Print List Price: | $25.99 |
Kindle Price: | $12.99 Save $13.00 (50%) |
Sold by: | Macmillan Price set by seller. |
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Audible sample
Uther (Camulod Chronicles Book 7) Kindle Edition
With Uther, Jack Whyte, author of the richly praised Camulod Chronicles, has given us a portrait of Uther Pendragon, Merlyn's shadow--his boyhood companion and closest friend. And the man who would sire the King of the Britons.
From the trials of boyhood to the new cloak of adult responsibility, we see Uther with fresh eyes. He will travel the length of the land, have adventures, and, through fate or tragedy, fall in love with the one woman he must not have. Uther is a compelling love story and, like the other books in the Camulod Chronicles, a version of the legend that is more realistic than anything that has been available to readers before.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherForge Books
- Publication dateDecember 9, 2001
- File size1257 KB
Shop this series
See full series-
First 3$39.97
-
First 5$67.95
-
All 9$119.91
-
First 3$39.97
-
First 5$67.95
-
All 9$119.91
This option includes 3 books.
This option includes 5 books.
This option includes 9 books.
Customers also bought or read
- Emperor: The Gates of Rome: A Novel of Julius Caesar; A Roman Empire Novel (Emperor Series Book 1)Kindle Edition$12.99$12.99
- Under the Eagle: A Tale of Military Adventure and Reckless Heroism with the Roman LegionsKindle Edition$11.99$11.99
Customers who bought this item also bought
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Uther tells the tale of a young man torn between his love for his adopted Camulod and for the land of his birth, Cambria. Born to be one of the seven Chiefs of the Pendragon federation of Cambria, with the possibility of becoming its king one day, Uther goes from being a carefree boy to a seasoned leader of his people who must wage war to protect his land. Along the way, Uther loses his friendship with Merlyn and falls in love with the wife of his enemy, thereby forging a union that will lead to the birth of Arthur, King of the Britons.
Once again Whyte weaves a tale of intrigue, betrayal, love, and war in a gritty and realistic tale that continues to explore the legend of Camelot. With Uther, Whyte is at his best--he takes his time telling the story and allows his main characters to be both flawed and heroic. Fans of the Camulod Chronicles will be familiar with the inevitable ending of this book, but Uther is a worthwhile addition to the series. For those new to the series, Uther can stand alone as an entry to the story, but it might be best to start with The Skystone, where Whyte's tale truly begins. --Kathie Huddleston
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
“Solidly grounded and well-crafted historical novels, written with intelligence and a fine eye for details." - The Globe and Mail
“Merlyn. Arthur. Camelot. Excalibur. Names that echo through Western culture and strike an archetypal nerve. And whatever that nerve may be, whatever it is in the human condition that the Arthurian legend speaks to, we hunger for it.” - Edmonton Journal
From the Back Cover
With "Uther," Jack Whyte, author of the richly praised Camulod Chronicles, has given us a portrait of Uther Pendragon, Merlyn's shadow--his boyhood companion and closest friend. And the man who would sire the King of the Britons.
From the trials of boyhood to the new cloak of adult responsibility, we see Uther with fresh eyes. He will travel the length of the land, have adventures, and, through fate or tragedy, fall in love with the one woman he must not have. Uther is a compelling love story and, like the other books in the Camulod Chronicles, a version of the legend that is more realistic than anything that has been available to readers before.
"Perhaps not since the early 1970s, with Mary Stewart's "The Crystal Cave" and "The Hollow Hills," have the Roman Empire and the Arthurian legends been intertwined with as much skill and authenticity."--"Publishers Weekly" on "The Skystone" (starred review)
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
BOOK ONECHILDHOODGreetings, my dear daughter:I have been thinking about writing to you for weeks now, making up snippets of things to tell you and composing entire passages in my mind as I go about my household tasks, but I sit down to it only now, almost afraid that I might be too late, and unpleasantly surprised, all at once, by how quickly time has passed since I last wrote! Last night, as we sat together before going to bed, staring into the fire, your father remarked that the leaves have begun to turn yellow, and pointed out that, before we know it, it will be winter and both you and Picus's wife Enid will be facing confinement and childbirth. That shocked me profoundly, because my immediate reaction was to chide him for exaggerating, until I realized that he was not exaggerating at all. It seems like only yesterday that I was writing to you, describing my excitement over the newly delivered tidings that you were with child and would be giving us a grandson or a granddaughter at the start of the New Year. And now, so soon, your term is more than half elapsed! And that, of course, means that you have been a wife, a married woman and the mistress of your own household, for almost two-thirds of a year, and for that entire time I have not set eyes upon you. How must you have changed in appearance, from the merry-faced, laughing daughter whom your father and I loved so much and in whom we took such pride, knowing how close we had approached to losing you completely when you were tiny.I was interrupted, between writing those last words and these, and a full day has elapsed in the interim. Writing is a slow and sometimes painful process, for the hand is unused to clutching a stylusfor so long a time. And yet Publius writes every day, for long periods each time, so I must believe that the pain wears off with usage. I do hope you are thriving and that your pregnancy is causing you no great discomfort. As you know, I went through the entire process four times, and I had not a speck of trouble with you or any of your sisters at any time, except for the anguish (merely occasional, thanks to your father) of having failed to produce a son to carry on the name of Varrus. It is too late for that, now, and so the name will die, I fear, with my dear Publius, for I know of no other males of the family Varrus now alive. God forbid, however, that anything of that kind should occur for many, many years. In the meantime, your father's pride and manliness, his heritage and all his nobility will live on in your children, and although their name will not be Varrus, dren, and although their name will not be Varrus, yet their mother's blood will make them both Varrus and Britannicus, and they will reflect, in their natures, all the elements that made their mother's father the fine man that he is. But I was speaking of your pregnancy and wondering how you are bearing it. Some women--most of them, God be thanked!--take the condition in their stride, dealing with it daily in the passage of time and suffering no ill from it at all. Others thrive visibly on the condition, blooming while they carry the child and achieving a degree of beauty they seldom recapture in fallow times. And then again, there are the others, poor creatures who cannot sustain the role that has been thrust upon them and who suffer untold agonies and endless sickness through their entire term of carrying. These are the ones who, all too often, have Harpies awaiting their delivery and who too frequently die in childbirth. I know that you are of one or the other of the first two groups, my dear Veronica, for had you shown any indications of belonging to the third, I should have heard of it long since, and I would be there with you now, instead of sitting here writingyou this long and rambling letter. Your father is calling me.Well! Another day gone by. I begin to believe that, once interrupted, it becomes impossible to resume writing the same day. Yesterday, when I went to your father's call, I found that one of the young stable boys had been kicked by a horse. He must have been careless in some way, but we will never know, because he died without regaining his senses. He was only eight years old, and your father was very angry that the child had been left alone to do a man's work. We had a noisy and exciting evening of heated arguments and cold anger as he tried to discover the truth of what happened from a number of people who really did not know. Generally, however, your father is well, in radiant health and strong as a man half his age. He continues to spend the greatest portion of his time in his old forge, banging away at white hot metal, all the while in danger of suffocating from smoke and noxious fumes. But he is happiest when he is there, so what can I, a mere woman, do to dissuade him? It makes me smile to recall it, but there was a time when I thought he must regret that I had so little interest in his forge and what he did in there. I was wrong. I have learned to believe that your father is perfectly happy to have me stay in my place, here in our home, and allow him to do as he must in his place of work. And when he comes home to me, as he always does, I never doubt his gladness at setting eyes on me. Now that is a gift I wish I could bestow on you, daughter. But I cannot. The only person who can grant that gift to you is your own man, Uric, and the only means you have of influencing him to do that is to manage his home, share in his dreams, encourage his visions, and love him.It is a beautiful day, here, and the sky is flushing pink with the promise of a wondrous sunset. It is strange to think you might not be able to see it where you are, among the hills. It might be rainingthere, or foggy with low clouds. Well, child, now that you are a child no longer, know that we love you none the less, your father and I. Carry your own child proudly and with gladness, whether it be boy or girl, and never fear about your ability to bear men-children for your husband. I produced only girls, but the women of our family have always been breeders of strong men, so perhaps I was an aberration. You, I am convinced, will bring forth boys, and if Uric truly is of Ullic's blood, he will contribute to that bringing forth. I will not insult you by asking you if you would come home to have your child. I know your place is there in your husband's land, as Enid's is here, in her husband's, even land, as Enid's is here, in her husband's, even though Picus is away at war. I remind God every day and night, in my prayers, to keep all of you strong and healthy and safe above all God bless you, child, you are in my mind and my heart at all times.Your loving mother, LV
Dear Mother:I overheard Uncullic this morning telling Uric that he intends to ride by Camulod on his way to wherever he is going in the week ahead. Thus, mindful of the enormous pile of papyrus you sent me recently, hinting that should I ever think to write to you I should not lack the means of doing so, I thought to take this opportunity to write and let you know that I am well and having no trouble at all with the burden I am carrying. The grandchild I will bring to you is all male. His strength and his lack of delicacy and consideration tell me that he could be nothing else. But he has been well behaved, generally speaking, and I am quite sure he will cause me no insurmountable difficulty when it comes time to bring him out to face the world in which he must live. My dearest hope is that you and my father are both as healthy as I feel, because if you are, I should rejoice. And on that topic of rejoicing, we are caughtup in the end of the year celebrations, although Samhain, the winter solstice, has already passed long since and the days are beginning to lengthen. Now that I am living among the Cambrians and have made their way of life my own, I am often astonished to see just how different their customs and celebrations are from ours. I can clearly remember sitting listening to Bishop Alaric on one bright, lovely summer's afternoon several years ago, as he told us about the various ways in which the communities in the small territories wherein we live have come to use different ceremonies and rituals to celebrate the same important events throughout the year. Events like the solstices, when the sun reaches the limits of its flight and sets off again upon its return course. But even our beloved Bishop could not convey the scope of such differences.I know that our own tradition, in Camulod, is rooted in our Roman past. But the Celtic clans celebrate Samhain when we celebrate Saturnalia. I had heard the name before, and I recall that as a child, I passed the Samhain festival with you and my father in two small communities that I remember as lying to the south and west of Camulod. Neither of those two occasions, however, bears any slight resemblance to what goes on here in Cambria at this time of the year. And then, recently, within those regions and among those clans where Christianity has spread, the rituals and the events we celebrate are changing every year. But all that matters is that we celebrate. It matters not what name we give to the celebration, or how we observe it. The people are glad of the opportunity to celebrate something, anything, and they are ready for the pleasure. The crops are safely in, the fields are all prepared for winter, and the lagging year is drawing to a close, amid the hope brought on by lengthening evenings and small, unseen promises of greener, warmer days to come in a year that is entirely new.Not all of us in King Ullic's household are celebratingthis year, however. There is one unfortunate woman here whose heart is sore and heavy, and where I, in similar circumstances, would be blessed and strengthened in time of need by my beloved husband, she lacks that source of strength and comfort. She has a husband, but he is a very different kind of man from mine. Her name is T...
Product details
- ASIN : B008PE40EK
- Publisher : Forge Books (December 9, 2001)
- Publication date : December 9, 2001
- Language : English
- File size : 1257 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 932 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #503,047 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #236 in Arthurian Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #569 in Arthurian Fantasy (Books)
- #2,129 in Historical Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Jack Whyte has written three highly successful series of Historical adventures: "The Camulod Chronicles", set in 5th-Century post-Roman Britain, "The Knights Templar Trilogy", set in 12th- 13th- and 14th-Century France, and the current "Guardians" series, (re-titled as "The Bravehearts Chronicle" in Britain), which deals with 14th-Century Scotland during the Wars of Independence and features the Scots heroes of those wars: William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and Sir James the Black Douglas. A million-plus bestselling author in Canada, Whyte's works are widely translated into more than a dozen languages and have won him a large and faithful following wherever they appear. He lives in British Columbia, Canada, and his official "home" on the 'Web is www.jackwhyte.com.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable. They describe the story as enchanting with great back stories. The book provides depth into characters through perspectives from other established characters. However, opinions differ on the writing quality - some find it well-written and intelligent, while others report typos, misspellings, and pronoun errors that impede the flow of the reading experience.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the book series. They find it an excellent read and a must-read for fans of the Camulod Chronicles. The books are engrossing page-turners that are enjoyable to read.
"...There seems to be a lot of editing needed, but otherwise a totally engrossing book and I can’t wait to read the next!" Read more
"...the rest of the series, I found the story to be excellent and truly enjoyable, although I'm going to have to take one star away from what should be..." Read more
"...style is different than Bernard Cornwell's but the books are page turners in their own right and as they have already been written you don't have to..." Read more
"...Jack does more than most, but this is brilliant. Well worth the time to read it." Read more
Customers enjoy the engaging story. They find the backstory interesting and the historical details detailed. The book is full of action, intrigue, and skillful weaving. It ties together previous storylines of the series. Readers appreciate the twists and turns.
"...His twist and turns are wonderful, and I find him better than Mitchner. Of the eight books- I so wish he'd written just ONE more!!!!..." Read more
"...As in other novels in Whyte's Camulod series, this book is so full of action, intrigue, and detailed historical description of weapons, architecture..." Read more
"...Great "back story" on Uther's experience, the meeting of Arthur's parents, and other mystery's solved. Captivating story!" Read more
"...of Uther has not been developed extensively, so I was particularly fascinated by Whyte's book...." Read more
Customers appreciate the depth of the book. They find the story continues from the perspectives of other established characters, and the character Uther helps explain the man and the king's background.
""Uther" fits nicely, explaining the man and the king, and how he came to be the person he is...." Read more
"A good in depth look at a character we were all wondering about. Answered questions I didn't even know I had" Read more
"Another excellent tale. I Love how it connects the dots. Truly learn about the character. Would not expect anything less." Read more
"Reading this one now. 10/10/14. Like how story continues from perspectives of other established characters." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality. Some find it well-written and intelligent, while others mention typos, missing words, and pronoun errors that ruin the flow. There are also proofreading mistakes and mechanical errors like a lack of comma.
"...there was a ton of missing punctuation; missing, doubled, or misspelled words abounded; pronoun errors were conspicuous; and the dearth of the comma..." Read more
"...It is as are his other bilks in this series, extremely well-written and intelligent...." Read more
"...There were numerous mechanical errors plus a couple serious errors in names that should have been caught...." Read more
"I am accumulating the whole series as I go. He is an extremely good author and I will read more of his books." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2024I’m totally hooked on this series. There seems to be a lot of editing needed, but otherwise a totally engrossing book and I can’t wait to read the next!
- Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2015Jack Whyte's Uther continues the saga of Camaloud. It is as are his other bilks in this series, extremely well-written and intelligent. It fills in and answers many of the questions left off in the previous books. It is astonishing to me that Camaloud really did exist, and I am very, very glad and appreciative of this series. His twist and turns are wonderful, and I find him better than Mitchner. Of the eight books- I so wish he'd written just ONE more!!!! The characters had become friends!
- Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2021I read this out of order of publication, because this book takes place in the same timeframe in the narrative as The Eagle's Brood, the fourth book in the series. As with the rest of the series, I found the story to be excellent and truly enjoyable, although I'm going to have to take one star away from what should be a five-star review because of the HORRIBLE state of editing of the final product.
The book, as its name implies, follows the life and times of Uther Pendragon, just as the previous books have followed Merlyn and his ancestors. Beginning with Uther's childhood in Cambria, his father's Celtic domain some distance from Camelot encompassing what becomes Wales, the novel finds young Uther learning the Celtic arts of war from his tutor, Gareth Whistler, and befriending an outcast deformed young girl known only as Nemo ("no one"). Uther ultimately begins spending half of the year in Camulod, learning the Roman-inspired arts of warfare and leadership. As he grows, his leadership potential is clear, inspiring loyalty (and maybe love/obsession) in Nemo, who becomes one of the decurions in Uther's Dragon Guard and one of the people to whom Uther often confides, mostly because she rarely speaks in response. Uther lives through the deaths of his Cambrian grandfather, Ullic, and his father, Uric, and his other grandfather, the Varrus who helped found Camulod. Uther is shown as being slightly jealous of his cousin, Merlyn's, relationship with the woman Cassandra/Deirdre, leaving Camulod the very night that Cassandra is murdered. He later prosecutes his war in Cornwall, ultimately capturing and falling in love with Ygraine, the unwilling wife of his Cornish nemesis, Lot. This union will ultimately result in the birth of Arthur, whose matters are the subject of other books in the series.
As in other novels in Whyte's Camulod series, this book is so full of action, intrigue, and detailed historical description of weapons, architecture, and life in Dark Ages Britain that it beckons the reader to finish just one more chapter. While The Eagle's Brood followed the actions and thoughts of Merlyn, this book shows the same the same set of events from Uther's eyes, which was a totally compelling reiteration of the story that fills in many of the holes in Merlyn's memory or perception. The story spans decades, but never seems to move slowly, so it really is hard to put down, and the 900+ page length flies by in a few days for a dedicated reader. Again, though this falls squarely into the Matter of Britain genre, this reads more like a historical fiction as opposed to a fantasy story, so the reader should be satisfied by real-world historical action, rather than a narrative full of magic and enchantments.
Unfortunately, this entry in the series was HORRIBLY edited, as there was a ton of missing punctuation; missing, doubled, or misspelled words abounded; pronoun errors were conspicuous; and the dearth of the comma common to British-style writing was taken to a new extreme. The errors in revision were so egregious that I had to take a star away from an otherwise 5-star review.
But anyone who enjoys Arthurian legend should love this book, and, indeed, the entire series. I give this a huge recommendation for fans of historical fiction or the Matter of Britain.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2014I enjoyed this series immensely and devoured every book in about a month. The style is different than Bernard Cornwell's but the books are page turners in their own right and as they have already been written you don't have to wait for the next episode (and say daily prayers that the author doesn't expire).
My major complaint is that I purchased the same book twice because it had two different titles! One for Canada and Another for the USA. Perhaps Amazon could alert future customers about this redundancy and they could buy something they don't already have.
Steve Brown
- Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2013This book is properly not in the Camelod chronicles per se. Jack Whyte in the introduction gives props to Orson Scott Card for innovation in writing a book that takes off on a tangent from the series to explore an interesting and important character. This is the story of Uther Pendragon who is important in the Arthur legend as Arthurs father but then you dont' get much in the story about him in any telling of the legend. Jack does more than most, but this is brilliant. Well worth the time to read it.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2012I thought that going back to a period of time 20 years earlier was a little odd and would cause the story to drag but I was wrong! Great "back story" on Uther's experience, the meeting of Arthur's parents, and other mystery's solved. Captivating story!
- Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2020Best King Arthur series ever made. Love what he did with Uther in this book.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2007I am a medievalist with a concentration in Arthurian legend, so I'm always interested to find a new interpretation of the legend. In most versions of the tales, the character of Uther has not been developed extensively, so I was particularly fascinated by Whyte's book. It was the first of Whyte's books that I've read, and it has stayed in my mind in a haunting and bittersweet way. I feel for Whyte's characters and care about them. And I like to think that Uther had some good qualities hidden behind that tough exterior.
Uther was hard for me to put down. I must say, however, that the editing was not impressive. There were numerous mechanical errors plus a couple serious errors in names that should have been caught. Even so, it inspired me to want to read the whole Camulod series. I think I'm in for a rare treat!
Top reviews from other countries
- kinmikeyReviewed in Canada on May 14, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars maybe best of series
although not part of the main series, this book fits perfectly. Written from Uther's perspective, not Merlin's as the rest of the books, this novel provides key insights into Uther's actions. Watch out for the small print in this particular edition
- isle of wight galReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 31, 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars uther by jack whyte
i cannot actually review this book as i haven't yet read same. however, it is no 7 in a series of 9 that i am reading and if it is anything like the other 6 then it is going to be well worth purchasing. this is a fantastic story.
- PulpratReviewed in Canada on February 23, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent series that puts a believable historical spin on the legend of Arthur.
Very gripping story.
- BibliophileReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 24, 2012
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Arthurian series
Great read. Long series, so you are set for a few weeks!of pleasure - depending on how quickly you read. More history than Arthurian fantasy. Down to earth, rather than magical.
- HawleyReviewed in Canada on May 30, 2017
4.0 out of 5 stars cool
cool series