Jack Whyte

To the millions of readers who have found themselves entranced by Jack Whyte's historical novels over the past twenty years, this first collection of Jack Whyte short stories might seem like a radical change of direction, if not an absolute contradiction in terms. But that simply isn't true. There is no change of direction on Whyte's part in these shorter tales, merely an adjustment of focus, from the panoramic perspective to the personal, intimate viewpoint.The ten stories featured here are distilled from all the elements that have earned Whyte a worldwide readership among lovers of epic historical fiction, an audience that has remained loyal to him for decades. The people they deal with are real - credible and utterly, convincingly human - and the existential realities that govern their lives are as demanding and immutable as such things have always been. Yesterday's battles are no different from those of tomorrow.

The hugely ambitious Bravehearts Chronicles reaches its climax with the tale of how Robert Bruce and William Wallace fought off the mighty English army and changed Scotland's history through blood, brains and bravery.

As modern Scotland chooses its future, Jack Whyte presents his epic adventure about its founding hero, Robert the Bruce, and the battle for the heart of his homeland.

From author Jack Whyte comes the true story of Robert the Bruce: a passionate man. An incredible warrior. And one of Scotland's finest. Robert I, or as he is known to a grateful Scottish nation, Robert the Bruce, was one of Scotland's greatest kings, as well as one of the most famous warriors of his generation. He spearheaded the valiant Scots in their quest for freedom, leading his people during the Wars of Scottish Independence against the Kingdom of England during the middle ages. His reign saw the recognition of Scotland as an independent nation, and today Bruce is remembered in Scotland as a national hero. It was by no means a fair and easy road for this indomitable fighter. As a young man he saw the English king Edward I award the vacant Crown of Scotland to John Balliol. The nation quickly splintered into factions and this spurred Robert and his father to at first side with Edward and then against John, whom many of the nobles did not feel was the correct person to guide the nation. Thus began a decades-long path for Scottish freedom. To achieve this goal, Robert sometimes had to delicately balance the power of the nobles against the might of the English. He was a tireless campaigner and after a full life of battle and diplomacy, in May 1328, King Edward III signed the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton, which recognized Scotland as an independent kingdom and Bruce as its king. "We now have the Arthurian legend the way the noncoms saw it: tough and gritty and compelling."--Tom Shippey, former Professor of English Language and Medieval English Literature, University of Leeds on The Skystone

A sword forgedA home builtA new era bornThe Roman armies are now gone, and Publius Varrus, the legionnaire turned blacksmith, along with his former commanding general Caius Britannicus, begin to form alliances that will create a nation out of bloodshed and chaos.Using the mysterious metal smelted from a meteorite, Varrus forges an extraordinary sword that will one day be wielded by his great grandson. He names it Excalibur.And in the country's darkest hour, these two dreamers establish a colony that will uphold their values and bring civilisation to a broken land: a place called Camelot.Discover the most authentic telling of the Arthurian legend ever written

A country in ruinsA struggle for survivalA dynasty begunThe Empire is collapsing and after 450 years of occupying Britain, the Roman legions are departing to defend the homeland. Soldier turned blacksmith Publius Varrus and his friend, the Legate Caius Britannicus, decide to stay behind and build a new life in the chaos that is left behind.They dream of rebuilding the Empire, this time free of the corruption that destroyed it, and firmly based on the island of Britain, despite its being bathed in blood and brutalised by tribal invasion.Their dream is a thousand years premature, but the first step towards it is the unification of the country under one man, a monarch whose fame will echo through the ages: Publius' great grandson: Arthur Pendragon, King of the Britons.Discover the most authentic telling of the Arthurian legend ever written

The sixth book in Jack Whyte's remarkable, authentic Legends of Camelot series, now available in the UK

The fourth book in Jack Whyte's remarkable, authentic Legends of Camelot series, now available in the UK

The fifth book in Jack Whyte's remarkable, authentic Legends of Camelot series, now available in the UK

The second book in Jack Whyte's remarkable and authentic Legends of Camelot series, now available in the UK

The first book in Jack Whyte's remarkable, authentic Legends of Camelot series, now available in the UK

The third book in Jack Whyte's remarkable and authentic Legends of Camelot series, now available in the UK

The Forest Laird is the tale of William Wallace, the great hero of the Scottish Wars of Independence. Jack Whyte has pulled back the curtain of history and has given us a riveting story of Wallace's struggles against the tyranny of the English.In the predawn hours of August 24th, 1305, in London's Smithfield Prison, the outlaw William Wallace--hero of all the Scots and deadly enemy of King Edward of England--sits awaiting the dawn, when he is to be hanged and then drawn and quartered. This brutal sundering of his body is the revenge of the English. Wallace is visited by a Scottish priest who has come to hear his last confession, a priest who knows Wallace like a brother. Wallace's confession--the tale that follows--is all the more remarkable because it comes from real life. We follow Wallace through his many lives--as outlaw and fugitive, hero and patriot, rebel and kingmaker. His exploits and escapades, desperate struggles and victorious campaigns are all here, as are the high ideals and fierce patriotism that drove him to abandon the people he loved to save his country. William Wallace, the first heroic figure from the Scottish Wars of Independence and a man whose fame has reached far beyond his homeland, served as a subject for the Academy Award-winning film Braveheart. In The Forest Laird, Jack Whyte's masterful storytelling breathes life into Wallace's tale, giving readers an amazing character study of the man who helped shape Scotland's future.

From internationally bestselling author Jack Whyte comes a story of brutal battles and high adventure, of heroism and redemption - the story of William Wallace as the world has never heard it before

The third instalment of Jack Whyte’s templar trilogy. The Order – a secret society of men from ancient, noble families, drawn together to safeguard the Christian Church's most precious secrets – has been decimated by a King's petulant will. Its members are being persecuted and most have been forced to flee for their lives as their leaders are burnt at the stake. But the Order's secrets must continue to be protected and hidden; so as their world falls apart, the dangerous task of smuggling the sacred treasure out from under the nose of a vengeful king falls to just a few brave men.

The story of the rise and fall of the powerful and mysterious Knights of the Temple: the Third Crusade under Richard the Lionheart. It is sixty years since the secret Brotherhood of Sion, founders of the Knights Templar, uncovered the treasure vouchsafed them beneath the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Now the ambitious and ruthless Plantagenet King Richard the Lionheart leads the Third Crusade against Saladin, and both the honour of the Templars and the mission of the Brotherhood are at risk. Andrew Sinclair is one of the few survivors of the Battle of Hattin in 1187. As a member of the clandestine Brotherhood he was taught Arabic before being sent to the Holy Land on a mission that neither the Order of Templars nor the leaders of the Pope’s armies can know of. Sinclair’s captivity following the battle led to his friendship with the infidel and threatened to divide his loyalty. One of the great secrets of the Brotherhood is that they are not Christians, unlike the Templars. Sinclair’s cousin and fellow member of the Brotherhood, Sir Andre St Clair, arrives with Richard from Cyprus. The secret mission they must pursue will lead them into the desert and the lair of the fearsome Assassins. And meanwhile Saladin’s clever tactics in battle, including the butchery of the magnificent destriers, the massive horses that carry armoured Frankish knights, bring reversals to the Christian cause from start of the Crusade. But it is Richard the Lionheart’s treachery and deceit that convince both cousins that the Crusade is a sham, and that all men are venal and greedy, driven by the lust for power. Only their knowledge of the Order of Sion saves them from despair: their secret mission becomes more vital than ever before. This glorious epic tells the true and truly astonishing story of the Knights of the Black and White.

The exciting first book in a brand new fictional trilogy about the most important events in the history of the Order of the Knights Templar. The Templars represent a widely popular period of history, but the roots of their fellowship have been shrouded in contemporary conspiracy theory and media glamour….this trilogy tells the true tales of the Knights Templar; beginning with why they formed after the First Crusade and why they continued to grow in power and influence. Immediately after the deliverance of Jerusalem, the Crusaders, considering their vow fulfilled, drifted back to their homes. But some considered that the defence of this precarious conquest, surrounded as it was by Mohammedan neighbours, still remained. In 1118, during the reign of Baldwin II, Hugues de Payens, a knight of Champagne, and eight of his companions bound themselves by a perpetual vow, taken in the presence of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, to defend the Christian kingdom and all god fearing pilgrims who wished to visit the Holy Land. Baldwin accepted their services and assigned them a portion of his palace, adjoining the temple of the city; hence their title "pauvres chevaliers du temple" (Poor Knights of the Temple).

Jack Whyte has written a lyrical epic, retelling the myths behind the boy who would become the Man Who Would Be King--Arthur Pendragon. He has shown us, as Diana Gabaldon said, "the bone beneath the flesh of legend." In his last book in this series, we witnessed the young king pull the sword from the stone and begin his journey to greatness. Now we reach the tale itself-how the most shining court in history was made. Clothar is a young man of promise. He has been sent from the wreckage of Gaul to one of the few schools remaining, where logic and rhetoric are taught along with battle techniques that will allow him to survive in the cruel new world where the veneer of civilization is held together by barbarism. He is sent by his mentor on a journey to aid another young man: Arthur Pendragon. He is a man who wants to replace barbarism with law, and keep those who work only for destruction at bay. He is seen, as the last great hope for all that is good. Clothar is drawn to this man, and together they build a dream too perfect to last--and, with a special woman, they share a love that will nearly destroy them all... The name of Clothar may be unknown to modern readers, for tales change in the telling through centuries. But any reader will surely know this heroic young man as well as they know the man who became his king. Hundreds of years later, chronicles call Clothar, the Lance Thrower, by a much more common name. That of Lancelot.

The Fort at River's Bend is the fifth book in Jack Whyte's saga of the creation of King Arthur's Britain Merlyn Britannicus, leader of the colony known as Camulod, is faced with the task of educating his young charge, Arthur, future King of the Britons. Fearing for the life of his nephew when an assassination attempt is thwarted, Merlyn takes Arthur and his boyhood companions Gwin, Ghilleadh, and Bedwyr, to the ruins of a long-abandoned Roman fort far from Camulod. Once there, Merlyn realizes it's time for Arthur to become worthy of the sword he is destined to wield later in his life-the mighty Excalibur.But beyond their idyllic hiding place, forces threaten the tenuous peace of Camulod. In Cambria, the death of Arthur's father Uther has left his people leaderless, and in Cornwall, Merlyn's enemy Peter Ironhair is gathering forces to destroy all Merlyn holds dear.And Merlyn himself is struggling, because in order to make his dream of a united Britain real, he must put the person he loves most in the world in mortal danger-he and Arthur must return to Camulod.

When Arthur is adopted by his cousin, Caius Merlyn Britannicus, an enormous responsibility is placed upon Merlyn. Now he must prepare the young Arthur to unify the clans of Britain and guard the mighty sword Excalibur.