Rating: 
Summary: Arthur Revisited
Review: If you are a devotee of Arthurian Legend, be prepared to be surprised. Cromwell weaves a fascinating and highly detailed tale that blows the fairy tale of traditional Arthur to pieces. Arthur will not pull a sword from a stone. Guinevere seduces Arthur away from his betrothed in a sudden elopement. Lancelot is a selfish, narcissistic, spoiled prince. And don't be flipping through the pages looking for Camelot, it doesn't exist. But don't despair! The story unfolds as told through the eyes Derfel, a Saxson slave who rises to the rank of Lord through his service as a warrior. Derfel's telling is earthy and detailed, bringing to life for the reader the gritty realities of day-to-day life as it must have been in this period of history, and this is the most engaging factor of this book. The struggle between the newly emerging Christian religion and the established Druids is a fascinating sub-current throughout the book. Cornwell includes a map of Ancient Britian at the back of the book, which I referred to often and was very helpful in keeping track of "where" the story is taking place, since the names are not familiar to modern day Britain. I found this book to be a slightly dark but enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: Arthur - gritty, bloody, realistic...
Review: Just when you thought nothing new could be added to the oft-told tale of King Arthur, Bernard Cornwell surprises us with one of the best arthurian tales ever! The focus is on a much more realistic view of early british history and the people who lived in that era. Many of the familiar characters are here but in unfamiliar roles and Cornwell gives each a distinctive voice and personality. Lancelot for instance is a far cry from the noble knight we know and Guinevere is much more cunning than in other versions. Arthur himself is a noble and idealistic man with high hopes for peace in Britain, but is hindered by his all too human flaws.
The story itself details the protection of an infant king (Mordred) by Arthur til he comes of age to rule. But in the meantime Arthur tries too keep the peace among Britains many kings who constantly war with each other in a power struggle to be High King, all this while fighting the ever increasing Saxon threat of invasion.
The magical elements of the story are downplayed, and indeed, magic is representes as being little more than tricks and empty curses that are used by Druids to intimidate the people. Throughout the story there is a great deal of spitting of curses that have little or no effect.
The writing is superb and the story never looses interest. Very much reccomended for arthurian fans, historical fiction fans and just about anyone who enjoys a great tale.
Rating:
Summary: Man of Man!!
Review: A retelling of the Aruthurian legands written in a fashion that you can actually understand. It is very well written with a lot of discripiton. The one drawback is that Cornwell has a tendancy to play to much on the old celtic Gods. Overal though I would recommend it to anyone, even if you do know the ending.
Rating:
Summary: Bernard Cornwell rules!!!
Review: As an avid reader of Arthurian literature, I am always pleased to find a retelling as vivid and well written as Bernard Cornwell's wonderful addition to the genre. "The Winter King" exemplifies what keeps me coming back for more; it retains enough semblance to the generally accepted story line (that's if you're willing to buy into Mallory being the "definitive" modern source) to be "comfortable", but takes enough detours to be fresh and interesting. Mallory tended to "sanitize" and romanticize the Welsh/Gaelic roots of the legends and introduced the chivalric element to the tales. Mr. Cromwell keeps much of the original (pre-Mallory) roots intact and maintains some, though not all, of the Welsh and Gaelic spellings. He makes references to many of the ancient treasures of Britain and other mythic allusions common to older Irish folklore and weaves them into his story. (These allusions get stronger in the second book, "Enemy of God", which I'm currently reading, but I'm getting ahead of myself. . .) And, though many of the names do remain the same and many of the classic characters appear, many of the relationships and characterizations are different than other retellings. But, this variety is truly the spice of Arthurian life and makes it the rich store it is. Arthur's parentage is far more humble, his relationship with Guinivere (at least so far) is far more cordial and Guinivere herself is a far fuller character, Lancelot is quite a different person, and Lancelot's relationship with Galahad is different. (There are may more, but these are the ones that stand out to me.) I said earlier that Mallory introduced chivalry to Arthurian literature. Though there is a great deal of oath swearing in this book, there is not much chivalry and even less classic romanticism. Oh, Arthur's attraction to Guiniverre is man/woman romantic enough, but the painting of the times is bleak. I'm reminded of the movie "McCabe and Mr. Miller", a western movie that came out in the late 60's. It was among the first of the "dusty" Westerns, in that it was not the romanticized old West of John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart and Gene Autry. It was dirty, dusty, harsh, and generally unpleasant (it's probably still my favorite western movie. . .). "The Winter King" is to Mallory and that ilk of Arthurian literature as "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" was to "The Lone Ranger." You can actually feel and smell the filth. . . Chivalry is replaced with opportunistic politicking, and Arthur is one of the worst offenders. Merlin was actually a minor character in Mallory. In this book, he is much more of a presence. As a result, there is far more outward reference to magic in this story, too. I say reference, because there's very little of the real thing. Merlin is a full-fledged Druid, but he, Morgan, and Nimue are seem (at least to me) to more shamans than true magicians. But, if the peasants believe it's magic, does it really matter?? Another element central to this book is the religious conflict. Historically, Britain in the 5th and 6th centuries would have been wracked by dissention between the Christians, proselytized by the Romans, and the Britons, still faithful to the pagan gods. Merlin, of course, stands firmly on the side of the Old Gods and the Bishop Sansum is the kingpin of the Christians. The ancient monk Derval, who narrates the book, was the child of a Saxon slave and raised by Merlin. This story covers the period of his childhood and entry into manhood. But, we know that after a lifetime as a warrior and pagan, he becomes a seemingly staunch disciple of Sansum, as his narration is retrospective. Methinks therein lies a tale for the next two books of the series. . . Finally, in my humble estimation, the trait that sets one Arthurian retelling above another is the strength of the character serving as the narrator. Derval is fantastic. He is a confidant of Arthur, Galahad, and Merlin - some pretty strong connections. Yet, he is a sworn enemy of Lancelot, and certainly paints the most unflattering portrait of Lancelot that I have ever read. I feel that this plot line will unfold differently than it seems, as I'm sure there are some surprises in the future relationship between Derval and Sansum. What I'm getting at is how truthful is the narration? We know Derval is strongly opinionated. I'm eager to read on to discover how much is "truth" and how much is Derval's perception and memory. And read the rest of the story, I will! This is a strong book and a very welcome addition to the genre.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: First Let me start by saying Bravo! This has been one of the most entertaining series i have read in a very long while. The story was fresh, the combat well done, the characters likeable and real, magic believable, and so many other great aspects. The book took me a week to read, which is amazingly fast considering my schedule. I finished the whole series within a month and have started them all over again. The characters had a wonderful depth to them and a believable life, Derfel was by far my favorite, though that was to be expected, but i had a love of many of the others. That is where cornwell is succesful, he captures the essence of the character, and knows how to influence you to like or hate them, This is shown with the transition of Nimue over the series. More than once did i find myself taking the mood of the book, when Derfel was mad, i was, i remember laughing out loud in the middle of economics (and getting in trouble with the teacher for getting off subject). I think i even cried once during the series. Society that he creates is very believable. The world is timed right, unlike the modern world that the tales are usually played out in. The world is in a transition, and you can feel the hostility underlying in religion and society. The combat is handled excelently, i could feel the heat of the men forming the sheild wall, feel the rush of the battle. He drew it with enough detail to give you the feel of the pounding hooves. I highly suggest this book to any fan of arthur and fantsy, but warn that you will not see flaming dragons, hill giants, orcs, or any of the such and that after reading this you will shy away from any other Arthurian stories, as horrible fiction. Magic is handled in a real world sense, with just enough mysticism to keep you enthralled. Bernard Cornwell has wrought a masterpiece for the mind. I would give this six stars but that is rather hard to do!
Rating: 
Summary: A pleasant surprise
Review: I did not expect much from this book for all the intangible reasons which one relies on when purchasing a novel, text unread, and picked up the hardcover version more out of loyalty to the Arthurian legend than anything else. Thus, I was entirely deighted and pleasantly surprised to be immediately drawn into the tale, the unexpected action and Mr. Cromwell's take on this oft-worked material. The story was fresh, the characters engaging and the fight and engagement scenes were particularly moving. I recommend the book and, by way of endorsement, bought the following two in the series, all in hardcover.
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Summary: Best books I've read in years
Review: I'm commenting on all three books of the series. Definitely the best books I've read in years and in the top 10 of all time. I enjoyed these so much I've read the series twice since publication and I'm certain I'll be re-visiting them again. I haven't read a book more than once since the Lord of the Rings. I concur with other reviewers regarding the plausible and exciting nature of the stories. I haven't read better, more vivid descriptions of combat; makes your heart pound. Another notable point about these books is that Cornwell does not create characters that are invulnerable to misfortune. Bad and shocking things happen to the "good guys". In quality, these books are levels above Cornwell's other works. The quality of writing, storytelling and depth of the characters are all stellar. I'm not sure why some criticize the first book for a lack of detail regarding relationships in the stories, I found this book and the others quite rich in that way. The strong bonds between characters are palpable. E.G., Arthur's relationship with Guenivere is laid out quite clearly and at length, as is the case with other relationships in the story. Sure, the courtship is rushed, but that's a point to the plot. I'll close with a recommendation for Parke Godwin's Arthurian series: Firelord and Beloved Exile. Just about as good as Cornwell.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible version of King Arthur story
Review: This is the best King Arthur story I've ever read. His story looks at the myth from a different angle, and makes the characters more believable. I couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Real Arthur
Review: This is the real King Arthur. Old Gaelic names are used and roles of characters are traditional. It is less Anglicized and far less Americanized than any other Arthur story I've read. All three books in the series are fantastic.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent history but wanting story teller
Review: Mr. Cornwell obviously does his homework. Rather than being an obscure time in an obscure part of Britain, Cornwell does an excellent job of weaving a believable place in history. Moreover, the politics involved are much more intricate and realistic than most books on this subject. It is clear that Cornwell is trying to tell a story as it might have arisen out of actual history - that the sword IN the stone was the sword ON the stone, except that the story got changed over time. Or that Lancelot was known far and wide as a fearless and triumphant warrior mainly because of a public relations campaign. I also liked the narrating character, Derfel. It was fun to follow his progress. However, this book lacks the detail that would have made it truly great. Rather than detailing characters and relationships, they are thrown into the book with broad strokes. I was interested to see Cornwell's interpretation of Arthur and Guiniverre, but disappointed that it came down to (paraphrasing) "Arthur looked upon Guiniverre and fell in love. They married the next week. We went back to the palace." Without that detail, it was hard to develop a connection with the characters.
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