The Sorcerer: Metamorphosis, Book 2 (The Camulod Chronicles, Book 6)

There's not that much to say. If you've read the first 4 books of this series I'm sure you can guess this is another great Jack Whyte book. It is, this guy is a great writer. His books really bring you into the story.

What a wonderful series! Finally a series about the fabled king arthur that takes the legend and makes it real - so real you can really believe it - steeped in real history, this author takes the legends we've all heard and makes them plausible, makes them breathe with a new life. I'm so impressed and I'll never think of "Camelot" again without thinking of Mr. Whyte's take on the situation. a fascinating series of books... start at the beginning and read all six. you won't be sorry you did!

Jack Whyte's "The Sorcerer: Metamorphosis", sixth book, and 2nd in the series is excellent. Once again we follow Caius Meryln Brittanicus, in his quests, and watch an older Arthur becoming a leader, and in time the high king of all of Britain and wielder of Excaliber. In this novel we are brought back to Camulod, and now Meryln serves as a leader of colony alongside his brother Ambrose. Not to give away story, but tragedy will strike, and through this Meryln makes the change from leader of men, to Sorcerer- friend of few, feared by many, a powerful transformation. Evil always dwells, and this 2nd book in series has alot more action then previous. Once again the characters are descriped in great detail, and we get to know them through Merylns narrative. I in particular like the Pendragon descriptions, characters like Huw and Lyewelln are nice to follow. The only downside I can see at moment, is that there has not been a real follow up to this as yet, as the next book follows Arthurs father, hopefully in time Whyte will deliver more books for this series. Highly Recommend the "The Sorcerer: Metamorphosis", an entertaining and enjoyable read.

Although this is ostensibly a review of "The Sorcerer: Metamorphosis", it in actuality covers all six books of the series to date ("The Skystone", "The Singing Sword", "The Eagles' Brood", "The Saxon Shore", "The Fort at River's Bend", and "The Sorcerer: Metamorphosis"), primarily focusing on the last two. This series, The Camulod Chronicles, outlines the story of King Arthur as it might have been in a historical perspective, beginning with the end of the Roman occupation of Britain. If there were such a person as Arthur, he would have lived during this time. Most likely, he was a composite character, based on some of the more influential warlords and petty kings of the day. As an aside, I am reminded of a vacation in southern England that my family took in 1995. My sons, who were 11 and 13 at the time, could not understand my excitement in viewing the ruins of Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, asking "How can this be the birthplace of someone who never was?" But, that's a different story. . .The first two books of the series, which outlined the founding of Camulod (or Camelot) and Avalon and the forging of the sword Excalibur, were told from the viewpoint of an old Roman soldier. The last two books, which detail the birth of Arthur and his early boyhood years, are told from the viewpoint of Merlin, or, "Merlyn" in the Chronicles. The last two books, which detail Arthur's adolescence and subsequent coronation as High King of Britain, are also told from Merlyn's point of view. As an avid reader of Arthurian legend and all its various retellings, let me tell you that the character of Merlin is probably one of the most varied of them all, probably due to the fact that he was actually a minor character in Mallory. Hence, the details are free to be filled in by the current chronicler. Merlin ranges from an evil wizard living backward in time to a benevolent sorcerer to merely a human being who is just a little smarter than most. The most esoteric version of Merlin can be found in Stephen Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle in which Merlin is the son of Charis, the last princess of Atlantis, and Taliesen, the greatest of the Celtic Bards. Except for the exotic birth, Jack Whyte's Merlyn has much in common with Lawhead's Merlin in that both were mortal men, though a little larger than life in that they were fierce warriors, outstanding field generals, and outstanding scholars. Also, neither possessed the true gift of magic, though they were believed to by the masses of humanity. In the sixth book, we are also given a glimpse into Merlyn's future as he begins to withdraw from the public eye, just as Arthur begins his ascendancy into it.The Camulod Chronicles begin earlier than Mallory's "Le Morte D'Arthur", in a time that historically did occur, hence the tales carry an air of realism. The descriptions of the Roman influence on Britain in the late Fourth and early Fifth centuries are fascinating. The story unfolds at a leisurely pace, but the pages

Thank the heavens for Jack Whyte. As a student of the Arthuian legends, I find Whyte's books a fantastic read, especially his new one, "Fort" I'm looking forward to Metamorphosis, and find my self waiting like a child at christmas. To all who may read Whyte or has yet to discover this mans talents, good luck and good reading!!!