The Fort at River's Bend
A Dream of Eagles Book V, The Sorcerer Volume I
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4.6 • 26 Ratings
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Born of the chaos of the Dark Ages, the Dream of Eagles produced a king, a country and an everlasting legend—Camelot
Merlyn Britannicus, Commander of Camulod, must educate his young charge, Arthur Pendragon, future King of Britain.
Threats against young Arthur’s life have forced Merlyn and the boy to leave Camulod, settling in an abandoned Roman fort, where they are safe from political intrigue. Enlisting help from a close-knit group of friends, Merlyn teaches the young King about warfare, justice, honour and the responsibilities of leadership in preparation to wield the sword Excalibur.
When the tenuous peace of Camulod is threatened by unrest in neighbouring regions, Merlyn faces a dilemma. How can he prepare the young Arthur to be a ruler of men when he continues to train him in isolation? Merlyn knows that he must risk the dream of his grandfather Caius Britannicus if he is ever to fulfill it.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fearing for the life of his nephew, eight-year-old Arthur Pendragon, after an assassination attempt in their beloved Camulod, Caius Merlyn Brittanicus uproots the boy and sails with an intimate group of friends and warriors to Ravenglass, seeking sanctuary from King Derek. Though Ravenglass is supposed to be a peaceful port, danger continues to threaten and it is only through the quick thinking of the sharp-tongued, knife-wielding sorceress Shelagh that catastrophe and slaughter are averted. Derek, who now realizes the value of the allegiances Merlyn's party bring to his land, offers the Camulodians the use of an abandoned Roman fort that is easily defensible. The bulk of the novel involves the growth of Arthur from boyhood to adolescence at the fort. There he is taught the arts of being a soldier and a ruler, and magnificent training swords are forged in Excalibur's pattern from the metals of the Skystone. While danger still lurks around every corner, this is a peaceful time for Britain, so this installment of the saga (The Saxon Shore, etc.) focuses primarily on the military skills Arthur masters, as well as on the building and refurbishing of an old Roman fort. Whyte has again written a historical fiction filled with vibrant detail. Young Arthur is less absorbing a character than many of the others presented (being seemingly too saintly and prescient for his or any other world), but readers will revel in the impressively researched facts and in how Whyte makes the period come alive.
