Penguin, Copyright 2005, 687 pages
ISBN: 978-0-14-305164-0
Read: March 2012, at age 33
From the back cover:
The Eagle is the
dramatic conclusion of bestselling Author Jack Whyte’s four-generation epic of
the rise and fall of Arthur Pendragon, High King of All Britain. In this final volume, Whyte takes us into the
lives and minds of the three very human and astonishingly ordinary people whose
interrelationships would give rise to the greatest, most enduring love story in
the Western world.
Clothar, the young
Frankish knight known as The Lancer, returns to his homeland in Gaul as
Arthur’s ambassador. From there while
forging overseas alliances on Arthur’s behalf, he watches as Arthur and Merlyn
struggle to unify the clans and peoples of Britain and re-establish the rule of
law. But Clothar knows Arthur’s darkest
secret. When his friend needs him most,
he steps forward.
What happened then
has never been explained or resolved – until now.
Brief reactions after the break (no spoilers this time):
This was a decent book. It took
us completely into Medieval Europe – not so much left from the Roman heyday –
and it was an interesting story around the edges of the King Arthur story. I thought that the new technologies and
events that were introduced (tournaments, knighthood, etc.) were a bit too
transparently placed in the story just to be there, and the whole wasn't nearly as slick as the rest of the series.
That being said, I thought that the series had a proper ending after
book 7 (Uther) where we'd left Roman England and hit the recognizable
Arthur legend. The last two books (Clothar the Frank and The
Eagle) were unnecessary tag-ons.
Sometimes you need to know when to stop, and I think that Mr. Whyte
wrote more than he needed to. I'd recommend that people just stop after Uther, even if you're enjoying the series.
That may be colored by the fact that I’m really not a huge fan of the
Arthur legend overall. I don’t like
paragons dragged through the mud, cuckolded by their best friends, brought down
by their own sons and all the other variations that I've read.
Rating: 3
Other Opinions:
Brief whole-series review. Disliked the last two (this one and Clothar the Frank) more than I did.
Not too many interesting reviews out there. If you've written one, or know of one, please leave me a link in the comments!
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