The Fort at River's Bend: The Sorcerer, Volume I

Camulod Chronicles, Book 5

By: Jack Whyte

Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau

Length: 21 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Merlyn Britannicus, leader of the Colony known as Camulod, is faced with the task of educating his younger charge, Arthur, future King of the Britons. Fearing for the life of his nephew when an assassination attempt goes awry, Merlyn takes Arthur and his boyhood companions Gwin Ghilleadh, and Bedwyr on a journey that will take then to the ruins of a long-abandoned Roman fort - far from Camulod and the only place where Merlyn feels they will be safe.

It is there that Merlyn will enlist the help of this close-knit group of friends to help Arthur learn the skills of a warrior and the tough lessons of justice, honor, and the responsibilities of leadership.

Arthur is just a boy...but the day is not far off when he will have to claim the sword that is his birthright: Excalibur.

©1999 Jack Whyte (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

King Arthur and Rome series

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.

best merlin

good book in a amazing series. a dream of eagles really brings these heroic characters to life.

Like this series

Read the whole series years ago and loved it. Really enjoy listening to it while doing tasks. Great story.

Execrable Narration

Wonderful story. Very intricate, smart and engrossing historical fiction. It all would have been nearly perfect if not for the narrator.

I’ve made it this far just because of the outstanding content. I bought the books and read them when I’m not commuting or doing something where I can’t sit and read. I keep wondering how enjoyable these books would be with even a tolerable narrator.

He has only three “voices” and they’re all irritating. (See previous reviews in this series for my take on his so-called “voices.”) In this book he came up with a new one which was, literally, pinching closed his nose and talking! I just pray that he’s trolling the audience and not actually trying to be serious! And he’s, if anything, even worse on his so-called “pronunciation” of place and proper names.

One word for this narrator: execrable.

A good story but. . .

I’m liking the series, but there is just too much detail. For instance, I really don’t need to know how the boys were trained to use their weapons or how exactly a sword was made, so I fast forwarded through much of that.

very enjoyable

What did you love best about The Fort at River's Bend: The Sorcerer, Volume I?

love the way Merlin came out his shell

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Fort at River's Bend: The Sorcerer, Volume I?

the he played the mystor

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

unknown was great to me

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no I like to wait the next day work to here the rest

Any additional comments?

I have enjoyed Audible

More than I needed to know

I really wish More had happened in this book. I learned a lot about how swords are made and roads are built and bath houses were built by the Romans and pretty much everything I need to know about the Roman impact on Britain. But not much actually happened to advance the story, especially considering the book was more than 30 hours long. I think I need a rest before the next one