Review "Singing Sword" by Jack Wythe

This is the second in Mr. Whythe's King Arthur series, but don't think this is a King Arthur book. And this is the source of frustration for me. The book is still set in Roman times - at least two generations before Arthur and company come along. Yes, some of the elements of Arthurian stories begin to appear, but at this pace it will be book ten in the series before Arthur does anything interesting.

Yes, you sense some frustration. Mr. Wythe is a good writer, and I enjoy his historical fiction set in Roman times, but the book just seems to meander along from one event to another, unconnected and without major direction. And long sections are spent on topics such as early Christian theology debates (Can man communicate with God directly or only through the Church?) and topics such as horse breeding.

The two primary characters from "Skystone" return in this book - Publius Varrus and Caius Brittanicus. The two work to develop and defend their 'Colony' - which is sort of a pre-Dark Ages equivalent of people retreating into some armed compound before Y2k. The first real elements of the Arthurian story appear - the Colonists build a fort (guess which castle this will turn into?), start having the ruling council meet in a circle (The Round Council. Really.) and Varrus finally forges the big sword.

Overall, it was a book I read just to get to the eventual payoff in future books. By itself, it was OK but not great.