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January 16, 2008
Good reading
The community theater in Whitefish, Montana, was in the middle of a production of Camelot when Ben and I were there on our honeymoon a year and a half ago. One night we went to see the show, which was a very silly musical but a good way to pass the time.
The next day, we wandered into an independent bookstore because Ben had finished whatever he'd been reading, and he happened upon "The Skystone." Written by Scottish-Canadian Jack Whyte, "The Skystone" is set during the decline of the Roman Empire and its departure from England. It also purports to tell the beginning of fictional history that might have inspired the Camelot story.
Ben finished the book and I picked it up, and it was pretty cool. I had been trying to read "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," and even though I gave up on the history before I got very far in, it was clear that Jack Whyte's "Skystone" drew heavily that book. There was no King Arthur, not even a hint of him, but there were a lot of other characters going on interesting adventures and living well-written lives during a perilous era.
Today I finished "The Eagle," the last of the seven-book series, and I feel deeply satisfied. Some of the books were stronger than others, but over-all the series was really well written and a lot of fun for a fan of Arthurian legend like myself. Along the way, I learned a little bit about British geography and European history, too, which was cool.
I just posted a short review to Goodreads, but I don't want to say too much here because Ben is next in line for "The Eagle" and I don't want to spoil it for him.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at January 16, 2008 09:43 PM