retire from the military. The Singing Sword begins in a similar fashion, as Publius receives a wound below his elbow in a battle against some Scots, who had been pillaging a small village. To begin with such an intense moment is an effective use of strategical writing because of the interest the reader immediately has in the book. Furthermore, Jack Whyte has Publius Varrus receive a wound in both fights, so that Publius Varrus, as narrator, can tell the reader about the events leading up to the battle, exhibiting Whyte's ability to write strategically. Whyte's strategical writing is also demonstrated in his endings of The Skystone and The Singing Sword. Near the end of The Skystone, Publius Varrus is in an exciting fight with Claudius Seneca, where Publius believes he has killed him. At the very end of The Skystone, Publius presents Caius with a statue made out of the skystone he found, and when asked by Caius if he will make a sword out of it, Publius replies, "I believe this lady may have one great sword in her"(349). By ending the story with excitement and foreshadowing the forging of Excalibur, Jack Whyte shows his ability to write strategically, as he leaves the reader fulfilled with the death of Claudius Seneca, but also interested with what will happen in the sequel. The Singing Sword ends as Claudius Seneca enters Publius Varrus' house and kills three of his friends before he is decapitated by Publius wielding Excalibur. Once again, Jack Whyte ends the story with an exciting fight, and the comfort of knowing Claudius Seneca is dead. Additionally, the fact that the sword Publius spent much of his life making is the sword that kills his nemesis, Claudius Seneca, shows that Whyte's strategical writing covered the entirety of the two novels. Through Jack Whyte's exciting beginnings and climactic endings, it is apparent that much thought went into the organization of events in his novels, demonstrating his ability to write strategic...
