Rating: 
Summary: Once you open it You will not close it before finishing!
Review: After some hundreds books about King Arthur here is THE book! Just one advice - begin to read it friday evening, because You will not sleep much. I red it all during one night, without being able to stop - and it didn't happen to me since years! Other than that I am not saying You anything, because You will be surprised every ten pages or something.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and plausible retelling
Review: Cornwell's interpretation of the Arthurian mythos is compelling and superbly written. He breathes new life into the legends by presenting the well-known characters as realistic figures, neither saints nor demons. Few of his villains are without some kind of redeeming feature, and none of his heroes are without flaw. Arthur, a bastard by birth, is generous and kind but ruthless and vain; Gorfyddyd, a tyrannical ruler bent on overlordship of all Britain, is a loving and doting father and Merlin, the inveterate trickster, is never without some surprise up his sleave but is ultimately human and filled with doubt in the gods and in himself.
Cornwell's Britain is not a utopian Camelot but a patchwork quilt of loosely affiliated kingdoms warring with one another and fighting off Saxon marauders who themselves are divided into different warlords' followings.
Cornwell's description of religious conflict is one of two faiths, Christianity and Celtic paganism, at times vying for supremacy, at times seeking to co-exist, and always plagued by internacine rivalries and differences of doctrine and ideology.
We view all these people and conflicts through the eyes of Derfel, a Saxon-born slave who fights his way to the top of Post-Roman British society, allowing us to see the legend from a unique and rarely-explored perspective. The result is a spellbinding journey through war and peace, faith and folly, in a three volume work that, but for its recent publication, would no doubt be regarded as a great classic of Western literature.
Rating:
Summary: Cornwell's Arthurian Trilogy is his MASTERPIECE...
Review: Don't be misguided... I love the Sharpe novels and it's a great (by now surely overexploted!) character.
BUT, THE WARLORD CRHONICLES (three volumes) is Bernard Cornwell's GREATEST CREATION...
How an extraordinary idea!, it presents a truly believable atmosphere of the Dark Ages and the NEW aproach to so overwritten/treated/filmed characters as Merlin (JUST GREAT AS A DRUID!), Arthur, Lancelot (funny&outstanding&imaginative treatment wich I won't spoil saying too much... !), Mordred, Guinevere etc etc it makes such films as the ridiculous Sean Connery/Richard Gere (and I am a big fan of Connery as per "The man who would be King"...) Camelot recreation absolutly laughable...
REALLY A MUST READ! (AND OF COURSE I AM REFERRING TO THE THREE VOLUMES... (not that you could only read the first... you will get hooked!).
ENJOY.
Rating: 
Summary: Cornwell's Take on Arthur -- Predictably Entertaining
Review: For fans of Bernard Cornwell (such as myself), "The Winter King" is a joy. Fans of the Grail Quest series, or "Stonehenge," will instantly recognize Cornwell's trademark style -- clear, concise prose, spare-yet-functional dialouge, and an unflinching eye for both the joys (rare) and terrors (common) of medieval life.
Narrated by Derfel, "The Winter King" kicks off the tale of Arthur's ascendancy to become King of the Britons. Set in the Dark Ages, Britain is a raging cauldron of conflicts. Followers of the pagan gods clash with the annoyingly resilient new crowd, the Christians. Saxons fight Britons, Irish fight Britons, and Britons fight Britons. Uther, the dying king, has no son and his grandson, Mordred, is born a cripple and is at the mercy of vicious warlords who want nothing more than to assume the throne.
Into this maelstrom strides Arthur, an amiable colossus who harbors an almost Clinton-like need to be loved. That is, unless he's tossing Excalibur around, which Arthur does with unbridled ferocity. Through Derfel's eyes, we see that Arthur is a man truly capable of inspiring adoration among those around him.
But nevertheless, this Arthur is a man, not a myth, not a legend. Cornwell's style is perfect for his aim, which is to humanize the man who has inspired so many myths, tales, and songs. Cornwell does this both by giving Arthur some very human failings (the aforementioned need to be loved is one, and an impulsive streak a mile wide is another) and by skewering some of Arthur's mythical comrades. Rather than the honorable, indomitable warrior of legend, Cornwell's Lancelot is a handsome coward who knows the value of good p.r. -- if you value your legacy, befriend the poets!
Throughout the novel, Arthur's ascendancy is much in doubt. Not only has he sworn a mighty oath to see Mordred king, virtually every other monarch in the tale is out to get Arthur and put him in his place. This makes for a rollicking read, particularly since Cornwell -- true to form -- is capable of killing off anybody, anywhere, at any time in this book.
Cornwell has created one truly magnificent character in "The Winter King," namely, Merlin. Merlin is the mightiest Druid in the land -- so powerful that even Christians bow to him. A schemer, a huckster, yet dangerous as hell, Merlin commands the stage like no other Cornwell character I've read, and one can easily imagine Cornwell smiling as he wrote Merlin's scenes.
Here's looking forward to the rest of the trilogy!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best!!!!
Review: I am not going to rehash the plot during this review. If you have a sense that you may find the Arthurian period intriguing, PICK UP THIS BOOK!!
I absolutely loved this series. The main character Derfel was absolutely loveable. Even more so than Arthur. I would absolutely love to see Cornwell do another book with Derfel.
I couldn't put this book down. This book was one of the best books I have ever read. I do not consider myself to be a highly intellectual reader, I merely read for entertainment.
Please buy it or check it out. I don't think you will be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: How it might have been....
Review: I have read many of the fictional accounts of Arthur, and Cornwell's The Winter King rates among the very best. Arturian fiction tends to fall into two types, "magical" Camelot with swords in stones and magicians with real power, or "realistic" Camelot (or Camulod, for Jack Whyte fans) that tries to tell Artuhr's saga without magic.
The Winter King falls into the second category, but whereas Jack Whyte tries to explain away all the magical trappings of Arthurian legend with rational causes, Cornwell presents us with a Brittain still very much in thrall to Druidism. Many of the Druidic rites are explained, and the people of Cornwell's Brittain fervently believe in them, but Cornwell himself takes no side -- we see Druids trying to bring the gods' favor to their armies, but Cornwell neither mocks the practices nor attempts to explain away the unexplainable like Whyte sometimes does. He also does not try to demonstrate that the "magic" is working, just that it was practiced and believed, and the reader is consequently left with a much deeper feeling that this is what life was like back then than Whyte's Camulod, which often tries too hard to give a rational explanation for all of Arthur's accomplishments. (The irony of Whyte's fixation on rationalism is that he falls back on the deus ex machina of a stone from outer-space to explain why Excalibur is so strong!)
Also adding to the depth of realism is Cornwell's knack for characterization. We are presented with multi-dimensional players who live and breathe and love and hate like real people do, rather than simple archtypes. And because they are real, you really care about them. This depth is carried over, as well, in Cornwell's plotting of the political struggles amongst the kingdoms. This is in stark contrast to Jack Whyte's Camulod, where characters fight or love and die, and you know Whyte wants you to feel sad or gleeful at their passing, but you just do not manage to care much. This is largely due to the one-dimensional nature of many of Whyte's characters.
Capping off The Winter King's success is writing that is superb, managing to be simultaneously artful and elegant as well as being a real page-turner. The language and dialogue ring true without sounding stilted.
Given the above review, one might be tempted to think I didn't like Whyte's Camulod Chronicles, but I actually am a very big fan of them. But whereas Whyte's Camulod is nothing more (or less!) than a plot-driven and pulpy page turner, Cornwell's The Winter King is a true work of art and truly presents things as they might have been.
When you are looking for a very fun read, by all means pick up any of Whyte's Camulod books and you won't be disappointed. When you are looking for a window into another time, however, very little can hold a candle to The Winter King.
Rating:
Summary: A whole new Arthur
Review: I love Cornwell. His novels are realistic and make you feel as you are in the book. He does just this with "The Warlord Chronicles". This is not the Arthur that we have hear about all of our lives, but a very different take on him. All of the famous names appear in this book, and in the next two, but they serve different takes than what we have grown to know and love. As said before in a review for this book, if you are looking for an Arthur novel that is all fairytale like, dont read this book.
Cornwell makes this book, to me, the most real rendition of Arthurian legend. I am a Medieval studies major, and although I dont study Arthur much, I know the tales, and I also know there was a real Arthur, exagerated by a thousand years of word of mouth.
Through my eyes, I believe Cornwell knew this also, and so he wrote these books based on the "real" Arthur". Rather than having faries and magic, we have a realistic look into the dark ages (the time after the roman empire fell, and the coming of Charles the Great). If you love this time period and love battles, get this book. You will love it.
Rating:
Summary: a new classic
Review: I've read my share of Arthurian themed books. The first ones I read, and the ones I still maintain are the best, were those by Mary Stewart. Since reading those I really haven't found any series that I liked. Until I read this. My freind recommended this to me, saying "The Druids hop around on one foot in this book!" And that got me. (They actually do, in parts) This book is highly imaginative. And while it does use parts of the later legends that irritate me in books that are marketed for their historical accuracy (yeah right), there is so much creative imagination in this book. The author sticks to the legends, but not so artificially that it's the same as any other series you've read. Example one that I love:
We know very little about the Druids. But many authors take this fact and either 1)don't include a worthwile description of them or 2)just use a few simple facts that we do know over and over.
Instead, the author uses his knowledge as a scholar to invent some really strange but wonderful things, still managing to keep it realistic. Another thing I loved in this book was the portrayal of the main three characters: Arthur, Lancelot, and Guenievere. So often you see them as these beautiful, shiny happy people. Not so in this book. They are dynamic individuals. Arthur is still his down to earth self, but he is selfish and rash. Lancelot is beautiful but a total flake and a jerk (the way I always thought he was). And Guenievere. The most dynamic of all. All she wants is to see the world at it's most beautiful, but you can tell that underneath it all is a layer of cold intelligence, a hard iron will. Anyway, this book was unlike any other I've read. It was completely compelling.. I read it in 3 days.
I'll definetly recommend it over Steven Lawhead, Jack Whyte, Marrion Zimmer Bradley, and most of the others.
Rating:
Summary: a new classic
Review: I've read my share of Arthurian themed books. The first ones I read, and the ones I still maintain are the best, were those by Mary Stewart. Since reading those I really haven't found any series that I liked. Until I read this. My freind recommended this to me, saying "The Druids hop around on one foot in this book!" And that got me. (They actually do, in parts) This book is highly imaginative. And while it does use parts of the later legends that irritate me in books that are marketed for their historical accuracy (yeah right), there is so much creative imagination in this book. The author sticks to the legends, but not so artificially that it's the same as any other series you've read. Example one that I love:
We know very little about the Druids. But many authors take this fact and either 1)don't include a worthwile description of them or 2)just use a few simple facts that we do know over and over.
Instead, the author uses his knowledge as a scholar to invent some really strange but wonderful things, still managing to keep it realistic. Another thing I loved in this book was the portrayal of the main three characters: Arthur, Lancelot, and Guenievere. So often you see them as these beautiful, shiny happy people. Not so in this book. They are dynamic individuals. Arthur is still his down to earth self, but he is selfish and rash. Lancelot is beautiful but a total flake and a jerk (the way I always thought he was). And Guenievere. The most dynamic of all. All she wants is to see the world at it's most beautiful, but you can tell that underneath it all is a layer of cold intelligence, a hard iron will. Anyway, this book was unlike any other I've read. It was completely compelling.. I read it in 3 days.
I'll definetly recommend it over Steven Lawhead, Jack Whyte, Marrion Zimmer Bradley, and most of the others.
Rating:
Summary: Arthur - The Real Story
Review: If you honestly believe that there is truth to the Arthur legends, then this book is a must read. After you finish it (and read the other books in the series) you will be amazed at how true to life the story sounds, and wonder if the author found a time machine and went back to see what really happened. We all know that history is written (and distorted by) the winner. This tale is narrated by Derfel, who started out life as a Saxon, escaped death at the hands of a really nasty Druid, became Merlin's slave and later... well, you'll have to read the book to see what happens next. No spoilers here! I always thought that Arthur was a bit dimwitted, Guinevere completely unlikable, and Lancelot was a real hero until I read this book. Now, I think that Arthur is wonderfully misunderstood, Guinevere is not so bad, and Lancelot... well, as I said, no spoilers here! Read this book and you'll become addicted to Cornwell's stories. I just finished "Stonehenge" (another must-read) and all of his stories leave you with the same feeling: where is that time machine that he's using to see what really happened, and would he let me borrow it for just a little while?!
|
