The seventh book in Jack Whyte's Camulod Chronicles, Uther is a parallel novel to The Eagle's Brood. It fills in some gaps about another major character in the Arthurian legend, Uther Pendragon, who is Merlyn's cousin and King Arthur's father.

Uther tells the tale of a young man torn between his love for his adopted Camulod and for the land of his birth, Cambria. Born to be one of the seven Chiefs of the Pendragon federation of Cambria, with the possibility of becoming its king one day, Uther goes from being a carefree boy to a seasoned leader of his people who must wage war to protect his land. Along the way, Uther loses his friendship with Merlyn and falls in love with the wife of his enemy, thereby forging a union that will lead to the birth of Arthur, King of the Britons.

Once again Whyte weaves a tale of intrigue, betrayal, love, and war in a gritty and realistic tale that continues to explore the legend of Camelot. With Uther, Whyte is at his best--he takes his time telling the story and allows his main characters to be both flawed and heroic. Fans of the Camulod Chronicles will be familiar with the inevitable ending of this book, but Uther is a worthwhile addition to the series. For those new to the series, Uther can stand alone as an entry to the story, but it might be best to start with The Skystone, where Whyte's tale truly begins. --Kathie Huddleston


From Publishers Weekly
The grim medieval setting of the Camulod Chronicles is no congenial spot like its romantic analogue, Arthurian legend's shining Camelot. In this lusty, brawling, ingenious re-creation, seventh in his popular series, Whyte traces the short, valorous life of Arthur's father, Uther Pendragon, as a parallel novel to 1997's The Eagles' Brood, the story of Uther's cousin and close childhood friend, Caius Merlyn Britannicus. Whyte deftly stage manages Uther's boyhood, adolescence, early manhood and tragically unlucky kingship, revealing, through a host of well-rounded minor characters drawn from both legend and a seemingly inexhaustible imagination, a man whose courage and honor constantly war against his melancholy core. As a young man, Uther succeeds his father as king of Cambria, while Merlyn assumes leadership of Camulod. For most of his life, Uther battles against verminous King Lot of Cornwall, who brutalizes his arranged-marriage bride, Ygraine of Ireland. Having sworn to lead his primitive Pendragon tribes as their king, Uther still yearns for the dignity, civilized values and warm cDonald. (Apr. 25)Forecast: A teaser chapter in the paperback of L.A. Times bestseller Red Light, a $150,000 marketing campaign and a five-city author tour will speak up for what is perhaps Parker's most ambitious work to date.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
As a child, Uther Pendragon spends half the year among his father's clan in Tir Manha and the other half with his maternal grandparents in the Roman-influenced fortress of Camulod. When his father's death places him in contention for the Pendragon throne, Uther finds he must choose between duty and happiness. The seventh volume in Whyte's massive "Camulod Chronicles" provides a unique look at the life of the man whose vices and virtues come to their fruition in his son, Arthur Pendragon. Able to stand on its own merits as a tale of a life lived boldly and with passion, this welcome addition to Arthurian lore belongs in most libraries. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Canadian writer Whyte has received deserved acclaim for his series of historical novels, the Camulod Chronicles, in which he splendidly retells the Arthurian legend in all its various layers and side stories. This, the seventh novel in the series, focuses on Uther, the British king who was the companion of Merlyn as well as the father of King Arthur. The action takes place during the post-Roman period in British history, when the Roman legions have departed the island, leaving the indigenous population to struggle to establish a functioning political organization. These are dark days, when cruelty and violence are the norm. As readers follow the rise of Uther from grandson of the king of the Britons to king himself, they are drawn into a world of battle and lust, where the former leaves little time for the latter. As Whyte waves off the fog of fantasy and legend surrounding the Arthurian story, he renders characters and events real and plausible. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
“A series that promises to provide historic plausibility to the legend of King Arthur...the best of its type in the near quarter of a century since Mary Stewart’s version of these legends burst upon the publishing scene.”—The Chattanooga Times

“Perhaps not since the early 1970s, with Mary Stewart’s The Crystal Cave and The Hollow Hills, have the Roman Empire and the Arthurian legends been intertwined with as much skill and authenticity.”—Publishers Weekly on The Skystone (starred review)



Review
“A series that promises to provide historic plausibility to the legend of King Arthur...the best of its type in the near quarter of a century since Mary Stewart’s version of these legends burst upon the publishing scene.”—The Chattanooga Times

“Perhaps not since the early 1970s, with Mary Stewart’s The Crystal Cave and The Hollow Hills, have the Roman Empire and the Arthurian legends been intertwined with as much skill and authenticity.”—Publishers Weekly on The Skystone (starred review)



Review
“A series that promises to provide historic plausibility to the legend of King Arthur...the best of its type in the near quarter of a century since Mary Stewart’s version of these legends burst upon the publishing scene.”—The Chattanooga Times

“Perhaps not since the early 1970s, with Mary Stewart’s The Crystal Cave and The Hollow Hills, have the Roman Empire and the Arthurian legends been intertwined with as much skill and authenticity.”—Publishers Weekly on The Skystone (starred review)



Book Description
With Uther, Jack Whyte, author of the richly praised Camulod Chronicles, has given us a portrait of Uther Pendragon, Merlyn's shadow--his boyhood companion and closest friend. And the man who would sire the King of the Britons.

From the trials of boyhood to the new cloak of adult responsibility, we see Uther with fresh eyes. He will travel the length of the land, have adventures, and, through fate or tragedy, fall in love with the one woman he must not have. Uther is a compelling love story and, like the other books in the Camulod Chronicles, a version of the legend that is more realistic than anything that has been available to readers before.



From the Back Cover
“A series that promises to provide historic plausibility to the legend of King Arthur...the best of its type in the near quarter of a century since Mary Stewart’s version of these legends burst upon the publishing scene.”—The Chattanooga Times

With Uther, Jack Whyte, author of the richly praised Camulod Chronicles, has given us a portrait of Uther Pendragon, Merlyn's shadow--his boyhood companion and closest friend. And the man who would sire the King of the Britons.

From the trials of boyhood to the new cloak of adult responsibility, we see Uther with fresh eyes. He will travel the length of the land, have adventures, and, through fate or tragedy, fall in love with the one woman he must not have. Uther is a compelling love story and, like the other books in the Camulod Chronicles, a version of the legend that is more realistic than anything that has been available to readers before.

“Perhaps not since the early 1970s, with Mary Stewart’s The Crystal Cave and The Hollow Hills, have the Roman Empire and the Arthurian legends been intertwined with as much skill and authenticity.”—Publishers Weekly on The Skystone (starred review)



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

"Uther Pendragon was born one of the Eagles' Brood, the grandson of Publius Varrus and Luceiia Britannicus and cousin to Merlyn Britannicus. The two men are closer than any two brothers could be, and yet they are as different as fire and air. As a young man, Uther has known instinctively that command in Camulod was for Merlyn and that he, as a Pendragon, belonged among his father's people, in the mountain kingdom ruled by his ancestors but fortified with as many of the advantages of Camulodian technology as he could use. He is more Celt than Roman, and in his heart he knows that he is a hybrid product of two races and two traditions...and this internal conflict will tear at Uther throughout his life."--BOOK JACKET.

FROM THE CRITICS

Brian Jacomb - Washington Post

Of the scores of novels based on Arthurian legend, Whyte's "Camulod" series is distinctive, particularly in the rendering of its leading players and the residual Roman influences that survived in Britain during the Dark Ages. Uther is a worthy addition to this epic sequence -- and boasts an ending sure to astonish even Whyte's most devoted readers.

Publishers Weekly

The grim medieval setting of the Camulod Chronicles is no congenial spot like its romantic analogue, Arthurian legend's shining Camelot. In this lusty, brawling, ingenious re-creation, seventh in his popular series, Whyte traces the short, valorous life of Arthur's father, Uther Pendragon, as a parallel novel to 1997's The Eagles' Brood, the story of Uther's cousin and close childhood friend, Caius Merlyn Britannicus. Whyte deftly stage manages Uther's boyhood, adolescence, early manhood and tragically unlucky kingship, revealing, through a host of well-rounded minor characters drawn from both legend and a seemingly inexhaustible imagination, a man whose courage and honor constantly war against his melancholy core. As a young man, Uther succeeds his father as king of Cambria, while Merlyn assumes leadership of Camulod. For most of his life, Uther battles against verminous King Lot of Cornwall, who brutalizes his arranged-marriage bride, Ygraine of Ireland. Having sworn to lead his primitive Pendragon tribes as their king, Uther still yearns for the dignity, civilized values and warm baths of Camulod. But Uther wins Ygraine's heart, affording ample opportunity for juicy sex scenes, vivid and heroic as the flamboyant sword-swinging, hand-to-hand combat and death-dealing cavalry charges. Whyte's Uther may never regain his promised land, but in this rousing and meticulously researched novel, Uther wins a more glorious prize: he sires Britain's once and future king. (Apr. 23) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal