the 4th and 5th centuries as Rome withdraws from Britain, it follows Caius Brittanicus and Publius Varrus as they establish a colony in southwest Britain, laying the foundation for what will become the Arthurian legends. This realistic, non-magical take introduces key elements like the forging of Excalibur and the early echoes of Camelot’s chivalric ideals.

Hero and teller of the story, Varrus, lurches through the plot by binge drinking and fighting, often ending up unconscious as the result. I'm surprised he's not brain damaged, and can manage to put together a simple sentence. However, I enjoy the premise of the series (King Arthur's ancestors, men of the Roman army), and I expect I'll read further volumes.