The Winter King |
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Bernard Cornwell
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Pages: 512 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0140231862
Pub: Penguin Books Ltd
Pub date: 1996-09-05
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 2532
Reader Reviews:
Stiring stuff, it will make your life better (0/0 people found this helpful)
I have just finished reading this excellent trilogy and, although I am not usually led to writing reviews, I could not leave this one without a recommendation in the hope I can get at least one more person to read it.
Don't go expecting Knights in gleaming armour mounted on their trusty steed, vanquishing evil in the search for the holy grail. You will be disappointed. You will not however be disappointed by what you do recieve: a ripping yarn of epic proportions. Great heroes, better villains. Love, betrayal, intrigue and blood and thunder with a splash of magic.
You have a fan Mr Cornwell, carry on the good work!
One of My Favourite Books (2/2 people found this helpful)
The Warlord Trilogy is absolutely fantastic.
It has everything: love, politics, friendship, bravery, adventure, magic and, of course, war. All the books are fantastically written and are really easy reads, and the stories will stay with you for a long time. Months after my first (and only at the moment, but there will be more!) read I still find my mind wandering to Britain in the Dark Ages, particularly I when I was in the Southern Shires and seeing for myself the rolling hills that the armies would have marched across.
If you like adventures, these are the books for you. You will not be disappointed.
The TRUE Arthur (2/2 people found this helpful)
Bernard Cornwell at his absolute best. Although so little evidence of Arthur remains, this trilogy just feels right. Anyone who has ever gritted their teeth through various historically tragic versions of Britain's most famous hero tale will breathe a sigh of contentment whilst reading these books.
Written in the first person (something that endears them to my wife, who enjoys biographies) 'The Winter King', 'Enemy of God' and 'Excaliber' chart the rise and fall of Arthur and the Britons through the eyes of Derfel, a Saxon-born warrior who grows up to be a Warlord sworn to his British Lord's service. Although pure fiction, great trouble has been taken to transport the reader into 6th Century Britain, with all the characteristic detail we expect from Mr Cornwell. Religion, war, relationships, travel, flora and fauna, life in all it's myriad facets - all are portrayed with utter authenticity. Bernard Cornwell has turned his back on all the frippery and corny images surrounding the Arthurian tales and has gone back to basics, relying on the oldest and simplest sources for his events and characters (with such crowd pleasers as Merlin, Galahad and Lancelot included - as Bernard Cornwell said, he felt that it just wasn't right without them!). The result is a masterpiece of writing that will appeal to a variety of tastes - it's not all blood and fighting (although there is a good deal of it).
These are a stunning collection of books that need to be bought and read together. They will stay with you always and have you dipping back into them like favourite recipes. I cannot recommend them highly enough. Come on friends, join the shieldwall!
A gripping start to the greatest Trilogy ever written (0/0 people found this helpful)
What can i say that hasn't already been said about the Warlord Chronicles, Bernard Cornwell rates this series as the best books he has written and who could Argue with him. This realist version of Arthur-the warlord is told brilliantly through the eyes of Derfel(a forgotten Charactor from the earliest tales of Arthur who proberbly became Sir Bedivere in later versions)one of Arthurs warriors and has all the brutal, savage realism of what life 1500 years ago must have been like. In Derfel we have one of the greatest ever charactors in fiction. He ,Arthur, Ceinwyn, Galahad, Sagramor, Culhwch, Merlin & all the other unforgettable Charactors help make this 1st book and the whole trilogy a true modern masterpiece, highly recommended.
Superb (3/3 people found this helpful)
I found this book in one of the caravans that we rent out. The lady must have forgotten to pack it. What a lucky find!
This has turned into my favorite series of books. I have always been fascinated by British/Celtic myths and legends and you don't get much better than the Arthurian Tales. This is a totally different look at those tales. It gives them a more historical basis rather than a mythical feel. When you read this book you feel that all the events described could have happened. This doesn't mean that all the magic has been taken out of the stories however... there's plenty left to satisfy!
Cornwell creates wonderful characters and I'm sure you will be surprised by some new views on some of the old regulars! It's nice to see an author who doesn't romanticise the relationships either. Guinevere, for example, is a far more complex character than has been portrayed previously, and her story makes for very interesting reading. Arthur himself has also been fleshed out- as we see him as not only a great warrior and leader, but also as quite an insecure man in his personal life. The narrator- Derfel- who's story we follow from a young boy to one of Arthurs best warriors- is a very likeable character who we can sympathise with entirely.
The battle scenes are engaging, exciting and fresh. It's nice to see an author who isn't afraid to shy away from the gruesomeness of what battle must have been like. Like the character stories... Cornwell does not romanticise the battles... they are bloody and disgusting.
I also like that the author takes a look at the effect of Christianity on the native Pagan beliefs. It's interesting to read about the invasion of a foreign religion from the eyes of a native... and how Arthur, as a country's leader deals with the conflicting beliefs within the kingdom.
This is a brilliant book. The best take on the Arthurian Legends that is out there- by far! I couldn't put it down and had to order the other two books straight away!
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Books -> Subjects -> Young Adult -> History & Historical Fiction -> Historical Fiction
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