Jack Whyte (March 15, 1940 – February 22, 2021) was a Scottish-Canadiannovelist ofhistorical fiction. Born and raised in Scotland, he moved to Canada in 1967. He resided inKelowna,British Columbia.
Whyte was born inScotland on March 15, 1940. He resided there until relocating to Canada in 1967.[1] He was employed at a local school for one year, where he taught English. He subsequently worked as an author, musician, and actor.[2] He and his wife, Beverley,[2] initially lived inAlberta before settling inKelowna in 1996.[3]
Whyte's major work was a series ofhistorical novels retelling the story ofKing Arthur against the backdrop ofRoman Britain. This version of the popular legend eschews the use of magic to explain Arthur's ascent to power and instead relies on the historical condition (with some artistic licence) of post-Roman Britain to support the theory that Arthur was meant to counter the anarchy left by theRoman departure from Britain in 410 AD and the subsequent colonization and invasion of Britain by various peoples from Northwestern Europe, including theSaxons,Jutes,Franks, andAngles. Whyte incorporates traditional Arthurian names, places and events (albeit in Gaelic or Latin form) as well as the names of various historical figures that have been suggested as being the possible basis for the original King Arthur legend. The tacit implication is that Whyte's version of history is the true story that has become distorted over time to become the legend and stories of magic that we know today. The series has been published in different locations under three different titles. In Canada it was titledA Dream of Eagles, while in theUnited States it was retitledTheCamulod Chronicles.[4] When it was eventually republished inGreat Britain with a different reading order, it becameLegends of Camelot.[5]
The two volumesThe Sorcerer: The Fort at River's Bend andThe Sorcerer: Metamorphosis were written as a single volume entitledThe Sorcerer, but were split for publication.[14]
Uther (published asPendragon in Great Britain) is a stand-alone novel about the life ofUther Pendragon from infancy up until the end of events inThe Eagles' Brood. It serves to answer questions left open byThe Eagles' Brood that result from the fact that the latter is told exclusively from the perspective of Merlyn Britannicus and as such is not able to explain actions and events of which Merlyn is unaware.[18]Uther is also a companion novel toThe Eagles' Brood,[19] as it follows the title character and others as they grow up and wage war on Uther's main enemy, Guhlrys Lot, King ofCornwall.[18]
Although Whyte received letters from readers around the world, he lived in obscurity in Kelowna.[3] He died on the night of February 22, 2021, at Kelowna Hospice House. He was 80, and suffered from cancer prior to his death.[2][23]
