The Singing Sword

Arthur the Legend #2

by Jack Whyte

We know the 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 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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Arthurian, Historical, Mythology, Science Fiction Fantasy

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Jack Whyte is an author and writer born and raised in Scotland, but has been living in western Canada since 1967, and in Kelowna, British Columbia, since 1996.

Whyte's major work to date is the A Dream of Eagles series (as it is titled in Canada, but known as The Camulod Chronicles in the United States and elsewhere). This series of historical novels presents the tale of King Arthur set against the backdrop of Roman Britain. This retelling of the popular legend eschews the use of magic (as in T. H. White’s The Sword in the Stone) to explain Arthur’s ascent to power and instead relies on the historical condition (with some artistic license) of post-Roman Britain to support the theory that Arthur was meant to counter the anarchy left by the Roman departure from Britain in 410 AD and the subsequent colonization and invasion of Britain by various peoples from Northwestern Europe, including the Saxons, Jutes, Franks, and Angles). Whyte incorporates both traditional Arthurian names, places and events (albeit in gaelic or Latin form) as well as the names of various historical figures that have been suggested as being the possible basis for the original King Arthur legend. The tacit implication is that Whyte's version of history is the true story that has become distorted over time to become the legend and stories of magic that we know today.

Jack Whyte served as the official bard of The Calgary Highlanders and performed several tracks of poetry and song on the 1990 recording by the Regimental Pipes and Drums of The Calgary Highlanders entitled Eighty Years of Glory: The Regimental Pipes, Drums and Bard of The Calgary Highlanders.

Reviews

[Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Singing Sword is a book of connections. It is very much a sequel to The Skystone, but it’s also the book truly beginning to turn The Camulod Chronicles into a work of Arthurian legend.

The withdrawal of the Roman legions from Britain is as good as complete. Varrus and Britannicus lead their little Colony into the future, a legendary sword is forged, and through intermarriage with the local Celts, the two Romans are gifted with a grandson each: one named Uther Pendragon, the other Merlyn.

The second book in the series was a lot more enjoyable than the first, maybe particularly because it starts becoming recognizable as Arthurian fiction while retaining the historical, realistic perspective from The Skystone. The Singing Sword also had its tedious parts, but overall it just made me more and more invested in the series.

[Algernon · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a journal; less of a legal document. I add my own personal thoughts and observations. There are many of my opinions and thoughts mixed in with the events. As I said, it is a personal history, and sometimes almost embarrassingly egotistical.

‘The Singing Sword’ is the second half of a story that was probably too long to be published in a single volume. It’s a safe bet that those readers who appreciated the first volume will not be disappointed in the second one, and those who didn’t should start the journey there, with ‘The Skystone’.

My opening quote is from Publius Varrus, the main narrator of the book, a professional Roman soldier who is also a very talented blacksmith, and describes his decision to keep a journal about the progress of the Colony.
This Colony is a special project established and nurtured by the best friend and mentor of Publius Varrus, the Senator Caius Britannicus. This visionary has recognized the portents of the imminent collapse of the Roman Empire at the end of the fourth century A.D. and organized the farmers around his estate in southern Britain into a self-supporting, armed colony that will be capable of surviving the retreat of the Roman legions and the increasing attacks from Saxons, Franks, Picts and other assorted barbarians. Publius and Varrus ally themselves with the local Celtic king, whose family name of Pendragon should ring some bells for people familiar with a certain legendary hero.

This second book is dealing mostly with the development of the Colony: repelling marauders coming in war bands over the Channel, re-building the ancient fort on a hill about the main estate, procuring iron that would soon be more precious than gold, flying under the radar of the Roman administrators who would treat the colonists as outlaws, training their paramilitary forces and organizing an independent governing and legislative structure including the use of a Round Table in Council that will keep the impending chaos at bay.

All these details of day to day living and organizing might sound boring on paper, but the author manages to make it interesting and to spice things up either with more of the gratuitous sex scenes I remarked on in my first review and by raising the profile of the arch-enemy of Publius Varrus: a vicious, corrupt Roman Senator named Caesarius Claudius Seneca. Believed dead at the end of the first episode, this over-the-top villain returns hell bent on vengeance here and is responsible for a good portion of the actual military action in the book.

What I said in the review for the first book about the perceived strengths and shortcomings of the novel still holds true for my second visit: Jack Whyte is a great researcher and a very good storyteller. His interest in the historical accuracy is laudable, given how few reliable sources of information about 4th and 5th century Britain are available. He may not be a stylist when it comes to memorable quotes, but he is well versed in how to pen a page-turner.

Some of Mr. Whyte’s historical pet theories on weaponry, tactics and politics are open to criticism, but at least he made me curious enough to extend my research and look up things like the increase use of the longbow, the different methods of tempering iron, the use of stirrups, the importance of cavalry versus infantry (the Battle of Adrianople in 376 is mentioned as a turning point in history, although wikipedia places it in 378 and puts the stress on infantry, not on cavalry like Whyte). In a similar manner, I enjoyed the invitation to comment on early Christianity’s moral dilemmas and doctrine debates.

As a Christian, I would be doing murder by killing them. But if I spared them, I would be condoning murder, for they would kill others as surely as they breathed. (about the killing of prisoners taken in battle)

The soon to be declared sacrilegious commentary by Pelagius on Augustine dogma about the role of free will, original sin and grace is for me still relevant for a modern discussion on religion.

The last chapters of the novel are the most captivating, not so much for the fate of individual characters that the reader has grown attached to over the course of several decades, but for the finally clear references to Arthurian myth: the fabulous sword from the title is forged, named and baptized in blood. Its singing has a physical explanation, not only a mythical one (like many other references that Whyte makes here); The Pendragon, Varrus and Britannicus families become united in blood and heirs, forging a new people with a new Briton identity; the fort on the hill is also finished and named, a name that would resonate through the ages.

All of these late developments are surely tempting me to plunge right into the next book in the series, but I’m a bit afraid of becoming too critical of the style of presentation and of some aspects of the characterization, so I will put it on hold while I start on a six book fantasy epic that I waited several years to be finished.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this second book in Whyte's Arthurian series. It gave a great feel of life in Roman Britain as things are deteriorating (at least if you're a Roman). I appreciate his giving the characters motivations that 21st century people can relate to. It's a little heavy on the military/battle detail than I usually read, but it works in this context. The story does follow military men after all. And I adore all the Roman epithets! I will definitely be ordering the 3rd book from my library sooner rather than later.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Colony Grows

Publius and Caius have not only started a colony, but a council to govern it and all members being equal will meet in a circular arrangement. The daughter of Publius Varrus marries the son of Ullic Pendragon and the child of that union’s name is Uther.

Picus Britannicus married Ullic’s sister Enid before going back to battle and their child’s name was Merlyn Caius Britannicus.

But before this happened they developed heavy cavalry and greater defenses enlarging the fort on the hill. This was a cool book with ever increasing historical significance with Britain’s actual history that the author so carefully researched to blend with the legend, and that legend is starting to take shape. Five stars that I can’t do a worthy review on when I am half asleep.

[Tim Mcdougall · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whyte starts with a great concept -- an alternative view of the Arthur mythos, this time with Arthur's ancestors as Roman soldiers. And he does some of the best battle scenes in the business. He does his research, choreographs them well, and generates real tension when he's focusing here.

So ... why he decides to go on for hundreds of pages at a time while his main characters do nothing but extol the virtues of farming, or the beauty of his wife, or the virtues of working hard as a blacksmith is beyond me. It doesn't feel like he did the research to make these sections interesting or that he really cares to, and his characterizations are too flat to make these extended sections work. To make it worse, there is absolutely no tension in the plot for these sections -- I felt like I was just plowing through to get to the conclusion. A tedious enough read, for me at least, that I dropped the series despite some recommendations from family.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this third reading of THE SINGING SWORD I am reminded of all of the reasons that I love this series. Deep and lovable characters, sweeping storyline and twisted drama.

In this installment we follow ol' Publius Varrus as he truly creates the very roots of King Arthur. The idea of mounted knights are created, a round council is formed, Uther and Merlin are fathered and most importantly Excalibur is born!

This book and series are a slow burn. Possibly the slowest burning series that I've ever read but I love getting lost in an epic of this magnitude. Envision Robin Hobb with more details and a more highly episodic narrative. I feel that even the impatient could really enjoy this well written story.

I do find the characters to be pompous and preachy at times but that is really just how Jack Whyte writes his characters. They all have to be complete genius dickholes sometimes for them to accomplish the impossible.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Ya se ve hacia dónde apunta el autor en realidad.-

Género. Novela histórica (con mucha ficción, sin serlo exactamente, pero la calificación orienta mejor que otras).

Lo que nos cuenta. El abandono de la Antigua Roma de sus conquistas en Britania es un hecho, y mientras diferentes facciones van tomando esos territorios, Gayo Publio Varrón y Cayo Cornelio Británico luchan por mantener su pequeña colonia a salvo y con independencia, pero se están haciendo mayores y ellos mismos lo notan. Segundo libro de la saga Crónicas de Camelot.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Carrie Slager · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m the sort of person that loves doing jigsaw puzzles, which is part of the reason why I loved The Singing Sword. It’s a lot like a jigsaw puzzle, what with tiny, barley recognizable pieces of the Arthurian legends slowly being dropped into place. We got the outline or the edge pieces in the first book in A Dream of Eagles (formerly known as The Camulod Chronicles), The Skystone, and now we’re starting to fill in the easy parts.

Publius is obviously more mature than he was in the first book and it’s almost more interesting to see this more mature, worldly point of view as he and Caius struggle to build up the Colony. Their alliance with King Ullic, the growing threat of foreign invaders reaching Roman territory and an old villain reappearing made The Singing Sword very exciting and an entertaining read. Of course, there are the bad parts of the novel as well and I would definitely not recommend it for people who are sensitive to gore. Jack Whyte writes as Publius would have in the times and is less sensitive to the violence all around him. Therefore, it’s difficult for someone with modern views on violence to accept the ancient world for what it was, but The Singing Sword feels all the more authentic for that.

Not only is Publius more mature than when we left him at the end of The Skystone, all of the other characters are more mature. Their newly acquired maturity does not mean that they’re boring or that they don’t have character arcs. Quite the opposite, in fact. Fans of the first book will love to see their favourite characters change even more and will learn to love the new generation that helps bring the legend of Camelot closer to reality.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in the “Camulod Chronicles” picks up shortly after the events of the first book, The Skystone. It continues the tale of Caius Britannicus and Publius Varrus (both great grandfathers of the future King Arthur of Briton) as they continue to build the colony of Camulod during the turn of the 5th century AD, when Rome was pulling out of Briton and leaving the Brits, the Celts, and other assorted peoples to deal with various invading groups such as the Saxons and the Northmen.

I love the way this series is a truly accurate historical novel series, at this point at least, that also just happens to be related to the Arthurian legends. As the colony of Camulod gets established, we get to see major historical events and influences unfold. For example, due to the need for mobility in responding to threats, the art of warfare using horses is advanced. Rome was never known for its cavalry but now there is a need for well-trained warriors on horses. A breeding program is introduced to increase the size of the horses, the stirrup is introduced, and the swords are lengthened to allow use from horseback. All of these developments are actual historical occurrences. We also get to witness the first rough efforts to convert a Senate-like council meeting where elitism prevails to a newer style of local government in the form of a round circle of chairs where all have an equal voice. I think we all know where this will lead to in an Arthurian sense.

But more importantly, this is a well-told tale. Just as in the first novel, this is a first person account by Publius Varrus, a former legionnaire, partly crippled through a battle injury, and now a master blacksmith. One might correctly guess from the title that he is the eventual crafter of Excalibur. His first person point of view lends a great perspective on bringing these great events down to the individual level and allowing the everyday life of families, lovers, builders, etc. to be as personal and emotional for the reader as it is for him. Great and satisfying personal achievements are matched by great loss and even tragedy. It is rare when a fictional novel brings a tear to my eye but this one managed to do it.

All of these great historical shifts in thinking and technique take many years. The first two novels cover most of Caius and Publius’s long lives but it is inevitable that we move on. I’m excited for the third book in the series The Eagles' Brood where I understand that Publius’s grandson takes over the first person account. His name is Caius Merlyn Britannicus, first cousin of Uther Pendragon.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A daring plan to unite the Roman Colony founded by Caius Brittanicus and his Celtic counterpart Ullic, the King of the Britons, is endangered when a face from Varrus' past threatens everything they know. Having no choice, Publius Varrus must use his statue of The Lady of the Lake to create a new breed of weapon to save his future.

Whyte's writing style is energetic, but the strength is in the characters, who come alive on the page and strengthen the plot immensely.

[Don Maker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rather than the romantic, fantastical versions of Camelot, this is the story of how it all might have really come about. This is book two of at least nine in the Camulod Chronicles, and I have ordered books one and three after reading this. Because the story begins at the tail end of the fourth century, it is very much about the Roman influence on Britain, and how the two cultures merged together as the Roman Empire was disintegrating. It seems Mr. Whyte did his research, as the lifestyles and events seem authentic, and all of the elements of the Arthurian legend come about in a very believable manner.

The characters are well-drawn and fully developed, and the action is interesting whether it involves a battle or a billows—the main character in this novel, Publius Varrus, becomes a blacksmith after retiring from the Roman legions and of course creates a marvelous sword he names Excalibur. As a writer, it was very impressive to me that Mr. Whyte could maintain both interest and tension in fairly long descriptions of seemingly mundane things, albeit he either immediately or eventually made clear how they tied into both the immediate story and the future legend. There were a couple of long, philosophical conversations that were off the main topic, although they did relate to some of the sub-plots, but he managed to make them interesting as well, at least to me.

If you enjoy historical fiction, lively portrayals of ancient periods (especially England), and revel in the Arthurian legend in particular, I think you will love this series. It is very slow in developing, as is life itself, but very rich in its detail and authenticity.

[Nicole D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

book two gets us to the birth of Merlin and Uther, so finally hitting the Arthurian story. The Narrator of the audio book and the narrator of the story annoy me. I think the narrator of the story annoys me because of the author - there's so much meandering into self-congratulation and "I am man, listen to me tell you of my greatness." But - I do enjoy the story so I just let my brain wander during those parts. Will proceed to book 3, interested to see how the story turns from ancient Rome to Athurian Legend.

I do fear Arthur will also be a self-congratulatory d-bag, we'll see when we get there.

[Barth Siemens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gaius Publius Varrus, the first person narrator, lived a rich and varied life that he tells through this series by Jack Whyte. If Commander Varrus has one fault, it is that he halts his narration all too often for an exposition on this or that—often about his long-held dream to smith a sword for the ages. As a reader, these tangents disrupts the flow and sidelines my suspension of disbelief.

For someone who said so much about smithing swords, I was dismayed that he wanted me to accept that it was sharp from the cast—setting aside the likelihood of it turning out well from a mold at all.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not expect the pain at the end of this book! It is expected, but completely unwelcome! Had I but been alone when I finished it... Tears would've flowed rivers!😭
But on the plus side we have the first entrance of Uther and Merlin!😁

[Beorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Due to the rather weird, unhelpful way the reissues are listed, I am reading this as book two in the Legends Of Camelot series as that is how they work out chronologically in terms of the story arc - so this book should only be read after 'The War Of The Celts')

Don't get me wrong, there are a few good things in this book, but for the most part this is a remarkably tedious & turgid affair.

It says a lot about the mostly tepid feel of a book when a number of massacres drenched in blood and an invasion by barbarian Franks fail to lift the general feel of the book beyond wooden.
I won't go into too much detail on that front, save ruining any of the plot, but suffice to say that there will be a number of chapters where you'll gladly skip ahead entire paragraphs as it feels far more like reading through a bureaucrat's take on Arthurian legend rather than an authors. All red tape, musings, deliberations and wistful thinking and very little action.

There is also a pretty significant anachronism here in the authors adamant suggestion that the main protagonists invented the idea of cavalry using a longer sword instead of a spear, when that method had already been adopted and used by imperial cavalry for over a century before the time period in which this book is set. On top of that, the author also makes the insinuation that the Celts living in (what would later become) Wales had no knowledge of longswords, only using axes as weapons, even though it's practically the most basic of common knowledge that the majority of barbarian tribes the Roman Empire went up against, especially the latter ones (who hadn't been co-opted into the Roman army itself), had used longswords for generations.
It is that double-edged anachronism, on top of an overall stodgy feel to the book that prevents me from being able to particularly praise the story.

Aside from the long, tedious parts of the story dedicated to military planning or boredom inducing bureacracy, the novel is still relatively easy to read and compelling enough to keep you ploughing through.

There's a rather farcical reappearance of the main protagonist from the last book, Claudius Seneca, who extremely conveniently has survived being impaled on a sword and left for dead for hours; a factor that far from impressing you actually makes you roll your eyes a little at a lazy regurgitation of an element from the last book. Without wanting to spoil it, there is a large section of this book that Seneca mercifully doesn't feature in, though he does reappear at the end with pretty significant, rather unnecessary, consequences almost as if the author couldn't be arsed with him any more and just wanted to use him to tie up a few looose ends.

Overall, this is okay. What few generally good parts in the book there are, are lost amid an incredibly turgid pile of blandness. The author is undeniably one who can craft a credible character but time and time again uses them so little or explores them so little that you end up wondering why he bothered.

Okay but a distinct plateau.

[Lisa (Harmonybites) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Camulod Chronicles, which began in The Skystone. The book deals with the legend of King Arthur, but unlike other treatments of the material I've read, it's entirely realistic, with none of the fantastical--that, in fact is it's fascination. I haven't read the series by Bernard Cornwall or Stephen Lawhead, so maybe they're in that vein, but even the novels by Mary Stewart that put the stories in the Dark Ages Romano-British context had elements of fantasy--let alone more tradition approaches such as the stories by T.H. White. But in Whyte's story, if the sword Excalibur is special, its because it was smelted from a meteorite and forged by a master smith. And the Lady of the Lake? Well, she has a purely realistic explanation too we learned in the first book.

This book starts off right from where the last one began, in the twilight of the Roman Empire. And in fact, if I rate this a bit lower, it's because it does feel so much like a continuation, and so not as novel in its impact. It shares the same virtues and drawbacks--and narrator--as the last book. This is the account of Publius Varrus, a former Roman legionnaire and the man who will forge Excalibur. Whyte in my estimation as good a writer as Mary Stewart or T.H. White who were both strong prose stylists. The information isn't always woven in that naturally, and I'm not ever struck by passages I'd love to highlight or dogear.

But I did, just as with the last book, find myself fascinated by the depiction of the Roman Empire falling apart and the beginning of a new era. If the last one was notable for it's picture of the political and military, this one is interesting for what I learned, for instance, of the challenge of Pelagius to the Christian orthodoxy established by St Augustine. Also here you see the beginnings of knights--in the development of heavy cavalry, the visor, the stirrup and the lance. And while the last book merely set the backdrop of late Roman Britain, and you had to depend on the back of the book to learn Varrus would be Arthur's great-grandfather, in this book we finally begin to see the emergence of the age of Camelot with the birth of Merlyn and Uther. I'm certainly still interested in reading more of the series.

[Mary Overton]

Book 2 of a King Arthur retelling for those who like their legends with hearty dollops of sex & violence. Fascinating conjecture on the possible historical roots of Arthurian romances. Fun, quick read. Dreadful literature. Rosemary Sutcliff's YA historical novels are much superior.

From speeches at the wedding Arthur's grandparents - a Celtic Prince and a daughter of an aristocratic Roman family:
"'Today, we make a new beginning, a complete departure from the ways of old, and yet we will do it in a way that keeps the best of the old ways - the best of the Celtic ways and the best of the Roman ways.'" (pg. 466)
"'For the children of this marriage will be ours, the best of all of us, combined in strength! The start of a new people - named by us, and not by foreigners! Their children - our children! - will be the people of Britain. Not Romans, not Celts, not Belgae or Dumnonii but BRITONS!'" (pg. 468)

The iron-worker, Publius Varrus, invents a weapon for use by soldiers on horseback, the new and revolutionary way of making war.
The swords "were beautifully made, their blades long and lethal, their hilts heavy, elongated and weighted at the ends by large pommels. They balanced perfectly..... a cavalry sword, not meant for a man on foot." (pp. 441-2)
One exceptional sword is made from the unearthly metal of a meteorite.
"'Excalibur. That's its name. That's what I've called the sword. That's what it is.'
"Plautus blinked at me. 'Excalibur? .... I've never heard it before.'
"....'It's never been said before. Calibur - qalibr - is the north African desert people's word for a mould. This came out of a mould....' .... Minutely graduated lines rippled like water-marks along each side of the long blade, flowing outward from the thick central spine to edges sharper than any I had ever known, reflecting the light in their patterns and showing where the metal had been folded upon itself and beaten times without number during the tempering process." (pg. 517)

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's also told from the first person view of Publius Varrus, although it shows more nuance and duality to him than the first book. In the first book, he was more pure and heroic than this book, in which we find him dealing with the intricate relationship issues that come with marriage, lust, love, alliance, and teacher. Whereas the first book has a lot of dialog dealing with the philosophy of society, this book contains a decent amount of dialog regarding spiritual roles of God and Man in relation to the Hierarchy of the Catholic church. It also shows the original characters dealing with the inevitable trials of old age.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secondo e sempre più avvincente capitolo delle Cronache di Camelot, segue per i tre quarti della trama le sorti del fabbro Publio e della sua Colonia, dando un magnifico spezzone della vita in Britannia nel 400 d.C., contemporaneamente alla decadenza dell'Impero Romano. Nell'ultima parte Publio forgia una spada molto speciale, trait d'union per le storie che seguiranno.
Trama avvincente, facilmente accessibile a chiunque (a parte qualche termine tecnico), scorrevole. Ottima lettura. Unico neo: alcune (poche) parti per i miei gusti troppo "osè" che stonano con il resto della narrazione; le reputo pressocchè inutili, per cui tranquillamente evitabili.

[Chuck Slack · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Singing Sword is the second of a three book series and it kind of reads like it. The first book sets up the storyline and I imagine the third finishes it making the second a gap filler. This book dedicates a lot of pages to not much action but rather "fleshes out" the overall story. It presents the foundations of a new form of government, new methods of warfare, new weaponry, all happening near the end of the Roman Empire. This is what makes this book an interesting read.

Jack Whyte is a very good storyteller and decent writer. I recommend the first two books in this series. I haven't read the third yet.

[Dennis Steussy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Singing Sword in the Eagle Series by Jack Whyte is an excellent second book in this saga about Camelot. This book gets a little racy in places, but the overall story moves forward. If you enjoyed the
first book in the series The Skystone, then you will enjoy this one too. Lots of surprises at the end of the book for the future!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first. I really like Whyte's writing style, but this book meandered too much without enough purpose, and just didn't further the plot of the series enough. The ending was very fast and abrupt. I liked it (and the first) sufficiently to continue the series, though.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read 3 times!

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book

[Emanuela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secondo volume della saga.
Ambientato come il primo nella Britannia del 400 d.C.
Protagonista è lo stesso Publio Varro che avevamo lasciato lontano da casa al termine del primo volume.
In questo entriamo subito nel vivo dell’azione ed è molto più movimentato, arrivando finalmente alla forgiatura di questa mitica spada e, anche se le parti relative alla forgiatura e progettazione di questa risultano un po’ lunghe, è emozionante assistere alla nascita di Excalibur la spada che canta!
Procede anche l’organizzazione della Colonia con i suoi abitanti, con la creazione di un Consiglio, ma anche le battaglie per la difesa dai popoli esterni che stanno invadendo la Britannia, grazie all’alleanza con i Celti di Ullic.

Mi piace che venga trattata una parte della storia che finora è sempre stata lasciata un po’ in ombra, e anche che sia ricco di intrighi e tensione.
È appassionante assistere alla fine di un’epoca ma anche vederne nascere, crescere e svilupparsene una del tutto nuova, con un principio di quella inclusione tipica del mondo britannico.
Mi lasciava un po’ perplessa però finora il fatto che non avesse ancora fatto la sua comparsa Artù, dato che questa serie è presentata come le cronache di Camelot, ma finalmente qui vengono introdotti nuovi protagonisti tra i discendenti, come già il ritorno di Pico e il matrimonio in programma facevano supporre,
e spuntano Merlino e Uther Pendragon e assistiamo alla nascita di Camulod.

Vengono sollevate importanti riflessioni riguardo la libertà.
Comincia ad esserci una degenerazione dei comportamenti della gente della Colonia e non solo, e della loro moralità. Da cosa dipende? È la natura dell’uomo, come diceva Hobbes? Serve una legge più forte, un controllo più presente come minaccia per chi vada fuori legge, per farli comportare nel modo corretto? O invece è un’evoluzione indipendente da questo, della società intera?
E poi: per controllare questa depravazione, come si deve fare, quali possono essere i mezzi migliori? Quali uomini possono ergersi a giudici in questo senso? E dove devono fermarsi, quali sono i limiti da rispettare? Possono semplici uomini spingersi oltre, fino ad entrare nella sfera privata di un nucleo familiare o di un singolo?
Ed infine altro argomento molto importante ed ancora oggi attuale: per prendere delle decisioni così importanti e fare valutazioni tanto delicate, serve la partecipazione delle donne. Ma come è possibile ciò se non è mai stato permesso a nessuna donna in una società fortemente maschilista?
A questi interrogativi la società britannica nascente si mostrerà più avanzata e con una capacità di innovare più grande di tante società moderne.

Allo stesso modo troviamo discorsi riguardanti la religione e più precisamente la posizione degli uomini di Chiesa su come esercitarla e sul peccato originale e la grazia e quindi la responsabilità umana, davvero tanto avanti per i tempi.
E il metodo introdotto per le assemblee del Consiglio è qualcosa di tecnica psicologica che ancora nella politica attuale non esiste.

In questo libro assistiamo in diretta più che nel primo allo sfacelo dell’impero romano glorioso, per mano dei barbari che invadono ai confini, in questo caso a nord.
Ma viene esposto anche come la scelta di Teodosio di dividere Oriente e Occidente tra i due figli possa essere stata disastrosa, come la versione dei vandali tra i tanti esempio, mostrati come popolo rozzo e disorganizzato e che abbia solo avuto fortuna, sia in realtà la prospettiva di chi ne ha scritto, mentre invece qui per esempio di Stilicone e le sue truppe viene mostrata una faccia ben diversa.
E vengono mostrate anche le innovazioni a livello militare, di cavalleria pesante, che cominciano a comparire ispirate dall’insegnamento di Alessandro Magno, prima, e dai Goti ad Adrianopoli, poi.

Facciamo di nuovo lo sgradito incontro coi Seneca, con una sorpresa sconvolgente che sembrava impossibile inizialmente, che come sempre portano rovina e vendetta.
Io sarei stata meno diplomatica come è Britannico, e molto più incline alla soluzione di Luceia.
Purtroppo non riceverà per l’ennesima volta la sorte che si sarebbe meritato e avrà modo di fare tanti tristi e pesanti danni.

La scelta di far concludere così il libro l’ho odiata anche se forse sarebbe stato prevedibile.

Unica pecca: non capisco davvero l’utilità ai fini della storia narrata, di quella parte iniziale così spinta con Cilla ma vabbè.

Anche in questo romanzo viene sottolineato il clima piovoso dell’Inghilterra😆

[Rusty Dalferes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has long been on my to-be-read shelf, and I began it (election night 2020 in the US, while a President still hadn't been declared) without realizing it's actually the second in the Camulod series. So, while I'm reading them slightly out of order, I give this book, and the entire series, an IMMENSE recommendation for fans of Arthurian legend and historical fiction.

The second book in the Camulod series is told from the perspective of Gaius Publius Varras, a lamed soldier of a noble Roman family and talented ironsmith in the southwest of Roman Britain, confronted with his role in the assumed death of a member of the Seneca clan, another Roman noble family and enemies to Varras and his patron, friend, and former General, Caius Brittanicus. Varras lives in a settlement known then only as the Colony, established by Brittanicus and a few other noble families for communal protection and prosperity in the face of what they predict will be a forthcoming withdrawal of all Roman military control and administration of Britain. Varras is joined with Brittanicus not only through their exploits in various lands as soldiers, but through marriage to Brittanicus's sister, Luceiia, and through the vision of what could become of the Colony in a post-Roman Britain. They work hard on their plans for the Colony, establishing a Council and a local training regimen for troops (including rediscovering and adapting the skill of heavy cavalry), while protecting themselves from invading Saxons, stand-offish Celts, and the perfidy and treachery of the Seneca clan bent on revenge. All the while Varras experiments with new and old forms of swordsmithing, especially using a special form of iron he calls the Skystone, which just might result in the creation of something spectacular. Through natural progression of the plot in battles, treaties, and friendships formed, the book eventually leads to the births of cousins Merlyn and Uther, and the renaming of the Colony as Camulod.

This whole series (I'm now 4 books into it by the time I'm writing this review) reads more like a history of Britain just before and after the withdrawal of Roman occupying forces, rather than as a fantasy series, but it is one of the best retellings of the Arthurian stories I've ever read, giving far more backstory to the generations before Arthur arose (in fact, Arthur doesn't even appear until the end of the 3rd book, and doesn't really make a splash until the 4th). There is a wealth of detail into Roman and Celtic life in Britain near the end of the 4th century, including architecture, weaponry, metallurgy, clothing, farming, geography, religion (including the local "Old Gods" of the native Britons, as well as the still nascent Christian religion gradually spreading through the Roman empire and its schism between the arguments of Augustine and Pelagius), and all other aspects of life that are described in minute detail and written with extraordinary skill by Whyte. It's full of action and intrigue, teasing at a future story we all know and love while telling full tales we've never heard before.

Other than Whyte's tendency to employ the now-common British antipathy towards commas -- like the foot and the pound, the wily Brits seemed to have invented the Oxford comma just so they could spread it to the rest of us before abandoning it themselves -- I had no issues with the mechanics of his writing. It's exceptionally well-written and -edited.

I loved this book, and as I noted above, am currently a few pages into the 5th book from this series. I give it the largest possible recommendation to any fans of the King Arthur "Matter of Britain" legend -- if you liked the books of T.H. White or Marion Zimmer Bradley or Mary Stewart, or even the older sources like Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur or the Mabinogion, then you will love this book and this series.

[Joel Adamson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Argh. It hurts a bit to rate this so low, especially after loving The Skystone so much. After finishing the first book in this series, I thought Jack Whyte is one of my favorite authors, and I rushed to get the sequel from the library. These books are historical fiction set in late Roman Britain that aim to provide a believable basis for the King Arthur legends. They are WAAAAAAAY more believable than most other stories set in this time period. Most everything that takes place in Britain between 400 and 700 AD is utter fantasy. This is not that, at least.

Unfortunately this volume is pretty boring. Although the story progresses and it continues in the same style as The Skystone, at least half of this book is utterly devoid of suspense. Not a lot happens that isn't the simple continuation of the main character's life. And these events are presented in the dullest possible way. For example, the main character has four or five daughters and a super-hot wife. This SHW doesn't do a whole lot except be the MC's SHW. Despite the MC making some stupid mistakes and not valuing her, her reactions are fairly bland and predictable. She plays a role in things, but isn't particularly interesting the way she is in book 1. The daughters barely feature. It's like they're not there at all. The eldest gets married, but there is none of her perspective. No fear, no excitement, no nothing but her parents having bland conversations about it.

Let me be clear, this isn't misogynistic or patriarchal. It's boring. I really had a hard time finishing this one. The only reason I didn't DNF at page 250 was because I was so close to the end.

[Harold · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book in the Camulod Chronicles, The Singing Sword, picks up where the first book, The Skystone leaves off. The book is told from the point of view of Publius Varrus, a former Roman soldier. Varrus is chronicling the building of Camulod, a village that he is developing along with his long time friend Caius Britannicus, who was once a Roman general and senator. This is at a time when Rome is on the decent and Roman military is being pulled from its outlying territories and ever increasing hordes of barbarians are raiding the lands.

Varrus and Caius are setting the stage for what is to become Camelot and the development of a new nation. It is from their lineage that King Arthur emerges.

The premise of the series, the telling of the ancestors of King Arthur, is intriguing. It is why I picked up the series at first. The first book also pretty good but I struggled with this second one. The antagonist that we were lead to believe was dead, was in fact not dead but barely alive and comes back twice to cause trouble for our narrator. There were also many spots in the book that are bogged down in the details that are seemingly necessary to the story.

What saves the book is how Whyte describes the building of the colony. It seems as though Whyte has done thorough research into how a Roman villa would be built and brings it to life.

[Gail Amendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always thought the King Arthur stories were silly, and never paid them much attention, but my friends kept telling me I had to read this series. They were right. This book is a continuation of the story of Publius Varrus and Caius Brittanicus, two former Roman soldiers in late 4th century Britain. Recognizing that the Roman Empire is in decline, they begin to prepare for the time when the Romans will leave Britain to defend itself against the Saxons, Picts and other invaders. They create a colony with a new way of governing itself, and lay the groundwork for the Round Table of Arthurian legend. They forge alliances with the neighboring Celts, and develop new ways of defending their people. By then end of this book we can see where the story is going, as their grandsons, Merlyn and Uther Pendragon have been born, and the legendary Excalibur has been created. These books make what have always seemed to me to be silly stories suddenly quite plausible. One star has been deducted for the somewhat gratuitous inclusion of homosexual characters, apparently only for the purpose of derision. I know this is likely reflective of the attitudes of the time period, but don't feel it is necessary.