Reviews - The Winter King | The StoryGraph

756 reviews for:

The Winter King

Bernard Cornwell

4.07 AVERAGE

hannahlang13's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A very slow start but damn once people started dying it really picked up!! I enjoy the main character/narrator a lot! Despite hoping otherwise I'm definitely gonna need to read the rest of these!

elapalama's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

charlijw's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous

My first book by Bernard Cornwall and I enjoyed it - an exciting/compelling my story of Arthur, from the perspective of a soldier (Derfel). It felt like Cornwall made an attempt to be historically accurate about a period which it is challenging to do that, and I enjoyed the inclusion of Druids/Merlin/Nimue to get a feeling for the Britons. Some amusing characters. A little more fighting than my usual taste but I will finish the series!

jonahe's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

leeaj168's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

A really interesting more “historically accurate” retelling of the Arthur myth. Really compelling and nuanced and enjoyable.

Content Warnings

capra's review against another edition

2.75

adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

It feels like any typical Cornwell medieval war story with a bunch of names from the tale of Arthur slapped on. Carries absolutly nothing of the depth of the original material and is even more mysogynistic than usual.
To sum it up, its the most stereotypically masculine retelling of the tale, and I dont even mean the characters but the forced masculinity. Takes something to make a tale from 1000 or so a. d. Seem A LOT more modern than your retelling.