Status
Available
Series
Collection
Publication
Tor Books (1998), 640 pages
Description
The Eagles' Brood by Jack Whyte 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 . . . .… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member hlselz
This is an historical fiction series about King Arthur, and they are my favorite books of ALL time. Whyte is an amazing author, and his descriptions are amazing. The books tell a realistic story of King Arthur, without all of the magic and sorcery we see in modern myths. These books start off with
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King Arthur's great great grandfather, and chronicle the family until the death of King Arthur. The charectors are so well developed you feel as if you know them. The other great thing about these books is that they are written in journal-like form. So as different members of the family are "writing" the different books, the writing style and methods change slightly. Show Less
LibraryThing member rbtwinky
I like Whyte's take on the Arthurian legend, but the novelty only goes so far. This one really dragged on for me. I don't think I'll be picking up The Saxon Shore anytime soon.
LibraryThing member Glorybe1
I loved this book the 3rd in the series. Jack Whyte is a fabulous storyteller and he has made this a wonderful series to follow. Starting with Arthurs Great great grandfarther and works its way forward. Telling of the creation of Excaliber, how Britain came into being after the Romans actually left
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and this book brings Arthur into being. Written in the first person as a diary you really get a feel for the characters. A brilliant story from an amazing storyteller. Show Less
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
This book is part of a series of books based on the legends of King Arthur. I've read quite a few books based on Arthurian lore, but this series is unique. It doesn't stand out for the quality of the writing, which is no more than decent. It does stand out for the imagination and verisimilitude
That's what I mean about imagination. Used not to build a magical system and a fantasy world, but a Camelot (or rather here "Camulod") that truly might have existed within the cracks of what we know of Dark Age Britain. Strictly speaking, this is not fantasy at all but well-grounded historical fiction. The narrator of the first two books is Arthur's great-grandfather, Publius Varrus, and is set in the decades before Roman legions withdrew from Britain. In this book, the narrative baton is passed on to a name right from the legends--Merlyn, his nephew. Merlyn, King Lot, Uther Pendragon are the characters that drive this story. And Uther especially has an fascinating ambiguity and complexity.
I love good historical fiction, especially those that show me a side of history I didn't know. One work of historical fiction, All Things Are Lights, is a favorite precisely because I knew nothing before reading it about the Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade. Before reading it, I had thought Europe monolithically Roman Catholic during the Middle Ages. I had no idea so much of France held with the Gnostic Cathars before they were wiped out by a Christian crusade called for by the Pope. Similarly, I enjoyed in The Eagles' Brood the picture of early Christianity, particularly the picture of the British Pelagius and his belief in free will and conflict with the followers of Augustine of Hippo. I had never heard of Pelagius nor known that his teachings were widespread in Dark Age Britain. It made me wonder if history might have taken a very different path had his ideas won out. The book's picture of history is also interesting in many other ways. This may not be historical fantasy, but it is (among other things) military fiction--the invention of the stirrup and the flail are important elements in the story.
The novel does have its flaws. I mentioned that I don't think Whyte's in the same league as T.H. White or Stewart. His sex scenes particularly struck me as none too graceful. And god, the coincidences! Two incidents in particular struck me as implausible as some of the more ludicrous plot points in Shakespearean comedy where brothers who didn't know of each other's existence just happen to bump into each other. I thought some parts frankly dragged, which is the main reason this book is rated one star less than the first book in the series. But this novel does get rated as high as it is, because I do find Whyte's picture of Dark Ages Britain, and the way he finds credible realistic ways to render the familiar Arthurian legend, fascinating.
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with which it uses history. Few Arthurian books I've read written in the last few decades are unabashed fantasy in the tradition of T.H. White's The Once and Future King with a Merlin that lives backwards and changes Arthur into various animals, but most have some fantasy aspects. Even Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy, which carefully does build in a solid historical context, still has a large element of magic. Those two works are my favorite Arthurian tales by the way--both Stewart and T.H. White are wonderful writers. What makes Whyte's series different, at least so far, is the complete lack of magic (aside from some prescient dreams.) The first novel was The Skystone--referring to a meteorite from which was forged Excalibur.That's what I mean about imagination. Used not to build a magical system and a fantasy world, but a Camelot (or rather here "Camulod") that truly might have existed within the cracks of what we know of Dark Age Britain. Strictly speaking, this is not fantasy at all but well-grounded historical fiction. The narrator of the first two books is Arthur's great-grandfather, Publius Varrus, and is set in the decades before Roman legions withdrew from Britain. In this book, the narrative baton is passed on to a name right from the legends--Merlyn, his nephew. Merlyn, King Lot, Uther Pendragon are the characters that drive this story. And Uther especially has an fascinating ambiguity and complexity.
I love good historical fiction, especially those that show me a side of history I didn't know. One work of historical fiction, All Things Are Lights, is a favorite precisely because I knew nothing before reading it about the Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade. Before reading it, I had thought Europe monolithically Roman Catholic during the Middle Ages. I had no idea so much of France held with the Gnostic Cathars before they were wiped out by a Christian crusade called for by the Pope. Similarly, I enjoyed in The Eagles' Brood the picture of early Christianity, particularly the picture of the British Pelagius and his belief in free will and conflict with the followers of Augustine of Hippo. I had never heard of Pelagius nor known that his teachings were widespread in Dark Age Britain. It made me wonder if history might have taken a very different path had his ideas won out. The book's picture of history is also interesting in many other ways. This may not be historical fantasy, but it is (among other things) military fiction--the invention of the stirrup and the flail are important elements in the story.
The novel does have its flaws. I mentioned that I don't think Whyte's in the same league as T.H. White or Stewart. His sex scenes particularly struck me as none too graceful. And god, the coincidences! Two incidents in particular struck me as implausible as some of the more ludicrous plot points in Shakespearean comedy where brothers who didn't know of each other's existence just happen to bump into each other. I thought some parts frankly dragged, which is the main reason this book is rated one star less than the first book in the series. But this novel does get rated as high as it is, because I do find Whyte's picture of Dark Ages Britain, and the way he finds credible realistic ways to render the familiar Arthurian legend, fascinating.
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LibraryThing member willowcove
A wonderful retelling of Arthurian mythology from a more realistic and less mythological standpoint. Great read!
LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
The Dream of Eagles continue, with interesting motivations for the principle characters, but increasing distance between the narration and the actual historical evidence of the fifth century. The last words of the book ring particularly poignantly :"Together we watched the shores of south Britain
I would like to point out to re-enactors who might be tempted to use flail morning stars on horseback that these are very dangerous weapons for the horseman and his horse. You run a very high chance of smashing your mount in the head. The later Middle ages saw the flail as an infantry weapon, not for horsemen. Mr. Whyte's use of last minute reveals and overly dramatic confrontations, does not, in the long run entertain me or others like me. I will continue the series out of completeness, but Cornwell's Uhtred still remains the gold standard in Dark Ages military porn. I would also point out that for Arthuriana fans that the Penguin edition of Malory remains in print for the true Arthurian.
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fall further and further behind us."I would like to point out to re-enactors who might be tempted to use flail morning stars on horseback that these are very dangerous weapons for the horseman and his horse. You run a very high chance of smashing your mount in the head. The later Middle ages saw the flail as an infantry weapon, not for horsemen. Mr. Whyte's use of last minute reveals and overly dramatic confrontations, does not, in the long run entertain me or others like me. I will continue the series out of completeness, but Cornwell's Uhtred still remains the gold standard in Dark Ages military porn. I would also point out that for Arthuriana fans that the Penguin edition of Malory remains in print for the true Arthurian.
Show Less
LibraryThing member RaggedyMe
I'm enjoying this book series, but this one had a lot more fighting and descriptions of battle, which isn't my favorite, but the story is so well done and I'm enjoying the way it is told that I can hardly wait for the next chapter.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1994
Physical description
640 p.; 4.21 inches
ISBN
0812551400 / 9780812551402