The Fort at River's Bend

Camulod Chronicles #5

by Jack Whyte

The Fort at River's Bend is the fifth book in Jack Whyte's saga of the creation of King Arthur's Britain

Merlyn Britannicus, leader of the colony known as Camulod, is faced with the task of educating his young charge, Arthur, future King of the Britons. Fearing for the life of his nephew when an assassination attempt is thwarted, Merlyn takes Arthur and his boyhood companions Gwin, Ghilleadh, and Bedwyr, to the ruins of a long-abandoned Roman fort far from Camulod. Once there, Merlyn realizes it's time for Arthur to become worthy of the sword he is destined to wield later in his life-the mighty Excalibur.

But beyond their idyllic hiding place, forces threaten the tenuous peace of Camulod. In Cambria, the death of Arthur's father Uther has left his people leaderless, and in Cornwall, Merlyn's enemy Peter Ironhair is gathering forces to destroy all Merlyn holds dear.

And Merlyn himself is struggling, because in order to make his dream of a united Britain real, he must put the person he loves most in the world in mortal danger-he and Arthur must return to Camulod.

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

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

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

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Due to an attempt on the young Arthur's life in Camulod Merlin flees with his charge to Cumbria in what is now northeastern England
Arthur is here shown to be a child prodigy as well as physically valiant-the combination of genius and physical prowess making for a perfect leader.
He is loyal to his friends and has both an analytic and imaginative mind.
Merlyn and friend later build a fort at Mediobogdum
No magic as in sorcery but lots of prophetic dreams and premonitions
Also there is a battle against Eirish marauders
Merlin renounces his vow of celibacy to take as a mistress the beautiful young Tressa Rich description of the of the compound at Ravenglass and beautifully erotic imagery of Merlin's admiration for Sheilagh and relations with Tressa.

Merged review:

Due to an attempt on the young Arthur's life in Camulod Merlin flees with his charge to Cumbria in what is now northeastern England
Arthur is here shown to be a child prodigy as well as physically valiant-the combination of genius and physical prowess making for a perfect leader.
He is loyal to his friends and has both an analytic and imaginative mind.
Merlyn and friend later build a fort at Mediobogdum
No magic as in sorcery but lots of prophetic dreams and premonitions
Also there is a battle against Eirish marauders
Merlin renounces his vow of celibacy to take as a mistress the beautiful young Tressa Rich description of the of the compound at Ravenglass and beautifully erotic imagery of Merlin's admiration for Sheilagh and relations with Tressa.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book about Merlyn and young King Arthur. This books has no magic involved and covers the time that Arthur is 8-15. The years he and Merlyn are in hiding waiting for Arthur to grow up enough to claim his rights. Didn't realize this was a book in a series and #5 so now I have #1 on order at the library. Can't wait to read them all.

[Rusty Dalferes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another fantastic installment of this series, with a few editing and consistency mistakes. Still, though, I give this and the whole series a strong recommendation for fans of historical fiction and Arthurian legend.

The fifth book in the Camulod series begins with the arrival of Caius Merlyn, Arthur, and their entourage in Ravenglass in Northwest Britain, after a flight from the dangers surrounding Camulod in the ships of Merlyn's friend and brother by marriage, Connor of Eire. In Ravenglass, Merlyn finds Derek, the city's leader, besieged by the Sons of Condran, a piratical group intent on seizing the neutral port and its riches. Merlyn renews his acquaintance with Derek (whom Merlyn last saw on the battlefield in Cornwall where he found the infant Arthur, after Derek himself had killed Uther Pendragon), and assists Derek in expelling the Sons of Condran in port and defending against reinforcements on the way. Derek proves to be a trustworthy leader of the area of Ravenglass, and quickly becomes a friend to the Camulodian crew, allowing them to occupy and restore the old Roman fort of Mediobogdum in the mountains above Ravenglass, though warning Merlyn to go by the name Cay to hide his identity from enemies and spies. There, Merlyn/Cay establishes a thriving community of artisans and workmen, restores the fort to its former glory, and also creates an intensive military training regimen for Arthur and his young friends, forging some rough duplicates of Excalibur for use in the boys' exercises. During these years, Merlyn finds that he shares the the blessing/curse of prophetic dreams with Shelagh, wife of his close friend and brother-in-law, Donuil, and Shelagh helps him use those dreams to craft a vision of the future for Arthur and Britain. While Arthur grows into a young man with a quick mind and a strict sense of justice and leadership, an old foe named Peter Ironhair presents a threat to their home of Camulod, leading the group to decide to return to back home.

I continue to find the storyline and narrative of this series incredibly satisfying. It's full of action and historical goodies about life in post-Roman Britain. The characters are familiar to anyone who has any experience with stories of King Arthur, but the methodical backstory of the generations prior to Arthur's rise are just as enjoyable as the familiar tales, only these backstories are original and not overdone by countless other authors, bards, and filmmakers. The growth of Merlyn from a dashing leader of Camulod to a dedicated father-figure to Arthur is wonderfully written, as is the arc of Arthur himself growing from precocious boy into royal leader. The sub-plots are all engaging, and the plot is never suffering in the doldrums.

I did have a few problems with the edit, although not nearly as many as I had with the final copy of Uther (another title in this series). There were enough misspellings and pronoun errors that my hackles were raised, and the consistent confusion of the "ballista" for the "catapult" removed a touch of the authenticity for the historical setting that I had loved so much in the earlier novels. For these reasons, I knocked a 5-star review down to 4-stars, but the editorial concerns should in no way dissuade readers from enjoying the narrative, which is easily one of the best collections of fiction related to the Matter of Britain that has ever been written.

In sum, I wholeheartedly recommend this series, grammarian warts and all, which should appeal to all fans of historical fiction and Arthurian legend.

[Deborah Pickstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still loving this series I also have to face facts: Whyte purveys some terrible historical howlers! I guess in a re-telling of a myth or legend one is entitled to make up whatever one needs to move the story along - but most of them are purely unnecessary, as far as I can see. I made great complaint about another author doing this exact thing and have refused to read her books since; I do not do that with this author but I guess he must be (to me) a better storyteller. The issue remains, however, and I find such crass historical anomalies very annoying. Concrete floors and a mechanical lathe in the 5th century? Purleeze!

This aside, I continue to find this story wonderfully compelling despite the author's clear lack of historical research. It's the Utopian theme that hooks me in, I think.

[Annette Summerfield]

--yeah, I realize that I picked up the wrong book. This book is down the list...I have to back track. I have the other books in this series here.
It's well written, a good story, but slow. I've done some majour skimming in some parts. I like the characters, but it's a slow pace. March 11 2009---It was The Skystone I got half way through and didn't finish, so I dug it back out. --



Besides reading 'Come Love A Stranger' by Kathleen E. Woodwiss right now, I also am reading 'The Sorcerer. The Fort At River's Bend' by Jack Whyte.
I started to read this book about 3 years ago. I got half way through it and stopped...too busy, moved and never got back to it.
I also started The Eldest, the second book to Eragon and it's still sitting here on my shelf with my marker in it from where I left off..lol...too many books keep capturing my mind. I want to read them all. I'll finish The Eldest someday. I also want to read Inkheart and Inkspell, both of which I have and now I've seen the 3rd book out...lol...Plus the 3rd book of Eragon is out. I haven't bought these two - third books yet. By the time I get to the point of wanting to read them, after reading everything else, they will be out in the second hand store and I won't have to pay so much for them. There is plenty for me to read until they start showing up at garage sales and used book stores.

I've had the whole series of Jack Whyte's books from his Sorcerer series for 3 or 4 years now. I picked up all...ummm, I think there is around 7 of them...at a flea market. Do you think that maybe I can stick to them and read the whole series....maybe in time I'll get them all read.

I have Circle of Stars here by Anna Lee Waldo that I haven't even opened, but I like the cover so I have it in my china cabinet.

[Johnny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Stewart’s take on Merlinus Ambrosius has always been the definitive high water mark on the Arthurian legend for me. Sure, I’ve read adaptations of some of the legends, boyhood anthologies, Bernard Cornwall’s gritty trilogy, and T. H. White’s delightful books—not to mention viewing the classic Excalibur and the musical Camelot as often as possible. Yet, Mary Stewart’s version seemed to me to be the most honest in terms of character development and credibility.
Of course, if you’re more interested in historical flavor, if the characters take something of a back seat to history, philosophy, sociology, and technology, Jack Whyte is your man. A friend recommended The Fort at River’s Bend some years ago. I just finished it, tonight. I know why the friend preferred Whyte to Stewart. Even in his fantasy (and he is a novelist in that genre), he prefers low-magic to high-magic stories. He wants his plots to mirror real-world society such that you always wonder somewhat if magic was truly involved or not. And so, he would gravitate to this series more than I would. Oh, I’ll still read them, but I like to be surprised once in a while. In 300-plus pages, I was only surprised in this book by not being surprised.
For me, the entire book was worthwhile largely because of Whyte’s laborious and detailed explanation of forging swords. The book even concludes a diagram that solves some of the mystery that the prose could not. Between that and Whyte’s detailed account of what it would take to bring a Roman fort back to life, the book has plenty to offer the amateur historian with just enough story to keep you reading. This book would be interesting for anyone who liked The Reluctant Engineer pentalogy of time-travel novels.

[Lisa Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifth book in the series and from teh goodreads page.....

Merlyn Britannicus, leader of the colony known as Camulod, is faced with the task of educating his young charge, Arthur, future King of the Britons. Fearing for the life of his nephew when an assassination attempt is thwarted, Merlyn takes Arthur and his boyhood companions Gwin, Ghilleadh, and Bedwyr, to the ruins of a long-abandoned Roman fort far from Camulod. Once there, Merlyn realizes it's time for Arthur to become worthy of the sword he is destined to wield later in his life-the mighty Excalibur.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book follows more character development than the previous books. However, the whole series is an historical and literary success, in my opinion. Whyte has done his research thoroughly, and with the arrival of the other nations and peoples on Britain's shores, we learn about how modern-day Europe came to be formed. Once you are this far, you are pretty much hooked anyway...

[Robert Risher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freaking spectacular. As good as the rest, but I give it 4 stars due only to the fact that is incomplete, and lacks the satisfying sense of resolution found in its predecessors. It isn't labeled in the American printing as the first half of The Sorcerer, but it is only the first half of a longer tale, and I can't wait to continue to the story...

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whyte is so good. Realistic and accurate as far as it's possible to be in historical fiction. This book continues to chronicle the story of Arthur Pendragon, future king, and his guardian Merlyn. Rich telling of the true story of post-Roman Britain, woven with what could be true - the legend of Arthur. Worth following the whole series (nine books in all...)

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started losing interest in this series but this book has sucked me in again. Merlyn needs a place to hide Arthur for a few years and ends up in a abandoned Roman fort. More character development than action but really riveting.

[Clayton Bye · Rating 4 out of 5]

While historically interesting (the world creation is unbelievable), I found the story dragged in this installment of the series.

[Josh Francis]

Just as great as the first. I can't wait to pick up the rest.

[Ted Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great conclusion to the Dream of Eagles series. Read the two books one right after the other as a single book as Jack intended.

[Camille Siddartha · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a good series...I would recommend this to anyone...

[Baron Rothschild · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read...

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the whole series but this was one of my favs

[Beth A · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute favorate genre, historical fiction. The entire series is terrific. Page-turners.

[Giuliana Unlibropersognaregiuly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Questo capitolo della saga dura approssimativamente 6\7 anni,in cui Artù passa dalla fanciullezza alla maturità di un giovane uomo pieno di fascino, grazia e soprattutto intelligenza. Per ragioni di sicurezza Merlino lo ha condotto lontano da Camelot,dopo che avevano attentato alla sua vita e a quella del futuro re, per poter proseguire il suo addestramento indisturbati. Già a 9 anni, Artù dimostra un'intelligenza ed una capacità di analisi fuori dal comune, e Merlino si sente ogni giorno più orgoglioso del suo pupillo. Eccellente lottatore, Artù sfiora la perfezione nell'arte di combattere con il bastone, i cui esercizi riesce a praticare ad occhi chiusi. Merlino aveva pianificato di restare nascosto qui a Nord per circa 5 anni, ma ne sono passati quasi sette quando si rende conto che ormai sta rimandando l'inevitabile solo per pigrizia. Artù è diventato un giovane uomo solido, potente e con un grande carisma ed è pronto a tornare a Camelot come un guerriero. Inoltre sembra giunto un tempo di grandi cambiamenti, dato che negli imperi intorno a Camelot è tornata a regnare l'anarchia,dopo la morte di tutti i regnanti che avevano stretto patti di alleanza con Merlino e suo fratello Ambrogio, che mantiene l'ordine a Camelot in sua assenza. Non c'è più tempo per tentennare. Tornare è ora vitale e incalzante, perchè Artù dovrà imparare sul campo cosa significa essere un soldato e diventare ancora più forte per poter riscattare ciò che è suo per nascita e diritto.

[Brentman99 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say that I have enjoyed the Camulod series by Jack Whyte more than I thought I would. Whyte's knowledge of history, his descriptions and great characters all have worked to create a masterful series that is very easy to read and quite entertaining.

I think that the strength of this book and series, as with any book, is that you can't help but care about what happens to the characters. In this book, Whyte weaves a tightknit group that has an earnest focus - care for and train the future king Arthur.

This book does a great job of continuing on a lot of what was in the previous series, but also sets things up for what has yet to come.

Overall, I think that this series is very well done and they are definitely worth the time spent reading.

[Abigail Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though somewhat less rich in plot than the first four books, The Fort at River's Bend was still a good building block upon the grander story. I enjoyed the new characters that were introduced, but did feel that we were somewhat lacking of the old. In addition, I felt disappointment in the fact that readers were not given much insight into Merlyn's tutoring and raising of Arthur. It seems that Merlyn relied on others around him to do that, despite continually saying that it was his destiny to raise and teach the boy. Whatever though, still an overall good story. Especially liked how Derek of Ravenglass was involved, I think he has the potential to be a great character.


RIP Lucanus.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I looked it up and this was originally a gigantic 900 page book broken into two volumes and published separately. I don't think this was a great idea seeing as how the pacing and events of this one play out like half a book. The first 100 pages are pretty fast paced plot wise, but the rest is them hanging out adjusting to their new lives and planning the future. The future I'm assuming will be the next book. I did enjoy the it, but that's because the characters are interesting, but seeing as how this is essentially half a story, there was zero conflict. Just a small conversation about the plans for the next one.

They should have been published together.

[Matteo Castagnoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continua l'addestramento del nostro futuro eroe in questa piccola comunità, separata da tutti gli eventi esterni.
Il libro a mio avviso è più interessante dei due precedenti, perché finalmente tastiamo con mano quanto potrà essere forte ed influente il futuro Artù. Ricco di principi e di una corretta morale, già in questa prima fase, sarà al centro di tutti gli avvenimenti della ristretta cerchia di amici.
Finalmente i tre elementi cardine della storia, Artù Excalibur e Camelot, iniziano ad unirsi in una cosa sola.
Ora non ci resta resta che attendere il loro arrivo nei pressi del cancello della fortezza.

[Kathy Ginocchio · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fifth book of The Camulod Chronicles, this book concerns the establishment of a safe colony for Arthur in Ravenglass, site of an old Roman fortress called Mediobogdum. Here we watch Arthur grow into his “almost” adulthood alongside his protector Merlyn and a cast of other characters. Good character development. Sometimes too detailed discussions of renovating a centuries old fortress, but mainly advancing the timeline along so that Arthur can begin his challenge to protect and conquer what he is the rightful heir to. These are not easy reads, but they are fascinating history. On to book six!

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

È il primo libro delle Cronache di Camelot che mi delude. Come sempre scrittura e ambientazione sono affascinanti, ma gli eventi qui narrati sono abbastanza inutili e irrilevanti nella saga arturiana e finora è l'unico libro della serie non necessario. Il primo e il terzo sono eccezionali, il secondo e il quarto potevano essere assorbiti nei precedenti ma sono comunque gradevoli. Questo risulta un po' noioso e ridondante. Leggerò comunque i successivi, ma se riflettono i precedenti, la mia opinione è che questa serie si sarebbe potuta risolvere in massimo 4/5 volumi in tutto.

[CR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like all of the others in this series, I absolutely loved this book. In this book, we get to watch Arthur and his companions grow up and train to become the warriors and leaders that they were meant to be while they are hiding in Mediobogdum among Derrik of Ravenglass' people. We also get to see Merlyn fall in love again which just melted my heart. I was excited to see the storyline get closer to Arthur becoming the great king.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Arthur and Merlyn

I’m a sucker for King Arthur stories. I started this series in the 90s and just picked it up again. This volume wasn’t as riveting as the earlier volumes. Maybe it was just me, but I had trouble getting into it. I’ll try the next volume to see if it’s more engaging.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite series written by a local man from my area. How I was turned onto this series is a story onto itself. The books in the a Dream of Eagles series are the authors take on the King Arthur Legends and he places the story in the context of actual historic events. I have read it twice and if I ever have the time I will read them all again.

[Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

one of the more boring books in the series, as literally the only thing that happens is community planning. also, a fine example of the repressed british man's sexuality - the dude's fantasy that some woman twenty years junior will get horny for an old dude cause of the burden of leadership he's assumed.

[John Haslam · Rating 5 out of 5]

So...Arthurian novels are a dime a dozen. I loved this whole series for its historical setting for the plausible ways in which Merlin and Arthur come to be without diminishing the other classic renderings.