The Skystone

Camulod Chronicles #1

by Jack Whyte

How do you find a new way to approach a story as familiar as any in the English language? If you're Jack Whyte, you begin your retelling of the Arthurian saga by taking one giant step backward to the latter days of the Roman Empire in Britain, sometime between the first breaching of Hadrian's Wall and the legendary days of King Arthur. Publius Varrus is the last legionnaire in Britain, and The Skystone is in many ways his story. He is a common man with aristocratic friends, and successful both as a soldier and an ironsmith. As the Roman world slowly crumbles around them, and Publius becomes involved in a political and personal vendetta, he and his friends seek to establish a refuge, a valley where the old Roman virtues will be kept alive and the empire's many faults be avoided.

A finely crafted historical novel, The Skystone pays close attention to the details of everyday life in fourth-century Britain. As the first book in Whyte's Camulod Chronicles, it makes few allusions to the usual details of the Arthurian legends until Publius comes into contact with a sword, a stone, a lake, and a Celtic tribe who name themselves Pendragon. Greg L. Johnson

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

494 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

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

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update 4/2020: Still one of my favorites. It’s like being immersed in Roman Britain, there’s so much depth to the historical detail, but it never bogs the story down. It’s incredibly exciting and full of characters about whom you come to care deeply. I love it so much.

This is one of the best historical fiction novels I've ever read, and trust me, I've read a lot. I first heard about Jack Whyte's series through another favorite author of mine, Diana Gabaldon. She spoke so highly of his works that I figured I'd investigate further, and if not for her recommendation, I never would have given him a second thought. There were several factors going against it: a) the premise is yet another take on Arthurian legend, which leads me to b) the fact that I despise Arthurian legend. We all know the story, it's been done to death, and it bores me. But I gave it a try anyway, and I'm so glad I did.
This isn't the legend of King Arthur as you know it - Whyte has written it as it would have actually happened. The story starts by introducing us to two Roman soliders who, we come to find out, are Arthur's ancestors. It's an absolutely fascinating look at Britain during the collapse of the Roman Empire, rich in detail (which may turn some people off because he goes into a LOT of detail, but I just love it) and with characters you will grow to love. One of my favorite books of all-time.

Read in: 2005, 2009, 2017, 2020

[Markus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Roman Empire is on the verge of total collapse. For the thousands of Romans and other peoples spread out across the known world, the cornerstone of civilisation is crumbling. And in the colony of Britannia, two ageing soldiers plan for the future in the event of the withdrawal of the legions and what they perceive as the end of the world.

The Skystone is the first book in a series that’s much more historical fiction than fantasy, even though I found it on the fantasy shelves of a Washington bookstore. Jack Whyte’s Camulod Chronicles provide a new perspective to what is arguably the most popular fictional legendarium in human history: the Arthurian mythos. Instead of filling the pages with magic and prophecy, Whyte shows us how the life and legend of King Arthur and his companions might really have come about.

This first book has virtually nothing of Arthurian legend in it. The protagonists are Publius Varrus and Caius Britannicus, and their efforts to create a life for themselves and a future existence for their families after the fall of Roman Britain. Of course, their search for the enigmatic skystones causes both an encounter with the king of the Pendragon clan and the creation of a statue known as the Lady of the Lake, but other than that, this is more a preparation for the Arthurian legend part of the story, than an actual part of it.

The Skystone is hardly an epic book. Because of its very limited scope and cast of characters and heavy focus on character interaction rather than plot development, it feels like reading a TV show. Without any disrespect meant to TV shows, that made it rather boring.

Overall, though, this is an excellent introduction to a new view on Arthurian legend, and the series as a whole is a marvellously entertaining read.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best description I can conjure of my experience with Jack Whyte's The Skystone is "languid." I don't want to describe his inaugural Camulod novel as "boring" or "slow" because neither is quite accurate and both carry far too many negative connotations, but Whyte does love to take his time.

And damn!...does he ever take his time. It took nine novels and thirteen years to complete his retelling of the Arthurian legend. This series is not for the impatient. Nor is the first book.

Whyte plods and winds his way through the telling of the story of Publius Varrus and Caius Brittanicus. A pair of Roman soldiers stationed in Britain in the dying days of the Roman Empire. They are the men who give birth to the Arthur legend, both literally and figuratively, and it is Varrus who creates the Lady of the Lake -- a statue cast out of the eponymous Skystone -- and eventually, Excalibur.

Jack Whyte is nowhere near the finest writer of his generation, nor even a contender for the finest writer of fantasy-historical fiction, but there is something compelling about his Camulod books, perhaps because they feel possible, and part of that possibility is the languid pace. Nothing happens fast. This is a story of generations. It is a story of time and patience and potential, not a Hollywood action film of the bang-pow here-and-now. A plan like Caius Brittanicus' would take time, and it would take the loyalty of a man like Publius Varrus and the skill of them both to pull it off, but it couldn't happen overnight, and Whyte never lets it.

What The Skystone does well is to make a beginning, to set the stage, to get us ready for everything that is to come so very slowly. Whyte sets himself the task of a beginning, and here, he succeeds very well. By the end of the series the languid pace may be a little too slow; it may actually be a little bit boring, but in The Skystone it is simply languid, and that is the perfect pace to set for a tale the author intends to drag out over a decade of writing.

Don't be afraid to read the books now. They are all there, all ready to be read. But when you are finished make sure you imagine what it was like to be a faithful reader way back in 1996. Languid they may be, but languid must have been excruciating.

[Artemas · Rating 5 out of 5]

*review for the entire Camulod Chronicles

If you asked me what my favorite series was as a 6th grader my answer would have been the original Shannara trilogy. The answer to the same question asked in 2005 would have undoubtedly been A Song of Ice and Fire. *notice how I was a fan BEFORE the TV show. ;) After reading over 900 books, hundreds of thousands of pages, and countless series spanning multiple genres, I can now say with certainty that Jack Whyte’s Camulod Chronicles stands above all others as my favorite.

Was this series perfect? Of course not, but that doesn’t matter. Jack Whyte’s gift shines like Excalibur as he weaves his tale with an almost magical style that made me experience strong feelings, both good and bad, for nearly every character. No other author has come close to making me feel the loss of a fictional character compared to those who passed beyond the mortal realm along my journey through Camulod.

This series is a re-imagining of the Arthurian Saga that will stand the test of time; told in such a way that the reader begins to believe that everything within this tale actually happened in ages past.

Did Camelot ever exist? Regardless of what historians have to say, it exists in my heart.

Get your copy of The Skystone here: https://amzn.to/2FLWx0L

[Algernon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Legend of Arthur and of his Knights of the Round Table were among the first stories I read for pleasure and not as a school assignment. I re-read them so many times in those early days, that now I feel I am still entirely too familiar with the myths, and I don’t need a refresher course. But Jack Whyte has an added incentive in trying to bridge the gap between the last days of the Roman Empire and start of the Viking raiding parties. He starts the familiar story a few generations earlier.
Recently I was satisfied to read a couple of good series dealing with early Middle Age, “ The Saxon Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell and the Aelric novels by Richard Blake, both unfinished. Jack Whyte has here a good companion for these historical epics, both because of the period covered and because of the similar quality of the writing. I would throw in a third name, also deservedly famous in the historical romance field, in order to convey a better image of the sort of novel this first Camulod episode is: Ken Follett. Whyte reminds me of Pillars of the Earth somehow in the grandiose scope and attention to detail, but also less positively in the bodice-ripper, soap-opera vibe that may act as a major attraction to some readers, but for me it dates the book very accurately to the early 90’s when such lurid, almost cringe-worthy descriptions of sex and rapture were common both in popular novels and in cinema. A sort of ‘Emmanuelle’ set in the late 4th century.

I have used a long introduction because at the end of the lecture I discovered I don’t really have any spectacular scenes, inspiring writing or edgy quotes bookmarked. Nada!
It doesn’t necessarily mean the book was bland or poorly written, but it does suggest the fact it will not make a splash on my end of the year top list. Nevertheless, I did spend long reading sessions with the book, turning pages compulsively, and deciding to read just one more chapter before going to sleep, which demonstrates that:
1 – Jack Whyte is a gifted storyteller, who knows his history and is able to invent and imagine in the places where the sources of actual information are minimal
2 – I am really interested in the setting, enough to ignore standard fare in terms of characterization and plot.

>>><<<>>><<<

The title of the first episode is relevant enough to be used as the centerpiece for a synopsis: Publius Varrus is a professional soldier in one of the Roman legions in Britain. His martial prowess has raised him to the highest position a non-commissioned soldier can achieve, that of ‘primus pilus’, or first lance. When Publius receives a life-threatening and crippling wound in an ambush, while saving the life of his commander Caius Brittanicus, he retires to Colchester, his former city on the coast, where he inherited a forge and a special white metal dagger from his grandfather. This dagger is made with material from a meteorite, and Publius dreams of finding another such skystone of fire and of making a sword that would be renowned through the ages.
A combination of mortal danger when Publius beats up a despicable Roman senator and a sponsorship from his former legion commander Caius, will lead the re-profiled soldier into blacksmith to an isolated colony in the south-west part of Britain. There Caius will eventually find rumours of a large meteorite in a hidden valley and a voluptuous lady that might become the love of his life.

The famous names every reader is familiar with (Arthur, Camelot, Excalibur, Merlin, Guinevere, etc) do not make an appearance in this first volume of the series, which is more concerned with details of Roman legion structure, iron smithing and bedroom sports. Still, there is a Celtic tribe in the neighborhood ruled by a colourful king named Ullic Pendragon, which is a sort of strong giveaway of things to come.

I liked the subject well enough for me to already pick up the second book in the series. Among the things I would like to find out in that book are better descriptions of actual battles, not only mentions of conflicts happening somewhere off-screen or having the main character pass out at the start of the bout. Cornwell really excels at details of tactics, deployment of troops and vivid descriptions of personal combat. Whyte reads like he is still trying to find his voice and is more interested in trivia about the period. I would also like to have a better description of the Celts, Picts and Saxon cultures, not only of the Romans. In short, less talk, less gratuitous sex and more action. Hopefully, “The Singing Sword” will deliver.

[Ozymandias · Rating 1 out of 5]

Plot: 2 (strong opening leads nowhere)
Characters: 4 (generic and interchangeable)
Accuracy: 0 (gets almost every fact wrong)

I thought this book started out well. The gloomy, nostalgic tone and visceral writing style did a good job establishing a welcoming world. The battle scenes were particularly vivid and confusing in a fog of war kind of way. But after a while the overbearing narration starts to seem rather, well, overbearing. Where hearing every event described as if it was the Most Significant Event Ever started off as a way to quickly establish a powerful and important narrative, it became repetitive and pompous once the story started moving and failing to live up to the importance of the narration. The story itself became overblown and increasingly implausible, and not even in interesting and action-filled ways.

The length of the book is not justified by narrative complexity or depth either. The story is a simple journey from the Great Conspiracy of 367 through a sudden random disillusionment with Rome to the establishment of an independent “Colony” within Roman Britain. The first part of the book is by far the most successful as the author is clearly a fan of military memoirs. The second half is poorly motivated (the transition from ‘Rome is the greatest of all things’ to ‘Rome is the living embodiment of every vice’ happened in a single page) and barely has anything of incident. The third section is just plain boring.

It has to be said that this book is, despite its pretensions to offer a historical version of King Arthur, basically a Fantasy novel. While I can make similar (if less serious) complaints about the accuracy of Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord trilogy, those books feel authentic. Gritty. Realistic. This book doesn’t, though it clearly aspires to. The dark and foreboding style, the torture, the lovingly rough wilderness, the rampant libedos and casual misogyny, the battles where nobody understands what’s going on… it’s all aimed at establishing a rough realism. But the book somehow lacks a clear vision of what men are capable of and as a result it lets casually impossible events fly by without comment.

Authenticity’s a hard thing to quantify, but it‘s more than just being factually accurate it’s about feeling accurate whether it truly is or not. So, for example, when he describes the lengthy and tedious medical procedures it feels authentic, even though it bears little resemblance to medical practice at the time. But when he has his lead forging eight new swords a day all by himself it doesn’t. And when you describe barbarian armies appearing silently along the entire length of Hadrian’s Wall in the dead of night at the exact same moment it becomes something out of a Fantasy novel. Fun, perhaps, but bearing no resemblance to reality.

Whether this bothers you is going to depend on what you want out of this book. King Arthur is, after all, a Fantasy tale. That this book is stylistically a slightly more grounded version of that myth with toned down magic should not come as an enormous surprise. But it was billed to me as a reconstruction of the life of a historical Arthur who might have inspired such legends. And that it most definitely isn’t.

The history is, sad to say, entirely inaccurate. He gets more facts wrong than he does right. The army described is that of the first two centuries AD (although some elements, such as the consular armies and manipular formation, date back to the mid-Republic and the second or third century BC), which is another beast entirely from that of the mid-fourth. By this time the old-style legions were gone, shrunk to a fraction of their former strength and posted to the frontiers or replaced by units of varying size with names such as alae and vexillationes and numeri. Many of the ranks changed along with it. The decurions and primipilarii, for example, were now civilian officials in the local government.

The lorica segmentata (the typical Roman segmented armor) had vanished by the mid-third century, as had the transverse crests of centurions. In general, Roman soldiers of the fourth century looked nothing like we’re accustomed to think of them. In short, the setting’s total bollocks. And the author doesn’t even have a clue about this. His historical note at the end describes the Roman legions in loving detail, but gives no hint that they ever changed. Even in ‘93 there were plenty of books that could have told him otherwise.

I’m sad to say that this misapprehension of eternal consistency across the Roman period isn’t even the worst of it. His historical research is, to put it gently, nonexistent. And in a lazy ‘I don’t feel like researching’ sort of way rather than a ‘this is really an overwhelming amount of information’ one. He clearly read a book on the Roman legions (probably Parker’s 1928 one), decided it was identical to modern army units under different names (he actually states this), and then called it a day. He did no research outside of that. Statistically speaking, if you’re given a multiple choice test you’re likely to get 30-40% of the questions right regardless of whether you know anything about the topic or not. This book wishes it could be that accurate.

Let’s just start with the emperors. You can find a list of these in any introductory history book or reasonably thorough encyclopedia. Yet he gets not a single one right. Not a single one! The emperor Valentinian ruled in the West and his brother Valens in the East, not the other way round, Gratian (not Gratus) was Valentinian’s son, Valentinian II wasn’t Gratian’s catamite but his brother, and Theodosius never campaigned in Britain (it was his father). Apart from the names (which he can’t even get right consistently) every fact we learn about these emperors is wrong. Every. Single. Fact. There can be no excuse for such laziness.

As you can imagine, if even the well-documented emperors are wrong the rest of the history is going to be complete rubbish. And it is. To list just a few of the more obvious errors: Vicars were not honorary governors but the official the governors answered to, the old Republican senatorial nobility had died out centuries ago (you certainly wouldn’t find any Ciceros or Senecas in fourth-century Rome), Rome was no longer capital of the West (that would be Milan or, at this moment, Trier where Gratian was stationed), Rome didn’t fall because multiculturalism taught the subject races how to rebel (Jesus Christ, I shouldn’t even have to say that!), there were no semi-independent kingdoms of free men in Gaul (the bagaudae were ruthlessly exterminated and were more bandits than kingdoms), the Romans did have heavy cavalry in the fourth century while the Goths and particularly Franks were primarily infantrymen, the Visigoths were not trained to fight by the Romans, the Goths invaded not Asia Minor but Thrace (in Europe), Vegetius’ De Re Militari wasn’t written under Valentinian (in fact, it mentions the death of his successor) and certainly wasn’t distributed as the standard army handbook, Augustus wasn’t Caesar’s cousin but his great-nephew, Seneca the Elder wasn’t active under Caesar, sarissas weren’t cavalry weapons, and Colchester wasn’t a contemporary Celtic name for Camulodunum but a much later Anglo-Saxon one. Even the pronunciation guide at the end is complete garbage (Vegetius pronounced Ve-jeeshy-us!). He’s just stating how he pronounces them. Most of these errors aren’t minor elements of the story, but part of the very framework of the book. And even when all it would have taken was a brief glance at an encyclopedia he didn’t bother bother with it.

I don’t want to make it sound like historical accuracy is everything, but there are minimum standards that should be met by any work before it can be considered historical fiction. Otherwise it’s just Fantasy with familiar names. If the author isn’t just confused but is obviously not even trying, it’s hard not to be frustrated. Why should I bother to read his book if he couldn’t be bothered to read any himself? The only time a book has a real excuse for such careless writing is when it isn’t meant to be taken seriously. I’ll forgive the Indiana Jones series a lot of nonsense because they’re supposed to be absurd and use history as an excuse for adventure rather than a basis for it. Although, props to them, at least they don’t get confused and place Mussolini in Russia or make Churchill Roosevelt’s catamite. This book isn’t that fun and is too self-serious to be taken as a joke. A Fantasy-attuned audience that doesn’t mind a very small bit of history thrown in may find this book somewhat entertaining. Those wanting history with a bit of myth thrown in should probably avoid it.

[boxer_dogs_dance · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series was fun and interesting but not my favorite.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite series however I wouldn't recommend it for everyone. Most highly I recommend it to those who like an in depth and meandering plot. A story that pulls you in and isn't in a rush to let you go.

THE SKYSTONE, like the rest of this series, takes it's time and this style isn't for everyone. For instance, this series is a historical take on the legend of King Arthur and this book takes place three generations before Arthur is born. Three. And if you enjoy being completely submerged in an author's universe then that's fine. If not I should warn you that Arthur doesn't show up until the end of third or fourth book.

That being said, this book follows two Roman Britons as the Roman Empire falls and they find a way to perpetuate civilization within their homeland. It's a story of war, love, vengeance and lofty idealism. There are quite a few philosophical diatribes as the two work out a new society and I enjoyed it greatly.

There were some things I didn't care for that much. For instance the sex scenes were almost too erotic for my liking. They were almost akin to those trashy eroticas that they sell next to the tabloids. They made me feel uncomfortable and seemed out of place.

If your looking for an action packed, historical fiction take on the legend of Arthur read the Winter King by Bernard Cornwell. If you want to get lost in the world of Roman Briton in its death rattle then read this. It's a very slow burn but very worth it.

HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

[Tasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can only rate this one a mediocre 3 star read. The storytelling was very descriptive and meandering, and while I could settle down for the easy, slow pace, I wanted more. There were some pretty good action scenes where I felt like we were getting rolling and then it would slow down again to a descriptive, slow pace. I don't generally mind a slower pace and felt like I could settle in and continue on with some extra patience on my part. Then we would hit a sex scene and man did it feel self-indulgent! Whyte's descriptive style continued on into the sex scenes (and the one flirtatious scene I read) and I completely felt like I was literally thrust into the author's own personal fantasies. TMI for me. Obviously sex happens and I'm okay with it. I'm not okay with reading other people's indulgent fantasies though. These parts literally rate a 1 star for me. After having read 3 such scenes up to just over the 1/2 way point, I decided to toss the book and give it what I feel is a fair rating.

I really should knock a star off for not finishing it...

Edit 10/21/2012
Decided to change rating to a 2 star after sitting on it for a few days. It really isn't a book I enjoyed enough to recommend to others.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had a fascination with the King Arthur legend ever since high school when I wrote my senior paper on it. One reviewer complained that this story has been told a million times, why would we read yet another version. I would argue that the the reason this story has been told over and over again is that we love the whole idea, that for one bright shining moment there was a real prince and princess who defeated the Saxon horde and granted peace and prosperity to their kingdom. The reason that this story can be told in so many ways is that the bare bones of the legend comes from Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, and it leaved much to be explained. Who was Merlin? An actual wizard or sorcerer? etc etc.
This series addresses the whole thing from the time the Romans began to leave Britain. I love how well written this book is. Whyte's use of the English language is masterful. The writing is so clear and interesting I find myself enthralled with the art of 6th century Roman style warfare. I honestly think I would read almost anything written by this author no matter how uninteresting the subject matter. That said - I love this subject and Whyte has written an excellent group of books that I highly recommend.

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always try and say something semi constructive in a review, but there really isn't anything I can say that hasn't already been said by fellow Goodreads member, Tasha (who read Skystone at the same time as me).
So, I am going to take the cop out option and direct you there as I echo her sentiments... http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...... and if you do not want to read her review, then here you go.
The sex and the timing of the sex was a big joke, the flow was uninspiring, the writing for me was a trial and tribulation. I gave up on this book just passed halfway.

[Connie · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 40% (200 pages)

I did not finish this book because of my new rule: two strikes and it's out.

How does a book strike out? By turning the female characters into sex objects or shaming a marginalized group. At that point, the author has expressed that I am not welcome to share in the story they are telling, so I leave. I come to books to enjoy myself, not to fight against old, straight, white men who dominate the narrative. I do that enough in the rest of my life.

The first scene is when a domestic and sexual abuse survivor flees to the MC's home after an attack on their life. It turns into a sex scene, and when the MC starts getting aroused he thinks "and she would even be grateful". This is an older book, so I told myself, if there is another scene like this, I am dnfing it. The second scene arrived, where the group of villains are all described as "he's supposed to have nothing but pederasts and catamites" (both slurs for gay men).

I should not be afraid to read adult fantasy because it will contain demeaning and dehumanizing depictions of women. The publishing industry needs to recognize it and categorize books who continue to do this as a romance subgenre of male dominance. That is the only group of individuals who the author is interested in sharing the story with, and they should get out of genre fiction.

I don't want to continue reading past the second strike, and I get nervous after the first, because all I can think about is how little women are valued in the book. It makes me feel disgusted inside that individuals are reading about this behaviour and coming away with the impression that it is okay to mimic in their everyday lives. I don't want to meet the men who think this is okay in real life and I don't want there to be more of them.

The other reason I gave up on this book was because based on the back, I thought he would get to make Excalibur (or the Sword of the Stone). Reading the reviews, it takes nine books for him to get that far, and I knew just from the voice and the pacing at the beginning that I would read nothing more than the first book.

Two strikes, and it's out, and I'm on to read better books.

[Beorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the first half to two-thirds of this book, I was treading water and anticipating writing withering comments and put downs about it when I came to this review, but, even though it is a remarkably sedate pace, it gradually grows on you a little. Kind of like moss. Or the gradual build up of dust.

I suppose for the opening book in a series, the pace is bound to be slow and aim to set the scene, but the thing that most strikes you about this book is just how sedate and pedestrian the story goes as it winds and wanes its way to a conclusion it could easily have reached at least a hundred pages earlier. I know there is the argument of giving yourself a feel for the characters and laying the plotlines down but those key elements are already pretty much laid down in the first half of the book, making most of the latter half rather self-redundant.

What I liked about this book - and probably a fair amount of why I decided to be generous and give it three stars instead of two - is that rather than the usual 'Arthurian' tactic of writing the story as a fantasy novel with dragons, wizards, magic and all that guff, Whyte actively sets out to set this book very much firmly in historical fiction, even scoffing at the idea of "magic" and "dragons" at a few points in the story.

The dialogue and word structure is less pompous and pretentious than in his previous books that I've read but still a little OTT at times but no more than some other historical fiction writers can be guilty of. Also the narrative structure can be a little half-baked at times because at one stage you're given the impression he is writing his memoirs as an old man, at other times he zips back, forward and all over the place in time and expects you to keep up.
There are a couple of anachronisms and errors that irk me, as a history lover, such as using the name 'Franks' for the people the later period Romans would have referred to as 'Germans', wrongly claiming that Deva was still occupied and going strong in 365AD when it's long been the consensus that the fortress had been abandoned by then and a few other niggles. Also, from a purely selfish point of view, the characters visit and spend a little time in Deva (modern day Chester, my hometown) yet for no reason, it is left off the illustrative map at the front, even though the Isle Of Man and countless other places the characters don't visit are clearly marked...

Overall, an okay, adequate start to a series that at least hasn't put me off a casual interest in seeing where the next book takes us. Not the most riveting, addictive start to a series making you want to run out and get the next book but an okay, relatively enjoyable time.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW!

This "historical" novel set in Britain towards the end of the Roman Empire is utterly FANTASTIC! It is full of action, tough Roman soldiers, druidic and Christian priests, despicable villains, and a rousing plot.

Publius Varras is close friends with Caius Brittanicus (his former commanding officer). Varras is a former legionaire with a old war wound that left him with a limp. In addition, Varras was once a Smith. His grandfather created a special sword and a special dagger from the metal smelted from a skystone (obviously a meteorite)..


Brittanicus sees the Roman Empire is drawing to an end. He sees that the Empire is corrupt and politically divided in a way that will tear it asunder. He begins to create a colony and plans for its defence.

The novel is very, very well written. I was embarrassed that I had to actually consult a dictionary for a couple of words used in an obscure, but very clever manner. The characterization is quality. And the SET-Up for real world explanations of some of the Authurian legend done in a clever and imaginative manner that was delightfully telegraphed to the reader pretty much from page one.

I've already started the sequel-- The Singing Sword-- and it starts with a JOLTING twist. Then it degraded to a description of sexual promiscuity in almost pornographic detail. About the time that I decided it was an author's exercise in mental masturbation and an attempt to titilate the reader he brought the sexual details/episode into the story in a way that made me sit up and take notice. It wasn't simply crude vulgarity for the sake of the story.

This looks to be a LONG series (I have the first four and believe that there are at least ten) and thus far, I'm in it for the long haul. The author reeled me in like a large mouth bass on a lure with his action, machinations, plotting, and analytic discussions of the causes of the fall of the roman Empire.

I don't think you will want to miss this one.

[whimsicalmeerkat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really did not care for the beginning section of the book. It was boring. Once it got past the initial stage, I really enjoyed it. The story is told as the memories of Publius Varrus, a former Roman soldier of noble blood who is also a blacksmith. Much of it concerns his relationship with Caius Brittanicus, an even higher noble who is his military commander for years and becomes a very close friend. The title comes from a rock which fell to earth thirty years prior from which Varrus' grandfather made him a dagger of an unknown, extremely hard metal. Both Britannicus and Varrus become obsessed with the hunt for more of these stones. Their search takes place against the backdrop of a Britain preparing for the Fall of the Empire. Overall, an excellent story. I look forward to continuing the series.

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Entretenida sin más.-

Género. Novela histórica (en realidad es más novela con un marco histórico al fondo y mucha ficción, pero así podría situar mejor al lector).

Lo que nos cuenta. Gayo Publio Varrón recuerda su pasado como primus pilus de la Antigua Roma herido en batalla contra los celtas, igual que su general Cayo Cornelio Británico, al que conoció tiempo atrás en África. Britania ha sido casi tomada por tribus de celtas, escotos y sajones que saltaron el Muro de Adriano. Roma está en decadencia, más en Britania, y las heridas de Varrón harán que deba licenciarse del ejército y volver al negocio de su familia, una herrería en Colchester. Primer libro de la serie Crónicas de Camelot.

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

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

[☽ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the driest thing I've read in ages. Ages. A complete and utter chore to trudge through. It has a very vague semblance of plot that is soooo drawn out and slow; nearly absent to the point where you're questioning if any of this is leading anywhere.

Whyte has a habit of unnecessary-info dumping quite often. As a result, a great deal of scenes are skipable since they don't add anything to the meager plot. They're tangents that tend to lead nowhere. The writing itself is super dull, except for the bizarrely self indulgent sex scenes that, to no one's surprise, add nothing to the plot and merely serve to prove that this was written by a Generic White Guy™.

[Lee Scoresby · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was actually a pretty good story, but with some awful writing. It began with so many flashbacks that it took almost a hundred pages to figure out what time the book was actually set in. Then the misogyny, racism, and homophobia set in. Seriously, a "limp-wristed homosexual" to refer to a child-murdering pedophile? Blech!

[Outis · Rating 2 out of 5]

La follia indottami dalla lettura di questo libro ha prodotto quest’opera in quattro atti.

Chi ben comincia è a metà dell’opera, suggerisce la saggezza popolare.
Chi non ben continua però si prende solo la metà delle stellette, aggiungo io.

ATTO 1
In un’idillica brughiera accarezzata dal vento una graziosa bambina raccoglie dei fiorellini. Lei è “Una Buona Idea”, ed è necessaria per scrivere un buon libro. In questo caso “Una Buona Idea” è scrivere un retelling della saga arturiana senza soprannaturale, come un romanzo storico ambientato durante il periodo in cui gli antichi romani abbandonarono l’Inghilterra.
All’improvviso appare all’orizzonte un misterioso cavaliere vestito di nero che si avvicina silenziosamente alla bambina. Lui è “Noia” ed è uno dei cavalieri dell’Apocalisse del Libro.
“Io sono Noia” esordisce il cavaliere “con me 400 pagine sembreranno 1000! Farò quanto è in mio potere per non far succedere assolutamente nulla in questo libro”.
Ad “Una Buona Idea” gira la testa e fischiano le orecchie.

ATTO 2
Si avvicina un altro cavaliere: ben vestito ed elegante nei modi, sembrerebbe di nobile aspetto ma non lasciamoci ingannare, lui è “Incoerenza”, e non è affatto nobile d’animo.
“Per essere uno che odia uccidere, nostro protagonista uccide parecchio. Uccide quasi più di noi” esclama, accennando a se stesso e al compagno vestito di nero “E poi Roma, ah, Roma Caput Mundi, Roma la città eterna, morirei per l’Impero e poi, puff! Da un momento all’altro Roma è il male stesso e i suoi cittadini sono sudati, malvagi e puzzolenti. L’autore usa proprio questi tre aggettivi. Divertente, non trovi?”
“Una Buona Idea” si sente sempre peggio.

ATTO 3
Il terzo cavaliere con i suoi denti marci e il suo alito pestilenziale non fa una buona impressione alla povera “Una Buona Idea”.
“Io sono “Errori Storici” ed ora faccio parte di questa storia” esclama il cavaliere, mostrando la sua disgustosa dentatura alla bambina con quello che dovrebbe essere un sorriso “ci saranno errori storici facili da scovare per chiunque possieda un accesso internet: Teodosio il futuro imperatore che va in Britannia mentre in realtà quello era sua padre, Roma capitale d’Occidente quando ormai la capitale era già Milano, le famiglie Seneca e Cicerone che continuano a prosperare nel IV secolo d.C. e molti, molti altri ancora. Ma la mia presenza sarà anche più sottile, andrà ad intaccare la mentalità degli abitanti, pensa: antichi romani che abitano la Britannia e provano un sentimento nazionalista nei confronti della Britannia. Secoli prima che il nazionalismo esista!”
“Una Buona Idea” ormai fatica a tenersi in piedi.

ATTO 4
Ma non è ancora finita. Ecco l’ultimo cavaliere.
“Io sono “Protagonista Scialbo” e avrai a che fare con me in questi nove libri. Tutti gli altri personaggi amano “Protagonista scialbo” anche se non si capisce bene il perché…” comincia.
“Nove libri” stilla la bambina fuori di sé. Strappa la spada di mano ad “Protagonista Scialbo” e fa harakiri come una novella Lucrezia.
Ai quattro cavalieri non resta che andarsene. Il povero “Protagonista Scialbo” appare visibilmente mortificato (non aveva nemmeno potuto fare un accenno alle scene di sesso imbarazzanti!)

Così muore “Una Buona Idea”.

Sipario.

Attenzione: Nessuna bambina è stata maltrattata durante la creazione di questa recensione.

Attenzione: Breve recensione un po’ più seria. Il primo centinaio di pagine sembrava promettere bene. A quel punto il libro si è arenato ed è subentrata la noia. Sarebbe bastato un libro lungo la metà per raccontare le varie vicende. Non sono riuscita a provare empatia o interesse per i personaggi. Errori storici (da un libro che promette fedeltà storica) e scelte schizofreniche mi hanno tolto ogni speranza. Magari il libro non era nemmeno così tanto male ma una volta perso il mio interesse e la mia benevolenza, la lettura non poteva che andare male.

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un romanzo storico che narra fin dagli albori l'inizio della leggenda di Camelot (Camulod) e della famosa spada nella roccia. Ci troviamo in Britannia nel IV secolo dC, e il protagonista e narratore della storia è un ex centurione romano, il primus pilus della sua legione, Publio Varro, che, a causa di una grave ferita in battaglia a una gamba, è costretto a ritirarsi nella sua Britannia e a occuparsi dell'officina di fabbro che il nonno gli ha lasciato in eredità. Varro compie i suoi studi e ricerca le pietre del cielo, in cui è contenuto un metallo particolarissimo, dalle caratteristiche uniche, con cui il nonno aveva fabbricato per il padre di Varro una spada che adesso è nelle mani dell'imperatore Teodosio e un pugnale che Varro ritrova nascosto nella fucina.
Ormai Roma ha altri gravissimi problemi al suo interno e su tutto il Continente per potersi occupare della Britannia, e gli abitanti sentono che l'abbandono è imminente e che quando i romani saranno andati via, l'isola potrebbe avere problemi di sanguinose lotte intestine e caos totale. Per questo motivo, il generale Gaio Britannico - l'ex comandante di Varro - cerca di organizzare nella sua enorme villa nei pressi di Aquae Sulis (l'attuale Bath) una comunità indipendente, che riesca a far fronte a tutti i guai che nasceranno quando l'abbandono sarà definitivo.
E, naturalmente, Varro, in quanto ex combattente e fabbro, sarà uno dei pilastri di questa comunità.
Naturalmente questo è solo il primo volume di una serie lunghissima, che però voglio rileggere fino alla fine.

[Brad]

I think I gave this three stars back when I first started on goodreads, and I remembered it fondly enough to go ahead and download it from audible, thinking it would be a nice way to pass the time on my long commute. White's story is compelling, and he does many cool things with his Arthurian retelling. I forgot how homophobic it is, however.

For some reason I could cope with homophobia better a decade or more ago, but not today. All the homophobia did, and it is an underlying current throughout these books, was piss me off and make me sad. So I will not be finishing Skystone this time through. I have enough culturally injected self-loathing built up without willingly adding to it at times when I want to enjoy myself.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story. Rich detail. Great characters. Now I just need to read the rest in the series...

[Pierre · Rating 2 out of 5]

Avevo letto alcuni romanzi di questa saga quando avevo vent'anni e non mi erano dispiaciuti. Purtroppo, ora che sono cresciuto come lettore non posso che essere deluso dal primo libro, La pietra del cielo.

Si tratta della storia di Publio Varro, fabbro e legionario romano nella Britannia del IV sec. d.C. che si trova coinvolto nella ricerca di un metallo proveniente da un meteorite e nella fondazione di una sorta di utopia pensata per far sopravvivere l'ordine dell'Impero Romano in mezzo al caos dell'Europa che si sta germanizzando. Già da questo abbozzo di trama si può capire che il punto di vista è fortemente conservatore, anzi reazionario, e la narrazione, lasciata alla voce di Publio stesso, non lo smentisce: non solo razzismo, ma anche omofobia e soprattutto misoginia sono pervasivi in ogni capitolo. I personaggi femminili sono due ed entrambi servono solo come oggetto d'amore del protagonista.

Come se non bastasse, l'autore si dimostra incapace di mantenere un ritmo narrativo coerente: i sommari sono frequentissimi e rendono difficile provare vero interesse per la trama, specialmente per la ricerca dei meteoriti.
Il protagonista, inoltre, è pressoché invincibile: abile con l'arco e con la spada, intelligente, sensibile. L'autore prova a indebolirlo con alcuni difetti, che tuttavia non lo fermano: è zoppo, ma velocissimo; prova sensi di colpa quando uccide, ma lo fa comunque per tutto il romanzo.

Lascio due stelle invece che una perché la ricostruzione della periferia del tardo Impero è affascinante. Una storia mediocre su uno sfondo stupendo.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the first novel in the “Camulod” series, a nine book set that encompasses the Arthurian mythos from a historical perspective rather than a “fantasy” perspective. I had been reluctant to begin, even though I had heard plenty of good things about the entire series. This was mostly due to the fact that I have read numerous Arthurian accounts, many of them relatively recently, and was unsure of starting yet another one.

So glad I did give it a try though! Right from the beginning it reminded me of perhaps my favorite Arthurian series, Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles. That is to say, this book started out with gritty warfare told from the perspective of the Roman warriors on the front lines, down in the dirt and mud, fighting for their legates, their legionnaires, and for the glory of Rome. The story begins in the final days of the Roman Empire in Briton (~375 AD – 425 AD) and involves several flashback sequences that help establish the two major characters for the novel, Publius Varrus and Caius Brittanicus, both solid Roman soldiers. A career-ending injury to Publius leads to major changes and we quickly pull back from the day-to-day soldiering and begin to see the larger picture of what everyday life was like for citizens in Roman Briton during that era. By the end of the book we get to experience even larger issues as we live through what amounts to the abandonment of Briton by the Roman Empire, just after the overrunning of Hadrian’s Wall and the final shake-up of emperors.

The story is told from Publius’ first person POV as he transforms his life from soldier to blacksmith. There is not a clue that we are in the Arthurian world throughout the first half of the book…it’s pure historical fiction. And excellent historical fiction it is. Well-rounded characters I came to care about and worthy goals I hoped they could achieve. Publius’ quest for Skystones (meteor rocks) is the central driving force but it is not until the second half of the book that we get some clues that this is taking place several generations before Arthur and the gang’s appearance. It is fascinating to read how terms such as dragon's nests, the Lady of the Lake and the Pendragon clan are introduced via perfectly natural non-fantasy methods. No magic what-so-ever in this book.

I suspect this entire series will be a fascinating read. I expect we will see Whyte continue to incorporate traditional Arthurian names, places and events as well as the names of various historical figures that have been suggested as being the possible basis for the original King Arthur legend. This implies, of course, 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. It should be a great ride.

[Deborah Pickstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dithered around with this and almost didn't read it - and it was a wonderful story, fast moving and exciting. Several more volumes to go.....that makes me a very happy bunny!

In fact, I liked it so much that I was surprised to see comments in reviews about this being a slow-moving story (I have come back to add this). Isn't it fascinating how very differently people experience the same writer? Is that down to what a person's expectations are - especially in view of this being a retelling of a long-told myth?

[Dominic Conquest · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst books I've read in quite some time.

Imagine your typical Bernard Cornwell novel but make it boring, sloppily written and offensive (I was tempted to give it a 2/5 because of the interesting setting, but I had to deduct 1 for the shocking homophobia).

[Robert Richards · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish this book. I found it to be misogynistic and homophobic.

[Math le maudit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roman historique, premier d'une longue série (sept volumes pour la série des aigles en v.o., sans compter les préquelles et autre séquelles).

L'histoire se déroule au 4ème siècle après J-C, en Bretagne (actuelle Angleterre), donc plutôt vers la fin de l'Empire Romain d'Occident, et on y suit les pérégrination de Varus, un centurion romain de ses dernières années de soldat à sa reconversion en tant que forgeron.

Voilà pour le tableau.

Je vais commencer par du pinaillage : sur le plan purement historique, je ne suis pas bien sûr que l'auteur nous présente réellement l'armée romaine de cette époque. Attention, je ne dis pas qu'il ne s'est pas documenté, c'est même le contraire, le roman comportant en annexe une note sur l'organisation des légions romaines.

En revanche, j'ai des réserves sur l'équipement décrit. J'ai eu l'impression que les troupes qu'on nous invitait à suivre étaient encore équipées telles l'image d'Épinal de la légion : pilum lesté, armure métallique / cotte de mailles notamment. Or, il me semblait qu'à ce moment de l'histoire de Rome, on avait déjà bien entamé le déclin militaire et que les légionnaires étaient déjà plus légèrement équipés, les armures métalliques ayant notamment été en grande partie abandonnées.

Mais d'une, il est possible que je me goure, et de deux, ça n'a que peu d'importance pour le récit (pinaillage, comme je disais).

Cela étant dit, parlons du contenu.

Je n'ai pas grand chose à reprocher à l'écriture de Jack Whyte. Les personnages sont sympathiques, les dialogues bien pensés / construits, le récit prenant dans l'ensemble. Je dis "prenant dans l'ensemble", car il n'échappe pas à quelques longueurs, mais j'y reviendrai.

Le centre de l'intrigue se focalise sur une histoire de pierre céleste, qui permettrait d'obtenir un métal inconnu des forgerons de Bretagne (et même de l'Empire) permettant de créer des lames tout aussi solides que somptueuses et sur la chute inéluctable de l'Empire, à laquelle le héros et ses amis vont tâcher de se préparer. Le tout est saupoudré d'un peu de guerre, de beaucoup d'intrigues et d'un peu de sexe.

Dans cette Bretagne située en périphérie de l'Empire, loin des troubles agitant Rome ou Constantinople, va donc se décider l'avenir de l'île, au sein d'un petit groupe de personnes qui préparent d'ores et déjà l'après.

Et c'est là que l'on voit un peu Jack Whyte venir (impression que viendra confirmer d'ailleurs la toute fin de ce premier tome).

Il devient assez vite évident, pour peu qu'on prenne deux secondes pour réfléchir au titre de cette série et aux éléments qui nous sont présentés dans le roman, que c'est l'histoire de Camelot et du mythe arthurien qui vont nous être contés.

La pierre céleste servira à forger Excalibur, la communauté "survivaliste" servira de noyau dur pour Camelot (il sont alliés à des Pendragon, tiens, tiens... Caius et surnommé Caï, ah oui ?) etc.

Du coup, par moments, j'ai vraiment eu l'impression que Whyte allongeait la sauce pour le plaisir, nous montrant ses personnages se posant plein de questions auxquelles, pour ma part, je pouvais déjà répondre. D'où un certain agacement à voir les choses traîner la patte...

Après, je ne vais pas bouder mon plaisir. Comme dit précédemment, l'écriture est très plaisante et ces quelques longueurs que je lui ai trouvé seront peut-être toutes subjectives.

En résulte donc un roman agréable, mais pas assez surprenant à mon goût. Je ne sais pas si je prendrais le temps de lire les suites (tant de livres qui s'accumulent chez moi), mais ça vaudrait le coup, ne serait-ce que pour vérifier mes théories ^^

[Jo Crafter · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Skystone by Jack Whyte is about two Roman men living during the sunset of the Roman Empire in England who decide to make a new culture to preserve Roman values in Britain. While serving in Roman Legions, Caius Britannicus and Publius Varrus fight with various factions of Celts, Picts, Anglo-Saxons, and fellow Romans. After finding several ‘skystones,’ Caius and Publius forge Excalibur and become the ancestors of King Arthur.

I liked the amount of commentary on actual history in this book. For a story as ahistorical as King Arthur, there was a lot of interesting information on Late Imperial Roman politics. Except for the protagonists, most characters are actual historical figures, and the amount of detail is great.

However, this book has a lot holding it back. The amount of detail makes it very dense. It feels like every third word is a name, and new characters are introduced so often it makes it hard to sort out what characters I should care about or the actual plot. The prose compounds this problem, making the book almost unreadable. In addition, the descriptions, cover and back cover all talk about Arthurian legends, but there was almost none of it in the book. While in this story’s canon we’re technically learning about the events that led to the events that led to King Arthur, it isn’t particularly interesting and strikes me as false advertising. (I know that the sequels go into more detail on Arthurian stuff, but I only read the first book.)

I gave the book one star because honestly, it deserves less. The history is interesting, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t get this book expecting a history book. I wanted a fantasy book, and this is not that. Additionally, this book is almost unreadable to the point that I had to read it at least four times to understand even the basics of the plot and even then I didn’t get most of it. Overall, this book is bad, and I don’t recommend it.

[Mary Overton]

Book 1 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.

"Early on in our association, Britannicus and I [the two protagonists - 'I' being the Roman soldier and iron worker, Publius Varrus:] had discovered that we had both been born in Colchester, the oldest Roman settlement in Britain.... Traditionalist that he was, however, he always insisted on calling it by its original name of Camulodunum. Colchester, he maintained, was a bastard name, Celtic and Roman mixed, which stood only for 'the camp on the hill.'" [The name Camulodunum will later be changed to Camulodun and applied to the first British castle, today remembered as Camelot.:] (pg. 70)

"His falseness lay in that he called himself a Roman and he liked to think of himself as embodying all of the virtues of Rome in the days of its true greatness. To tell the truth, he did embody those virtues, but Caius [later to be called Cay - a name inherited by the Round Table's Sir Kay:] Britannicus was also a Briton, both by birth and by conviction. He was born in Britain as the culmination of a chain of events that began with the first of his ancestors to be named Britannicus, and he was the firstborn of the third generation of his family to be born and bred here." (pg. 235)

As the Roman Empire is tottering, Britannicus builds a self-sufficient community in the west of Britain. He tells the people of that settlement: "'We will survive [the fall of Rome.:] And we will prosper. And we will preserve an island of real Roman virtues, Roman values, Roman worth and Roman standards of freedom and dignity here in the island of Britain.'" (pg. 268)