Clothar the Frank

Camulod Chronicles #8

by Jack Whyte

Canadian version of The Lance Thrower. It has been edited differently.

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

602 pages, Hardcover

First published December 16, 2003

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

[Paul Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Friendship is God's gift for fortunate men to share."

CLOTHAR THE FRANK, the 6th novel in Jack Whyte's extended series THE CAMULOD CHRONICLES, steps back from Dark Ages England and moves across the channel into post-Roman Gaul to provide an imaginative, extraordinarily detailed, historical back story to the birth, education and development of Lancelot.

Many reviewers complained bitterly that this novel was long-winded and completely failed to advance the story of the King Arthur legend. In a sense, I agree totally. But I'd also suggest to these readers that, if they relaxed and simply accepted the book on its stand-alone merits, they would realize that this, far from being a weakness, is, in fact, its strength and virtue. This is a side bar to the Arthurian legend, something intended to fill in the blanks as it were. The dust flap tell it quite simply ... "Clothar's story is the story of Lancelot - his past, his loves, his loyalty and his role as King Arthur's friend and betrayer".

CLOTHAR THE FRANK is the exciting story of a wealthy family's life in Gaul. Clothar, raised and educated by a saintly Catholic bishop, learns that he is the son of a local king. An exceptionally well-rounded education allows him to step into the role of soldier, leader and a warrior and to accept his role in a bloody internecine civil war. We learn of the reasons behind Clothar's voyage to a dark ages England, besieged by the savage Saxons and Danes after the departure of the Roman legions, where Arthur has yet to be crowned as the High King. As with any good historical fiction novel, CLOTHAR THE FRANK provides plenty of realistic period atmosphere and colour.

I couldn't help but smile at the final scene in which Clothar actually meets the newly crowned King Arthur for the first time. I'm pretty sure that Jack Whyte had dreamed about Robin Hood and Little John the night before he penned the details of this particular chapter. See if you don't agree! A highly recommended addition to any historical fiction lover's library.

Paul Weiss

[Sophie Narey (Bookreview- aholic) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published: 10/10/2013
Author: Jack Whyte
Recommended for: fans of the Arthurian era

Just finished reading this brilliant book I got for Christmas. For anyone who enjoys fiction with a historial theme this book is a must. It has an excellent discriptive text that makes you feel as though you are in the book going through all the trials and tribulations and battles with Clothar. It seems they had the same cold wet weather then as we do now! Seriously I thoroughly enjoyed this book as can't wait to read The Last Stand which I also received for Christmas. You definately need to read this book.

[Taveri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the same book, different title, at "Clothar the Frank". It starts with a passage part way through Clothar's adventures so it wasn't clear that this was going to be a story of his growing into manhood.

I enjoyed the telling of "Lancelot" (Clothar the Frank) from his earliest days until the meeting of King Arthur. Clothar had series of adventures akin to the Lord of the Ring journeys. I had already started the sequel "The Eagle" prior to reading it, so i knew where the story was going. Back to reading the Eagle.

Arthough this was book eight of the Camulod series it could be a stand alone read. I had read the first six some 12-15 years ago and although "SkyStone" the first was the best they got less and less interesting to read. This one rejuninated my interest in the King Arthur - Merlyn tale.

[Taveri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This turned out to a gem. I enjoyed the telling of "Lancelot" (Clothar the Frank) from his earliest days until the meeting of King Arthur. Clothar had series of adventures akin to the Lord of the Ring journeys and we saw how he grew into manhood. The last few pages were anti-dramatic; perhaps because i had started the sequel (before spotting this book on a used book shelf) "The Eagle" prior to reading it, so i kinda knew who it was at the end.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final two novels in the Camulod Chronicles (this one and book #9, The Eagle) form a duology within the larger series and are told from the point of view of the young Frank, Clothar. We know him as Lancelot but in keeping with the realistic and historically appropriate method in which this entire series is written, the name Clothar is much more appropriate.

This novel is mostly a coming-of-age novel for Clothar, written in his first person perspective, telling the tale from the viewpoint of his later years as a way to make sure his children understand their own familial history. About a third of it takes place when he is just 10 years old and a student under the tutelage of Germanus (a great character we’ve encountered before) while the rest is from when he is 16-18 years old. It is not until the end that Clothar finally meets up with Merlyn and Arthur, himself.

This overall series has become one of my all-time favorites (of all genres) and so it is with some reluctance that I "only" give this volume four stars. There is nothing particularly “wrong” with it but to my mind much of it seemed somewhat unnecessary to the series. In essence it is very much a stand-alone novel within the larger series, and can be read as such…but the most satisfying parts are where it does intersect with the rest of the series and beloved characters. Alas these parts are few and I confess I was hoping for more of that, and sooner. However, it does a great job of setting up the important character of Clothar and letting us see how he developed his approach to life, and provide some insightful teasers, all of which will ultimately pay off in the concluding volume, I’m sure.

So now I look forward to The Eagle with mixed emotions. That’s always the way it is with a truly great series, knowing there is only one left to experience, but I will force myself, somehow, to undertake the task. After all of the build-up I’ll finally get to experience the heart of Arthur’s story, in the amazing way that only Jack Whyte can tell it.

[Allen Werner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, as much as I enjoyed the earlier books in Jack Whyte's Camulod Chronicles, The Skystone being one of my favorite books, I was disappointed by 'The Lance Thrower, the 8th book in the series.
It's not a bad book. It's just average and most of the time, unexciting.
The author has taken on the role of Clothar of Benwick, known throughout history and legend as Lancelot.
It begins slowly with an old Clothar enlisting the aid of his son and his son's friends to embark on a dangerous journey from Gaul to Glastonbury. We get a lot of uneventful, descriptive storytelling throughout the first part of the book. Finding a deceased Meryln, old Clothar takes great care to dispose of his body and nearly everything else related with Meryln,
On the journey back to Gaul, Clothar lapses into his memory of the past and the things he has not shared with his son that he may want to one day share with them.
Much of what Clothar recalls first is the true story of his lineage told to him by others when he was only ten. It is a lot of narrative. It is difficult to think of a ten-year-old absorbing all of this. He learns that the people he has considered to be his parents all this time (the King and Queen), are his uncle and aunt, making his brothers actually his cousins.
The story picks up some intensity and excitement when Clothar (16 at this point I believe), stumbles upon a war within his own community. One of the king's sons, Gunthar, has killed the king and attacked his brothers, hoping to take the throne for himself. With the aid of Ursus, whose true name is Perceval, young Clothar locates the surviving cousins and his aunt, the queen. He helps them all get into a nearly impregnable fortress with a super-secret tunnel entrance that only one servant in the castle knows about and showed Clothar recently. (Yeah, this part didn't work for me either).
An uneventful siege with a little guerrilla warfare ends with a puff of smoke as, not to give too much away, Gunthar unceremoniously dies and his mercenaries disband. We are not even halfway through the book yet.
Clothar swears to stay on and help rebuild but is reminded of a promise he made to Bishop Germanus of Auxerre, to seek out Meryln in Camulod and meet this new prince called Arthur.
Tristan and Bors are added to his small entourage. The book is nearly over when Clothar arrives in Britain and the reader is reacquainted with names and places they recognize from the previous books.
Let me state unequivocally, I love the writing. I love the history, the details and settings. It is, however, just a story, a mostly uninteresting story. The time around the siege and the last 80-90 pages are The Lance Thrower's saving grace.

[John Reis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my God is he long winded. His books get thicker and the action gets leaner. And is Clothar a whiny simpering fellow. This book is 400 pages too long.

[Brentman99 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just can't seem to get enough of this series by Jack Whyte. For some unknown reason, I had never paid any attention to the books when they were first released as Romans and King Arthur are interesting on their own, but together? What a great combination.

I just love the depth and time that Whyte has invested in his characters. As I have said in previous reviews, the reader gets to know them very well and you feel invested in them.

This continuation of the Arthur series took a bit of a turn, in that it added Clothar and picked up from the other side of the English Channel at a different time and then merged with the last few volumes to continue the story.

Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and am now reading the final volume. I look forward to enjoying the story, but don't look forward to the ending as the series has been one of the best I have ever read, Brent's humble opinion.

If you like history, like warfare and love Roman history, you will enjoy this series. If you are big on a good story, this will also fill your need. This book and series was well worth the time spent reading it.

[Autumn Doughton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was a flea market find and I guess I picked it up without even reading the cover because when I sat down to read it (6 months later) I saw right away that it was the 8th book in a series I'd never read. I decided to give it a go anyway since it's a series based on Camelot and I absolute love Arthurian legend and figured I could keep up.
For being a fairly familiar story it was wildly novel and entertaining. This book follows the author's re-imagining Lancelot's early life and I found myself seeing this archetypal hero in a new way. Several of the reviews I read described the book as long-winded and mundanely detailed. In some sense that is an accurate description because the novel is in fact intensely detailed and some of it is mundane, yet I found the histories recounted and the descriptions of battle strategies to be utterly readable and fantastic. I've never read anything else by Jack Whyte but I can't wait to continue this series and perhaps start at the beginning.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another companion piece to Whyte's Dream of Eagles series, this, and its follow-up book, The Eagle, can be read without having read the other series. However, being a fan of the series, and having read them from Book One of the "Dream" series onward, as he wrote them, I recommend reading them before this one. It is the story of Clothar, a Frankish knight who becomes known as The Lancer (the character in other works called Lancelot), and how he comes to King Arthur's Court. As usual, Whyte's writing style is fantastic, weaving in historical authenticity and prose and adventure to carry you right through the 687 pages. Loved it.

[Abigail Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a good book! Jack Whyte is truly a legendary storyteller. I can’t wait to see what he’ll do with the final book in the series.

This installment in the series takes the focus away from Caius Merlyn and Arthur and tells the story of Clothar (Lancelot) before he meets Arthur. I loved how historically researched it was and liked the characters that Whyte continues to develop.

[Márta Szörnyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story got back on track with this book, very exciting read!

[Rusty Dalferes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful entry in this series (alternately entitled "Clothar the Frank" outside of the US), giving the backstory for Lancelot and how he found himself as one of Arthur's most loyal knights. I give this a hearty recommendation for fans of the King Arthur mythos.

The prologue begins with the knight known to many as Lancelot as an old man, returning from Gaul to Britain with his son and his son's friends to find the bones of Merlyn and some packages that Merlyn left for him in the vale that Merlyn had named Avalon. In this journey, he tells his companions the story of his life, and we find out that his name is actually Clothar, raised in Benwick in southeastern Gaul as the purported son of Ban, King of the Benwick Franks, and Vivienne of Ganis, sometimes called the Lady of the Lake. At the age of ten, Clothar learns from Ban that his true father was Childebertus, Ban's friend and a fellow former soldier in the Roman legions under Stilicho, who met and married Elaine of Ganis, twin sister to Vivienne and daughter of King Garth of Ganis. Childebertus, Elaine, and Garth all died due to the scheming of Clodas, who usurped the reign of Ganis and still held Clothar's homeland. Vowing to win back his rightful kingdom, Clothar enrolls in a school in Auxerre run by Bishop Germanus, the warrior-priest who had appeared in previous books, to learn both academic subjects and military skill. Years later, returning to Benwick, he is embroiled in a war threatening his foster parents' lands, forcing him to flee, and Germanus suggests that his flight should take him to Britain to meet Merlyn and Arthur. Along the way, Clothar gains friends who join him on the journey whose names will be familiar to any fans of tales of the knights of Camulod: Perceval, Bors, and Tristan. This group ultimately meets and befriends Arthur and his army in Camulod, and convinces them to assist him with retaking his kingdom from Clodas.

As with all of the other books, this one is chock-full of historical goodies about life in the post-Roman era in Gaul and Britain. The story is fast-paced, with lots of action ranging from fights between boys and their bullies to full-scale wars between armies. The characters all are well-developed and described, so the reader is given both minute attention to detail and a great deal of adventurous plot.

I was happy to see that my notes while reading this story did not include any rants about editorial issues, which had been prevalent in some earlier stories in this series, so I'm able to give this book the full five stars.

This is another fantastic entry in a series that I would recommend to anyone interested in Arthurian stories, military historical fiction, and adventure stories.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

First thoughts:

Clothar The Frank, aka Lancelot.

There is something about the tales of King Arthur and his knights that makes me genuinely giddy.
The particular story is of Lancelots childhood and development into the man he would one day become, set from a young age to his first meeting with Arthur. Its the 8th book written in this take on the world and the Knights of the round but its the first one I have read and it certainly left a good impression.

The authors choices were mostly solid here, using the old names for things but holding to modern english was a great choice to both help draw your imagination into the fantasy of the fiction and at the same time ground it in history.

Some parts seem a little rushed but the pacing on the whole was fantastic and we got to see a solid range of development in the main character as he grew up (as much as Lancelot ever really grows up..) . In particular we get to see the seeds of the future Knight with his legendary virtues and vices being sewn. The beginnings of all of it is touched on here: his sense of honour, pride, his superb skill in combat, THE affair and how he would react to, and even hints at the pure mindless fury some stories emphasize.

Its a story ive read many times, but never quite this well told with the focus on Lancelots beginnings over Arthurs.

It was a solid recommendation to me from a friend and if you cant tell I really liked it.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was book #8 in the 9 book series by Jack Whyte. It was about Lancelot, or Clothar, who as an old man returns to Britain, and this book is him remembering his youth and how he grew up in Frankish lands as a ward of a king, and how he came to gain some military training and how he came to meet Bishop Germanus, and then how he eventually met Arthur in Britain. This book continues the great tales Whyte makes about what an historical reality Arthur and his warriors might have had in the wake of the Roman Empire collapsing. In fact, it is the Roman history behind the tales that Whyte uses so well, and which makes his tales seem so believable. He writes with passion and detail about weapons and tactics and the men who used them. The characters are deep and complicated people, and their social customs are powerful and bind them in webs of loyalty, honour, deceit, and betrayal. Love and suffering are here aplenty, as they are today. Whyte understands the human journey.

[Myrna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clearly, my enjoyment of pre-medieval military history has waned a great deal from the days when I first started this series. This book had a shit-ton of description and very little plot, which is a problem when you know where your protagonist is going to end up. Even in a retelling, an author has to bring something new and interesting for the reader to chew on before the expected events unfold. This was more of an exercise in post-imperial Gallic history and (yawn) the rise of the Church. I may wait another 5 or 10 years before I tackle the last volume.

[Gail Barrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is high historical romance, and as always, Whyte does a great job bringing the Arthurian world to life. We follow the life of a young orphan in Gaul who is brought up in the castle of his uncle and aunt, trained as a warrior and then sent off to school in Auxerre with the Bishop Germanus. Many adventures ensue and eventually he is sent to Britain on a mission, with documents to present to Merlyn, whom he cannot find. The story is well told and the ending remains for you to discover should you read this entertaining book.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

It finally got to the point when I had to drop this series, even though I'm close to the end. I just don't care about anyone and the stories in the books seem to get slower and slower with each book. I liked the first few books in the series, but past around number four, it goes downhill and I wish I had stopped reading then.

[Andrew Mcc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second attempt at this book. Can’t remember if I didn’t finish it the first time and the plot is predictable, or if I did finish it the first time and the plot is forgettable. Either way it seemed familiar all the way through.

Not worthy of the rest of the series/chronicles. This entire book could have been a prologue to the next one.

Oh well! On to the series finale.

[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.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series. If you like historical fiction, especially King Arthur sagas, the Camulod series is for you. Accurate settings and history (post-Roman era Britain) and a plausible Arthur's world. Very enjoyable (long however, there are 9 books, hence tons of detail :-))

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorites in this series in a long while. Very engaging, great characters, great pacing. I enjoyed this backstory very much.

[Shane Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun historical read leading up to King Arthur and his round table and all the tales that went with that.

[Robert Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

++

[RJ Lalonde · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing perspective on this capticating world. Clothar is a great lead, easy to love and root for. Great cast of characters. Fun to see the continent too.

[Thomas Hense · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follows Clothar during his time growing up in Gaul. Goes the Britain near the end of the book.

[Christa (haines) Sheridan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book in the series.

[S.C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a unique and completely historical look on the story of Lancelot and how the Arthurian legend could have actually happened. It is a nice change to read books based on myth that are actually historically acurate and aren't full of magic and witches and vampires and all of that fun stuff. Don't get me wrong I like those kinds of books, i have read the twilight books and everything but Jack Whyte's historical fiction saga on the myth of King Artur is unlike any books I have ever read! They are filled with action, suspense, loveable characters and best of all, they are presenting a classic Myth in a way that proves it could have actually happened! If you have even a basic understanding of the myth of King Artur, you should read the Dream of Eagle's series.

This book, although amazing in its own respect, was not one of my favourites of the series. Clothar is a great character but through the process of reading this book I couldn't help thinking: I MISS MERLYN! This book was very different to all of the other books in the series revolving around Camulod and there wasn't much relation in this book to all of the other books. At least in the transition of books from character Publius Varrus to Merylyn, the stories were closely intwined.
This book is strictly the incredible tale of Clothar's story. It was a good read but I still miss all of the other characters I have grown to love while reading the last 7 books. (Well the ones that are still alive at least)

*Caution, my next paragraph contains spoilers*
One more thing in the book I didn't like was the ending scene where Clothar finally meets Arthur. The pair fight and Clothar wins. This is very dissapointing to me first off because Arthur is a legondary King and second, because I love all of the people that tought Arthur to fight whereas I have only had one book to read that tells who trains Clothar. My point being, I spent much time reading and growing to really care about the character's Jack Whyte created in his novels. The previous books in the series tell all about the chracters and their experience and passing on their knowledge and skills while training Arthur so One knows that Arthur has the best teachers ever to train him to be the best he can be at everything. Then you read Clothar the Frank and get to like Clothar and like his teachers I guess, but I just didEvn't get to like them enough after one book to think it was understandable for Clothar to beat an amazing young man who was brought up on the priciple's of Caius brittanicus, Publious Varrus,and tought by countless amazing teachers with great knowledge and experience such as Merlyn and Ambrose Britannicus and he even has teachings from Gemanus, like Clothar, through letters he and the Holy man exchanged. Basically i didn't feel like Clothar should have won. Maybe if I had just read Clothar the frank I would have liked him better than Arthur and would have wanted him to win but I didn't and I really didn't like how someone who was tought everything he knew from characters I love, lost a fight against a new character who hadn't even used the camulod practise swords before!

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book written after the crowning of Arthur whose events happen almost entirely before the crowning. I think it's also one of the best in a wobbly series, perhaps because it doesn't focus on Whyte's annoying version of Merlyn. I liked the new main character he introduces and the theme of hidden or second names that goes throughout. I feel like the book ended rather abruptly with at least one point oddly unresolved. The tendency of all the "good" men in the book to think and talk the same preachy way still happens here, so I was grateful that for much of the book the main character is a boy. I'm sure he'll become more annoying shortly.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, good writing and a good story, but like Uther it's not part of the core storyline. Although there are a lot of interesting setups here explaining some parts of the King Arthur myth, it's told by someone other than Merlyn (and his uncle). This is a problem because, like most authors, Jack Whyte only has one voice. It's believable that one man and his nephew may think and write very similarly, especially since both are similar personalities, but extend that to a cousin who is known for having a very different personality and now one more unrelated person, and you have the makings of a Robert Jordan problem: everyone is the same person.

I wouldn't mind this nearly so much, except that there is now only one book left in the series and a LOT of material I would like to see in it that hasn't been covered in previous books because they've been side treks in the storyline. I like Whyte's writing and he tells a good story, but if the rest of the story can be done justice in one book, then this series really only needed to be 3-4 books because the previous books could have been compacted as well.

What I'm saying is that if you don't have enough to read and are looking for a good meandering story, you might like this series. But who feels a need to read enough to complete a nine-book series without having better things they could be reading than an author who can't focus? This author is certainly not the worst that way (Brandon Sanderson is worse), but I still don't appreciate it.