The Winter King

The first volume in Cornwell's retelling of the Arthur saga. A little hard for me to read as I know that the dream fails in the end. However it is very well written with believable characters and plot. One twist is that Lancelot is a duplicitous, dishonorable, craven coward. Think that through and realize that it makes the whole legend more believable.

Bernard Cornwell, followed by high praise in many circles of the internet, has been on my reading list for some time now. I was mainly aware of his Saxon Stories and this, The Warlord Chronicles, his story of Arthur, the King that Never Was. I thoroughly enjoyed the first piece of this trilogy, and I'm glad I finally took the plunge.The Winter King is told from the perspective of Derfel, a warrior turned monk who was a loyal servant to Arthur and (obviously) lived through the events described and now tells the story. It's rather fun reading it from his perspective as he is a self-admitted unreliable narrator, confiding in Igraine (to whom he tells the story) that he is altering small details to make the story more palatable. Usually the reader must decide for themselves if a narrator is reliable or not, so having this spelled out for me clearly was an entertaining bit of story.Part of the reason I was so interested in reading Cornwell's trilogy is because I've always loved and enjoyed the story of Arthur but am relatively under-read on the subject. My experience comes mainly from Disney's Sword in the Stone and T.H. White's The Once and Future King (which I loved, though it's been ages). That being the case I was excited for Cornwell's take on the Arthurian myths, and I appreciated his Author's Note at the back in which he gave more detail to what is really known (very little) and what liberties he took. Overall I was very impressed by Cornwell's writing. His immersive descriptions offer a sense of realism and depth but he never strays too far from overall readability. His characters are complex and realized, with an emotional depth that feels accurate to the sometimes brutal and unjust times in which they live.The period of time in which the story takes place (late fifth century/early sixth century Britain) is a very interesting one. Grand, larger than life figures like Arthur take center stage, but all is overshadowed by the somewhat recent fall of the Roman Empire, a civilization so large and advanced that most in Britain can't even fully fathom it beyond its remnants. Cornwell brings this period to life. After the fall of High King Uther, the Pendragon of Britain, Britons fight not just the Saxons, or the Irish, but their fellow Britons. Amidst the chaos of war, and with a new born babe as king, Arthur seeks to bring peace to the kingdoms. Arthur is here presented not quite as you may imagine him from the legends. Glamorous at times, yes, but flawed. Vain, selfish, and as able to make mistakes as any other man. Be that as it may Arthur is someone men will fight for. He is kind and ambitious, and his dream of a united Britain is paramount, as legend springs up around him like so many daisies.The book was perfect for a fan of the Fantasy genre like myself. As much as the stories of Arthur are purported to be historical fiction, their mythic nature lends them an air that will please speculative fictions enthusiasts. Especially when it comes to the handling of Merlin, Nimue and Druidism in general; the realm of spirit and magic overlaps easily with the mysticism of their religion. And the power of belief, in a Druid or a follower, will always morph ideas into reality. So as much as you have historically accurate Britain, you have swords with names and Druids casting spells and quests for magical items as well. I'm looking forward to book two.

This reading experience for me was unexpected. Everyone in my circle of literary companions has been urging me to read something by Bernard Cornwell. Since I've been a Camelot fan since I was literally 8 years old, I decided to begin this series. And honestly, there were some moments in the first 200 pgs. when I thought I might just put the book away! The period itself has some unpronounceable places and names, and some sort of phonetic guide would have been a help. The publisher was kind enough to include some lovely maps, but instead of placing them at the start of the book, as is typically done, they were all the way in the back! Perhaps my friends had put Cornwell on too much of a pedestal. Or maybe my own ideals of the Camelot legend are simply too fixed.Getting into the plot and the characters was a MUCH slower process than I'd imagined it would be--especially with a master-writer. There was nothing--NOTHING that really grabbed me at the beginning to tug me into the book. The story takes place in the Dark Ages, and it took me those 200 pgs. to realize that Cornwell was leading the reader through that darkness. It was a dark time for religion, a dark time for Britain, a dark time for anyone to be alive and safe. In short, it was a horrible time to have been born.Once I got past the blatant glorification of paganism and the bashing of Christianity--which I'm honestly still struggling with--by about pg. 201, I couldn't put the book down. Cornwell's realism in his writing staggers the mind--in gore, the terror of battle, descriptions of combat and weaponry used and HOW it was used. Wow. Amazing. And in those prior 200 pgs. in which I was thinking of setting the book permanently aside, Cornwell proved his mastery in character development and plot. He makes it obvious that there's more to this story, and some of the characters I had a hard time loving I at least gave a nod to by the end.So, I may move forward and read Book II. Now that I have the background, the characters fleshed out... it just took about half-way through the book to get there. I think Cornwell did give the character of Arthur himself a real powerful resurrection, making him a warlord instead of a king, which was probably what he was, after all. And Derfel is a man worth knowing and coming to love. A few characters I found utterly distasteful: Nimue, Guinevere, Lancelot--the last two being my two favored Arthurian characters--were a letdown for me in this story.However, my interest in finding out how Cornwell resolves everything will probably lead me to read the next book in the series, at least. He's definitely a master-writer. However, few agents today would read through 200 pgs. to determine somebody is a best-selling author!

Wonderfully author!

As always another great read from Mr. Cornwall. Arrived on time and in perfect condition.

Bernard Cornwell is lauded for his historical fiction, and justly so. I've read many versions of the Arthurian legends, from Tennyson and Mallory to Stewart, E.B. White, Bradley, and others. This is not one of the chivalric versions, though Mr. Cornwell does include Lancelot, Excalibar, and other late embellishments. In fact, this may be the first one I've read where Lancelot is less than heroic, and I can't wait to see where this goes in the series. Arthur is a Briton warlord trying desperately to unite the various warring kingdoms against the invading Saxons. The story is told by Derfel, one of Merlin's orphans who becomes one of Arthur's warriors and later a Christian monk.It's an outstanding book, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. While not much is known about 600 AD Briton, the era known as the Dark Ages, Mr. Cornwall has used what sources he could and embellished with fantasy elements to fill in any gaps. This book is probably the closest to the 'real' Arthur that we'll get, and it's a fabulous series that I highly recommend.

I am reeling! Has Bernard Cornwell just become my favourite author? I suspect so, for such is the tale that he has weaved around one of the myths that I have always loved: that of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Except here he is no king and his men are fierce warriors. He is the king that never was, lord of battle and enemy of god.By all accounts, it is fairly certain that there was someone called Arthur or Artorius in the late 5th and early 6th century AD in the land we call Britain. His existence is still heavily disputed, especially because of latter day interpolations that give him something of a God like status. But there was a time in recorded history after the Romans left Britain and the Saxons invaded it, eventually capturing the heart of it and renaming it England, that points to a sustained resistance against the Saxons. And that resistance was led by Arthur, a brave and honourable man who led his men against the ceaseless and relentless Saxon invasions, their armored horses rampaging through scattered men, their spears and swords cleaving through and cutting down their enemies.What I loved about The Winter King is that Cornwell has removed the myth and encased the story with gritty realism. There are no knights but fearsome warriors, clad in iron and wrought with adrenalin. There are no dragons but ferocious armoured horses, their iron hooves crushing any poor soul unfortunate enough to come under them. And it is this realistic portrayal of a land torn apart by war and internal strife that fascinates me for I am more of a sucker for historic fiction than epic fantasy.The Britain that Cornwell paints is a horrid place to be. But there does seem to be an inherent beauty in that grim, dark, rain sodden place, that keeps drawing in the Saxons. The Romans are gone but they have left behind their infrastructure. Roman roads crisscross the country, roman villas dot the countryside. They have also left behind Christianity and the religion forms an important part of this tale. The British were traditionally Pagans before the Romans invaded and long after the last of the Roman legions left, paganism survived but was no more the dominant religion. The subtle undercurrents between the 2 religions makes for a fascinating sub plot.The tale is sung by Derfel, a monk at present, but a warrior serving Arthur in those days when they fought for Britain. He sings of his life and of how he became a warrior. He sings of Merlin and Nimue and Mordred and Lancelot. But he sings the best tune for Arthur, lord of battle, of a man who was adored by his soldiers and those who believed in him, believed that he would unite Britain under the bear and dragon banner and vanquish the Saxons with Excalibur, his famed sword. And it was enough to touch my soul. It was the halcyon days of my school life when I first met Arthur who came alive in the pages of my sixth grade English textbook. And it was after all those years today that Derfel sang of this rarest of rare heroes and Arthur came alive again, shining in his armor, the sun at his back, Excalibur at his hip, as he rode the magestic Llamrei and struck terror into the hearts of his enemies. Lord of battle he was and one of my favourite characters across all literature.There is Merlin too, and where there is Merlin one would suppose there is magic. And this is where the book shines. It speaks of a world where there is a whisper of magic, faint wisps that drift away into the night. But the realism that pervades this book means that it is more of superstition and less of magic. After religion, this is the second thing I loved about this book. Superstition flits in and out easily and you see that for all their iron clad weapons and heavy armor, soldiers can get terrified when they witness a druid spewing curses at them.And having spoken of horses and warriors, how can one not speak of battle scenes, more so since this is 1 thing that Cornwell is renowned for: writing brilliant battle scenes. It takes a while here. The book builds patiently towards it and then the pages explode in a merciless orgy of blood and screams as we witness the brutal shield-wall. There are some 50 pages of pulsating action. Men and horse clash in a song of steel and iron. They leave behind a trail of shattered bones and bloodied entrails. The bards sing of a glorious clash but it is a suffocating, terrifying crush, the shield-wall and not everyone lives to tell the tale but Derfel does.As expected in historic fiction, this book has long drawn out passages of world building. It also has long conversations that hold deep philosophical lessons, like the one between Arthur and Derfel where a passionate but thoughtful Arthur talks about the duties of a warrior and soldier. I read it thrice.This book has touched my soul. Cornwell has poked and prodded the literary child in me. He has sung of heroes and villains. He has sung of war and religion. He has sung of love and friendship. And when all is over and we feel that this is where it ends, here comes Arthur, magestic on his war horse, covered in iron, spear gripped in hand. Lord of battle he is and he has come alive again."The bards sing of love, they celebrate slaughter, they extol kings and flatter queens, but were I a poet I would write in praise of friendship."

Après avoir avalé les 10 épisodes de la saga Last Kingdom et pour attendre une possible suite j'avais décidé de lire celles d'Arthur. J'ai été un peu déçu par cette première lecture. La lecture s'est révélé un peu plus difficile avec un niveau d'anglais qui semble un peu plus élevé et qui m'a obligé à chercher un peu plus de vocabulaire et l'utilisation de noms celtiques pour les personnages ou lieux et objets qui rend la lecture moins évidente.

I read it in italian when i was a kid, and i bought in English to read it again. It's hooking, and a different way to see Arthur life, totally different than the usual legends. In 5th century AD, the old monk Derfel writes the story of King Arthur life (and Derfel one), in a Britain raided by Saxon, devastated by civil wars, and with old Gods being menaced by Christianity. Probably not high literature, but this trilogy is brilliant and got me hooked from the first to last page, written with a rich and still flowing style, paying attention to avoid dull bi-dimensional characters. If you like the mix between legend and raw history, if you like to think that a possible real Arthur was not only gallantry and jousts, but also sweat, shield walls and political choices, this is for you...

Great to read whilst waiting for grrm to get out of bed

Good historical novel. King arthur is portrayed in a nice manner.