Tagged: uther

The Eagles’ Brood by Jack Whyte

The Eagles' Brood by Jack Whyte(Cover picture courtesy of 49th Shelf.)

The Eagles’ Brood continues the saga of the Colony known as Camulod, and the tale of the descendants of those brave Romans who forged a new way of life for the Celt and Roman peoples when the Roman legions departed Britain.

Most know the new leader of the Colony as Merlyn; all call him Commander. Cauis Merlyn Britannicus is responsible for their safety, and all look to him for guidance, leadership, justice, and salvation. It is a harsh life but a good community, and Merlyn is dedicated to spreading the influence of Roman culture beyond the Colony’s borders.

Uther Pendragon, the man who will father the legendary Arthur, is the cousin Merlyn has known and loved since they were birthed, four hours apart on the same day, the year the legions left Britain. He is the tireless warrior–the red dragon to Merlyn’s great silver bear–and between the two of them, the Colony knows few enemies.

As different as they can be, they are inseparable: two faces of the same coin. In a world torn apart by warfare and upheaval, each is the other’s certainty and guarantee of the survival of the Colony . . . until a vicious crime, one that strikes at the roots of Merlyn’s life, drives a wedge between them. A wedge that threatens the fate of a nation . . . .

For me, The Eagle’s Brood was such a sad book.  I had to say goodbye to some of my favourite characters from the previous two books: Picus, Publius Varrus and Equus.  Although Caius Merlyn doesn’t have the flair and sense of humour of Publius Varrus, I really did grow to love him as a narrator.

The characters were great in this.  We see everything through Merlyn’s eyes, with all of his judgments and flaws.  He’s a good person but not a perfect character and gradually realizes his flaws.  He can be more than a little judgmental and arrogant at times, but I love how the perspective is told from his older self looking back on his youth.  It brings a little more balance to the equation and I loved Merlyn all the more for it.  Uther was an okay character, but we didn’t really get to see much of the good side of him at all.  That’s why I feel I need to reread Uther (the standalone Jack Whyte later wrote from Uther’s perspective) to fully understand him better.

The plot wasn’t the most fast-moving at the beginning, but the last few hundred pages went fast.  The familiar Arthurian mythology we all know and love is now present almost all of the way through the novel and combined with the other events like the war with Lot, this made for a fast read.  If you’re just picking this book up without reading the first two in A Dream of Eagles you won’t appreciate it as much, but each of Jack Whyte’s books can stand on their own.

I can’t and won’t really comment on the historical accuracy of The Eagles’ Brood.  Although the main events of the novel are correct: the Romans withdrew from Britain, the Saxons started raiding the shores, tribes squabbled for control while the remaining Romans in the province tried to restore some order.  I have a feeling that most of Jack Whyte’s novel is historically accurate because of what I know of ancient Rome as well as how he really sucks you into that period of time.  You really do feel like you’re there and that’s something I’ve always admired in him as a writer.

Despite some rather graphic, disturbing scenes I really did enjoy The Eagles’ Brood.  I’d highly recommend A Dream of Eagles series to anyone who enjoys the Arthurian legends, with or without magical elements.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

Amazon     Barnes and Noble     Goodreads

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart(Cover picture courtesy of Hatchette Australia.)

Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess, Myridden Emrys — or as he would later be known, Merlin — leads a perilous childhood, haunted by portents and visions. But destiny has great plans for this no-man’s-son, taking him from prophesying before the High King Vortigern to the crowning of Uther Pendragon . . . and the conception of Arthur — king for once and always.

I’ve read so many different takes on the Merlin legend you’d think I’d get bored after this long.  But of course not, especially when I read such awesome books like Mary Stewart’s Merlin trilogy.  It’s the perfect mix of magic and realism combined with some brilliant research that makes it seem like Merlin could have been a real historical figure.

I’ll start off with the characters because they were my favourite part of the whole thing.  Merlin was pretty good.  He was a precocious child that grew up to be a mature young man that is slightly cynical about the world around him because he’s seen the ugly side of life.  He knows the fine line between the visions given to him on occasion and prophecy and that sometimes you need to give people what they want to hear.  The thing about Merlin is that he changes so much throughout the story that you can’t help but love him.  Seeing him interact with Ambrosius and Uther was fascinating.  Especially considering Uther isn’t the sort of man you would think he’d be in this novel.  I can’t say much without giving the plot away, but Uther is probably not how you imagined he would be.

I’ll admit that the plot is not exactly fast-paced but neither is it so slow that it drags on and on.  No, Mary Stewart has great pacing in The Crystal Cave and we really get to learn about Merlin on an intimate level while enjoying the plot.  Unlike so many first books in historical fiction/fantasy trilogies there are actually interesting events going on rather than the author just having the first book as a prelude to the real events.

Basically if you love the Arthurian legends you can’t afford to pass up The Crystal Cave.  It’s a great addition to the Arthurian canon and even if it wasn’t it’s a worthwhile read for Mary Stewart’s great writing style alone.  She has this way of describing things that’s just magical and leaves you wanting more (in a good way).  She never overdid the descriptions but I could clearly picture the world of Merlin.  Really, The Crystal Cave had everything I could possibly ask for.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

Amazon     Barnes and Noble     Goodreads

Uther by Jack Whyte

It’s Wednesday today and that means a guest post over at We Heart Reading.  Keeping with the historical fiction theme, I reviewed Uther by Jack Whyte, which tells the story of King Arthur’s father, Uther.  If you love the Arthurian legends, you will love this book, I guarantee.

Anyway, if you’ve missed the first three posts this week, here’s a recap:

Sunday:  Patience, Princess Catherine by Carolyn Meyer

Monday: The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

Tuesday: The Bad Queen by Carolyn Meyer