 The Roman Empire began around 750 BC and lasted until 476 AD. The decline of the Empire took over 100 years. Slowly Rome found itself unable to maintain the mammoth political structure it had built. The Skystone is a historical novel set at the time when the Roman Empire's influence in the West is waning. In the midst of the dying Empire a new empire was born. That was the empire ruled by Arthur.
The Skystone is the first book in the Camulod series. Even though it is meant to lay the groundwork for much of the Arthurian legend, this book deals only peripherally with any of the common aspects of that legend (Arthur, Merlin, Excalibur, Camelot, etc.). Instead, Whyte is focused on building the historical setting that Arthur emerges from.
The main character is a Roman soldier named Publius Varrus. At the apex of his military career Varrus is badly injured. Although the wounds heal his career as a fighting soldier is over. Instead Varrus joins a one of his officers, Caius Britanicus, in a remote part of the western Roman Empire -- the region we now know as England.
Caius is convinced that the Roman Empire is collapsing. Because of this conviction he begins to gather people together and build a mini empire based on the Roman model. With Publius at his side they create this new empire which is nothing more than a fortified village.
There are several other threads running through the story. Altogether Whyte is able to weave an interesting and compelling story. And there are enough subtle hints throughout that the reader is always wondering just how everything fits into the Arthur legend.
I have only one reservation about whole-heartedly recommending this book. And that is that it is very graphic at times. I'm not condemning graphicness in books, I'm just warning potential readers that it's there.
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