The Skystone and The Singing Sword :: Historical Novels Jack Whyte Essays

The Skyst unity and The Singing Sword Marion Zimmer Bradley, a book critic, says The Skystone is one of the most interesting historical novels that Ive ever read, and Ive read plenty(Front cover). In writing, success is generally a direct result of an author being adequate to keep a reader interested. Jack Whyte is an interesting and successful author throughout The Skystone and The Singing Sword because of his teaching of characters and his ability to write strategically. Character learning is an important gene in a story because if readers feel strongly about the characters, they are interested in reading further, and are more adroit to enjoy the novel. Jack Whyte effectively develops the characters Caius Britannicus and Claudius Seneca through their words and actions in The Skystone and The Singing Sword, creating a strong impression of these characters in the mind of the reader. Another crucial element to Jack Whytes success is his strategical writing. His ability to seize the attention of a reader immediately, and to maintain that level of intrigue throughout the novel until his climactic decision is reached, demonstrates a well planned writing strategy, and is a significant contribution to his success. In The Skystone and The Singing Sword, Jack Whytes character development and strategical writing bring in and maintain the interest of the reader, exhibiting a basis for his success.In Jack Whytes novels, he develops his characters effectively, sparking the interest of the reader. In The Skystone and The Singing Sword, one of the characters that Whyte develops well is Caius Britannicus. Throughout these two novels, Britannicus development is seen through the eyes of Publius Varrus, the main character, and Britannicus eventual lifelong friend. From the very beginning of their friendship, Publius recognizes the qualities of Caius as a person, and as a leader, and describes them in The Skystone when saying, from the outset of our relationship Bri tannicus eer treated me with military correctness, slightly warmed by courtesy and consideration. I found him to be just, temperate, and dispassionate in his dealings with the men under his command. but he could be awesome in his wrath when provoked by incompetence or malfeasance. A rigid disciplinarian, he was implacable once he had decided that punishment was in order. And never, at any time, did he show any capacity for suffering fools gladly(37). Although Caius does not initially strike the reader as a particularly amiable character, Jack Whyte continues to develop Britannicus and his friendship with Publius, revealing a more compassionate character.