From Publishers Weekly
The fourth book in Whyte's engrossing, highly realistic retelling of the Arthurian legend takes up where The Eagle's Brood (1997) left off. Narrated by Caius Merlyn Brittanicus from journals written at the end of the "wizard's" long life, this volume begins in an immensely exciting fashion, with Merlyn and the orphaned infant Arthur Pendragon in desperate straits, adrift on the ocean in a small galley without food or oars. They are saved by a ship commanded by Connor, son of the High King of the Scots of Eire, who takes the babe with him to Eireland until the return of Connor's brother Donuil, whom Connor believes has been taken hostage by Merlyn. The plot then settles into well-handled depictions of political intrigue, the training of cavalry with infantry and the love stories that inevitably arise, including one about Donuil and the sorcerously gifted Shelagh and another about Merlyn's half-brother, Ambrose, and the skilled surgeon Ludmilla. As Camulod prospers, Merlyn works hard at fulfilling what he considers his destinyApreparing the boy for his prophesied role as High King of all Britain. Whyte's descriptions, astonishingly vivid, of this ancient and mystical era ring true, as do his characters, who include a number of strong women. Whyte shows why Camulod was such a wonder, demonstrating time and again how persistence, knowledge and empathy can help push back the darkness of ignorance to build a shining futureAa lesson that has not lost its value for being centuries old and shrouded in the mists of myth and magic. Author tour. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
YA-Three earlier books in this series have dealt with events that foreshadowed the rise of King Arthur. In this installment, readers learn of Merlin's antecedents and his descent from a Roman legionnaire and craftsman whose master creation was the sword Excalibur. Here, Merlyn Britannicus is presented as a man in his 30s, a wily political figure but very much a warrior, with no magical powers. In the vivid opening scene, he is adrift on the open sea with an infant in his arms, his cousin, the young Arthur. The following adventures concern Merlyn's efforts to assure Arthur's safety until he is old enough to begin to unify the divergent native clans of Britain with Saxon and Celtic invaders. This is first achieved by Merlyn's success in establishing a friendship with the Eirish tribe called the Scots, who effected his rescue from the shipwreck. His return to England with a force of the Scots and their remarkable war horses leads to the buildup of a fortressed community, which will eventually become Camulod, or Camelot. At the book's close, Arthur has become a capable young boy and Merlyn is removing him to Cumbria where Roman influence lingers. His intent is to raise and train him to worthy readiness for a great future. Whyte has taken an engaging approach to the long-established character of Merlin. Much that is new and intriguing brightens a legend that in many forms has always been enchanting.Frances Reiher, Fairfax County Public Library, VACopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
Fourth volume in the Camulod Chronicles, Scots-born Whyte's reinvention of the Arthurian saga, begun with The Skystone (1996) and the discovery of a new metal with which to forge Excalibur, The Singing Sword (1996, not reviewed) and--200 years laterThe Eagle's Brood (1997), in which the Roman occupation of fifth-century Britain hears the first chords of its death knell. Now, the Colony that will become the fabled Camulod is ruled by Merlyn Britannicus and Uther Pendragon. When Uther (Arthur's father) dies, cousin Merlyn cares for the babe and raises him to unify Britain and guard Excalibur. Bernard Cornwell's more florid, less gritty trilogy of Arthur ends with Excalibur (see above), while Whyte's doorstoppers are historically more dense and action-crammed than marvelous, and--with Arthur still a child after four long volumes--already dwarf Le Morte dArthur, will soon loom over Gibbon's Decline and Fall, and, with the Saxon chronicles marching on logically into Ivanhoe and The Waverley Novels, may simply go on forever. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
"From the building blocks of history and the mortar of reality, Jack Whyte has built Arthur's world and showed us the bone beneath the flesh of legend." --Diana Gabaldon



Book Description
Merlyn Britannicus and Uther Pendragon--The Silver Bear and The Red Dragon--are the leaders of the Colony, lifeblood to the community from which will come the fabled Camulod.

But soon their tranquility is in ruins, Uther lies dead following treachery...and all that is left of the dream is the orphaned babe Arthur. Heir to the Colony of Camulod, born with Roman heritage, as well as the royal blood of the Hibernians and the Celts, Arthur is the living incarnation of the sacred dream of his ancestors: independent survival in Britain amidst the ruins of the Roman Empire.

When Arthur is adopted by his cousin, Caius Merlyn Britannicus, an enormous responsibility is placed upon Merlyn's shoulders. Now he must prepare young Arthur to unify the clans of Britain and guard the mighty sword Excalibur, crafted by his great uncle Publius Varrus. Above all, Merlyn must see that Arthur survives to achieve his ancestors' dreams--in spite of the deadly threats rumbling from the Saxon Shore.



From the Publisher
"The very best storytellers keep their readers glued to the story with plot, character, and a keen sense of the dramatic.... Whyte breathes life into the Arthurian myths by weaving the reality of history into them." --Tony Hillerman on The Skystone "From the building blocks of history and the mortar of reality, Jack Whyte has built Arthur's world and showed us the bone beneath the flesh of legend." --Diana Gabaldon


About the Author
Jack Whyte is a Scots-born, award-winning Canadian author whose poem, The Faceless One, was featured at the 1991 New York Film Festival. The Camulod Chronicles is his greatest work, a stunning retelling of one of our greatest legends: the making of King Arthur’s Britain. He lives in British Columbia, Canada.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Merlyn Britannicus and Uther Pendragon - The Silver Bear and The Red Dragon - are the leaders of the Colony, lifeblood to the community from which will come the fabled Camulod. They are 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. They have sworn to protect the Colony's safety and have pledged their lives to preserve the past and to fulfill a dream. But their tranquillity is in ruins, Uther lies dead following treachery... and all that is left of the dream is the babe Arthur. Heir to the Colony of Camulod, born with Roman heritage, as well as the royal blood of the Hibernians and the Celts, Arthur is the living incarnation of the sacred dream of his ancestors: independent survival in Britain amidst the ruins of the Roman Empire. When Arthur is adopted by his cousin, Caius Merlyn Britannicus, an enormous responsibility is placed upon Merlyn's shoulders. Now he must prepare young Arthur to unify the clans of Britain and guard the mighty sword Excalibur, crafted by his great uncle Publius Varrus. Above all, Merlyn must see that Arthur survives to achieve his ancestors' dreams - in spite of the deadly threats rumbling from the Saxon Shore.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The fourth book in Whyte's engrossing, highly realistic retelling of the Arthurian legend takes up where The Eagle's Brood (1997) left off. Narrated by Caius Merlyn Brittanicus from journals written at the end of the "wizard's" long life, this volume begins in an immensely exciting fashion, with Merlyn and the orphaned infant Arthur Pendragon in desperate straits, adrift on the ocean in a small galley without food or oars. They are saved by a ship commanded by Connor, son of the High King of the Scots of Eire, who takes the babe with him to Eireland until the return of Connor's brother Donuil, whom Connor believes has been taken hostage by Merlyn. The plot then settles into well-handled depictions of political intrigue, the training of cavalry with infantry and the love stories that inevitably arise, including one about Donuil and the sorcerously gifted Shelagh and another about Merlyn's half-brother, Ambrose, and the skilled surgeon Ludmilla. As Camulod prospers, Merlyn works hard at fulfilling what he considers his destinypreparing the boy for his prophesied role as High King of all Britain. Whyte's descriptions, astonishingly vivid, of this ancient and mystical era ring true, as do his characters, who include a number of strong women. Whyte shows why Camulod was such a wonder, demonstrating time and again how persistence, knowledge and empathy can help push back the darkness of ignorance to build a shining futurea lesson that has not lost its value for being centuries old and shrouded in the mists of myth and magic. Author tour. (June)

School Library Journal

YA-Three earlier books in this series have dealt with events that foreshadowed the rise of King Arthur. In this installment, readers learn of Merlin's antecedents and his descent from a Roman legionnaire and craftsman whose master creation was the sword Excalibur. Here, Merlyn Britannicus is presented as a man in his 30s, a wily political figure but very much a warrior, with no magical powers. In the vivid opening scene, he is adrift on the open sea with an infant in his arms, his cousin, the young Arthur. The following adventures concern Merlyn's efforts to assure Arthur's safety until he is old enough to begin to unify the divergent native clans of Britain with Saxon and Celtic invaders. This is first achieved by Merlyn's success in establishing a friendship with the Eirish tribe called the Scots, who effected his rescue from the shipwreck. His return to England with a force of the Scots and their remarkable war horses leads to the buildup of a fortressed community, which will eventually become Camulod, or Camelot. At the book's close, Arthur has become a capable young boy and Merlyn is removing him to Cumbria where Roman influence lingers. His intent is to raise and train him to worthy readiness for a great future. Whyte has taken an engaging approach to the long-established character of Merlin. Much that is new and intriguing brightens a legend that in many forms has always been enchanting.-Frances Reiher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Kirkus Reviews

Fourth volume in the Camulod Chronicles, Scots-born Whyte's reinvention of the Arthurian saga, begun with The Skystone (1996) and the discovery of a new metal with which to forge Excalibur, The Singing Sword (1996, not reviewed) and—200 years laterþThe Eagle's Brood (1997), in which the Roman occupation of fifth-century Britain hears the first chords of its death knell. Now, the Colony that will become the fabled Camulod is ruled by Merlyn Britannicus and Uther Pendragon. When Uther (Arthur's father) dies, cousin Merlyn cares for the babe and raises him to unify Britain and guard Excalibur. Bernard Cornwell's more florid, less gritty trilogy of Arthur ends with Excalibur (see above), while Whyte's doorstoppers are historically more dense and action-crammed than marvelous, and—with Arthur still a child after four long volumes—already dwarf Le Morte dþArthur, will soon loom over Gibbon's Decline and Fall, and, with the Saxon chronicles marching on logically into Ivanhoe and The Waverley Novels, may simply go on forever.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING