The Eagle

by Jack Whyte

2007

Status

Available

Publication

Tor Books (2007), Edition: Reprint, 674 pages

Description

Beginning with The Skystone, the first in his riveting Camulod Chronicles, Jack Whyte has embarked on an ambitious and remarkable re-telling of the Arthurian cycle, giving us a fresh and compelling take on a story that has been beloved for centuries. The Eagle brings us at last to the heart of the tale, the creation of fabled Camelot and the love story that enshrined its glory. Whyte takes us into the minds and lives of Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot, three astonishing but fallible people who were bound together by honor, loyalty, and love. Three who created the glory that was Britain's shining dream...and, some say, caused its downfall. The Gaulish nobleman Clothar--known in our time as Lancelot--is drawn to the young High King's court by tales of honor and nobility, where he meets a man whose love of law matches his own. More, he finds in Arthur a life-long friend whose dream of uniting the people of Britain in peace Clothar embraces. And Clothar meets Arthur's queen, a wondrous beauty whose passion and ideals match those of her husband. Together they work to bring Arthur's dream to life. But dark forces rise in opposition to Arthur's plans for creating this noble island nation and it is hard to tell friend from foe in the swirling chaos that ensues. Many tales have been told of the dream that shined and died. This one will astonish even the most jaded.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member cajela
Honestly, is this it? Damn. I feel let down. I've been following this series, have all nine books, and loved eight of them. This one is similar in style, as you'd expect - long on immaculately researched history. Lots of battles and politics from 300-500AD, as small colonies struggle to keep up a
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vestige of civilisation after the Romans leave and the Saxons begin to arrive.

But this book is the payoff where we expect the Arthur, Guenevere and Lancelot story to be told, and it bloody isn't! OK, it's in the same style and still quite enjoyable, but I felt cheated.
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LibraryThing member kendosam
No, unfortunately my rating of 2.5 stars is not a mistake. In the grand scheme of things this is not a terrible book but set against the rest of the series it is quite disappointing. To me, the story seemed rushed and there was not a lot of meat to it. The whole last battle of King Arthur and fall
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of Camelot takes place in one short chapter. Jack Whyte planed initially to end the series at Sorcerer because he felt that the fall of Camelot and death of Arthur had been done to death. The only saving grace about this book is that Whyte doesn't make this book about the whole Lancelot, Guenivere, and Arthur love triangle. For readers of the A Dream of Eagles series, I would recommend stopping at Sorcerer as Jack Whyte intended in the first place. Uther is a good read and answers a lot of questions about the series, but imo the eagle is a disappointing ending to an amazing series.
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LibraryThing member bryanspellman
A fine ending to the Camulod Chronicles. It seems however that Jack got a little tired and we never see the end of Arthur. Just through heresay and specualtion. Still a good read
LibraryThing member hlselz
this series is so good- but this final book is not :(
LibraryThing member willowcove
A wonderful retelling of Arthurian mythology from a more realistic and less mythological standpoint. Great read!
LibraryThing member wendytrim
The last book in the Camulod Chronicles. I'm sad...this was a fantastic 9-book series.
LibraryThing member Glorybe1
I really loved this entire series (all 9 of them) Each and every one was a really exciting fast paced story that would stand alone, but read in sequence add up to a wonderful story about Arthur and his knights.
The story starts a long time before Arthur is born, when Excalibur is forged and Camulod
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(Camelot) is born. How his ancestors created it and how Arthur himself came to be High King of all Britain, with Merlyn his mentor.
It is a fictional account of course feasible enough, if Arthur ever really existed!
I am so sorry to have finished this series, but have the set sitting on my shelf ready to go again, which I am positive will happen!
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LibraryThing member donagiles
Best best.....This writer takes you to the time of King Aurther, and shows how they are human and lived. Eating off tranchers and not many veggies in those times.
LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
The story, a treatment of the Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot is given the treatment possible by this author. Sadly, it is a far cry from the mainstream of current Arthuriana. also, it is not a very engaging tale. There is little exploration of Arthur's character, except constant statements that he
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is a Great Man, but there are no examples of it, only bald statements. This does not engage me as a reader of fiction. As usual with Whyte, he has constructed a picture of continental Europe which is without any archaeological or textual evidence. While it is true we have nothing but scanty archaeological evidence, and very few details from the written evidence, the writings of Gildas, the Nennius collection, and the vague passages in the Anglo Saxon Chronicles, there is some peripheral evidence from the "History of the Franks" by Gregory of Tours, and a letter to a Riothamus by Sidonius Apollinaris Whyte ignores Gregory, and seems to have taken only a string of titles from the perhaps rhetorical letter from the bishop of Clermont. Having read all the "Arthuriana published by this author, I dismiss it as very poor work indeed. As fantasy, I wish I had spent the same amount of time with Robert E. Howard, or Poul Anderson or Tolkien or Guy Gavriel Kaye..
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2005

Physical description

674 p.; 6.8 inches

ISBN

0812568990 / 9780812568998

Barcode

1600027
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