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The Skystone: The Dream of Eagles Vol. 1
515 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2004
30 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Jack Whyte
63 books776 followersJack 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.
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.
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April 13, 2026
Great Start to a Series
This is the first in a longish series and is a retelling of the Arthurian legend without the magical/fantastical elements. This first book begins at the crumbling of the Roman Empire. The story is told 1st person by one of the characters. The Roman stuff was fascinating, and the main characters are well-drawn and likeable, but what kept me captivated was the connections (very few in this first volume) that develop into the key elements in the tale of Arthur. This book predates Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles by a few years, but Cornwell’s is a different historical take. The Cornwell novels may be my favorite Arthurian books period. That being said, I did enjoy this one very much and will definitely continue the series. 🙂👍🏻
This is the first in a longish series and is a retelling of the Arthurian legend without the magical/fantastical elements. This first book begins at the crumbling of the Roman Empire. The story is told 1st person by one of the characters. The Roman stuff was fascinating, and the main characters are well-drawn and likeable, but what kept me captivated was the connections (very few in this first volume) that develop into the key elements in the tale of Arthur. This book predates Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles by a few years, but Cornwell’s is a different historical take. The Cornwell novels may be my favorite Arthurian books period. That being said, I did enjoy this one very much and will definitely continue the series. 🙂👍🏻
Displaying 1 of 1 review