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Clothar the Frank

by Jack Whyte

To read Jack Whyte is to surrender to a storyteller of the old school. His writing is firmly rooted in the basics of good storytelling: strong characterization, effective plotting, and excellent writing. It helps, of course, that his stories have their origin in one of the greatest stories of all time, the tales surrounding King Arthur and his court at Camelot.

Whyte’s new novel, Clothar the Frank, builds on the five books of the A Dream of Eagles cycle, which chronicled the rise of Arthur Pendragon to become the High King of Britain. Clothar the Frank tells the story of Clothar, a Frankish prince whose involvement in Arthur’s court will be instrumental in its downfall.

Raised by his uncle, following the murder of his parents, Clothar is trained from an early age as both a warrior and a leader of men. These skills are called upon when he is sent to Britain to help Caius Merlyn Britannicus establish both the first Christian church in Britain and an order of Christian knights under Arthur’s leadership. His skill with a spear leads Merlyn to nickname him Hastatus – Spearman. Lancer. Lancelot.

Whyte historicizes the legend of Lancelot, downplaying the magical elements and rote chivalry of most familiar tellings in favour of a fairly realistic narrative rich with historical detail. Whyte’s characterization is as rich as his history; Clothar’s growth to manhood, his tutelage, and his early experiences in battle are well developed and largely free of cliché.

Clothar the Frank’s ultimate success, however, hinges on Whyte’s keen skills as a storyteller. The narrative is perfectly paced, relentless without being rushed, and completely absorbing. Whyte benefits both from the reader’s prior knowledge of the Arthurian legend and from his subversions of, and deviations from, those very tales. When Clothar finally meets Arthur, most readers will experience a shock of both recognition of an archetypal moment and of fresh suspense that Whyte brings to the material.

 

Reviewer: Robert Wiersema

Publisher: Penguin Canada

DETAILS

Price: $36

Page Count: 604 pp

Format: Cloth

ISBN: 0-670-88783-8

Released: Dec.

Issue Date: 2004-1

Categories: Fiction: Novels