Spoilers ahead, though not ones that aren’t pretty obvious to anyone already familiar with Arthurian Legend.
This is the fifth book in the Camulod Chronicles. At this point in the story, Arthur is about 8 or 9 and Merlin has taken him into hiding, along with a small group of trusted friends from Camulod. Through the course of the story, Arthur grows to manhood and the Camulodians settle in quite nicely in their new home. This is short-lived, of course, since they must inevitably return to Camulod so that Arthur can take his place there. That is where the group are headed at the end of the book.
I noticed something while reading this book, that things on the whole tended to overwhelming go Merlyn’s way. He is so clever and so is most everyone around him, that he achieves all that he sets his mind to. True, a good deal of luck was involved, but it felt as though every conflict worked out in Merlyn’s favor. It just felt too easy, especially in the way they always seem to happen upon the best way to devise a new model of weapon. This has been the way of things through much of the series, but never so pronounced as in this book. No matter, though. An ill wind has come through Britain and the next book will likely bring more difficulties for Merlyn, Arthur, and the people of Camulod.
Review by Jessica A.
This is the fourth book in The Camulod Chronicles. As with the others, it is very detailed in its recreation of Britain in the decades following Rome’s withdrawal. As Arthur is a young boy in this story, the names of certain characters are starting to become more familiar, while my brain searches for the characters I know from other versions of the Arthurian Legend.
Siddhartha is the son of a Brahman in the 5th or 4th Century BCE. Seeking enlightenment, he and his best friend Govinda, leave the comfort of their homes for a life as ascetic monks (samanas). They learn all they can from the Samana teachers and then continue on their journey. Happening upon a group listening to Gotama Buddha speak, Govinda decides to stay and Siddhartha leaves. He feels he cannot learn anything the Buddha has to teach because he doesn’t trust any teaching that can be taught via words, as words are insufficient. After living in decadence for a while, he learns the trade of a ferryman where he eventually attains enlightenment.
The third book in the Camulod Chronicles follows Merlyn in his early years and young adulthood. Arthur is born near the end of the book. Like the other books in this series, much attention is given to military matters. This can get slightly tedious to someone like me who doesn’t care about battle scenes, yet I fully recognize the necessity of those scenes within the narrative. I really enjoyed this book and am quite eager to get to the next in the series.
China Dolls explores the world of the 1930’s and 40’s Asian nightclubs in San Francisco. While many people were trying to emerge from the Great Depression by going to see films, while abandoning Vaudeville, the theater was full of great Asian stars who could work as exotic entertainment live while Asian characters were being portrayed by Caucasians in film. In spired by r
This is the second book in Whyte’s Camulod Chronicles, a saga of the Arthurian Legend. These are historical novels, as opposed to the fantasy books that generally populate the Arthurian genre.