The Lance Thrower

Camulod Chronicles, Book 8

By: Jack Whyte

Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau

Jack Whyte has written a lyrical epic, retelling the myths behind the boy who would become the Man Who Would Be King - Arthur Pendragon. He has shown us, as Diana Gabaldon said, "the bone beneath the flesh of legend". In his last book in this series, we witnessed the young king pull the sword from the stone and begin his journey to greatness. Now we reach the tale itself - how the most shining court in history was made.

Clothar is a young man of promise. He has been sent from the wreckage of Gaul to one of the few schools remaining, where logic and rhetoric are taught along with battle techniques that will allow him to survive in the cruel new world where the veneer of civilization is held together by barbarism. He is sent by his mentor on a journey to aid another young man: Arthur Pendragon. He is a man who wants to replace barbarism with law, and keep those who work only for destruction at bay. He is seen as the last great hope for all that is good.

Clothar is drawn to this man, and together they build a dream too perfect to last - and, with a special woman, they share a love that will nearly destroy them all....

The name of Clothar may be unknown to modern listeners, for tales change in the telling through centuries. But any listener will surely know this heroic young man as well as they know the man who became his king. Hundreds of years later, chronicles call Clothar the Lance Thrower by a much more common name: That of Lancelot.

©2004 Jack Whyte (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Legends of Authurian Britain in a masterful story

If you could sum up The Lance Thrower in three words, what would they be?

Lancelot's Legend Lives

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Lance Thrower?

The rescue of Clothar by Ursus

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene in Germanus' sitting room, as he bestows upon Clothar the handmade armor that had been his in the time he was a Roman legate. The scene ends with Germanus calling Clothar, "My son".

If you could rename The Lance Thrower, what would you call it?

Lancelot the Franc

Any additional comments?

Jack Whyte is a great story teller. He has fashioned the bits and pieces of Arthurian legends, fired them together with the story of early Britains' history from the days after Rome abandoned Brittania, and hammered them into a story worthy of reality. Setting the stage generations before Arthur Riothamus, Whyte creates a realistic portrayal of Camelot and the historical/mythological characters that peopled the time. Truly a great story that fleshes out the lengends of Arthurian England.

Enjoyed all the books

If you could sum up The Lance Thrower in three words, what would they be?

Good ending filled in many missing details without going on and on

Who was your favorite character and why?

Always Merlin

Any additional comments?

I enjoy this time period. Don't think that you know the story it has many twists and turns

Lancelot threw lances and lived in France

When I first read these books a decade ago, I thought they were at the top of their game. They're still great for many reasons, but one thing I missed the first time around is the shear amount of exposition. Much of it is necessary, but most not necessarily so. It would be easy to argue that the primary narrative and story of the books are told in exposition. So if this author's previous works weren't enjoyed by you or you thought other works had too much exposition (like, say Pillars of the Earth) you might be wary. But, what the author does to make up for the amount of exposition is posit an entertainingly plausible story of how King Arthur stepped out of the world left by the fall of Rome. And I still enjoyed that story the second time around.

Another good book be Jack Whyte.

Although the writing and performance was just as good as all the previous books in the series i felt that with two consecutive books not centred around Merlin or Arthur was to much. I also found that a full book for this character was not needed.

I love these stories

These Camelot chronicles are the best I’ve ever read from sky stone to the eagle. If ever it did happen this is how it played out. But why oh why could they not have gotten a better narrator. It was almost painful to listen to. Goose bumps he’d be great at but come on the story of Camelot, fail on whoever hired him.