Reviews - The Winter King | The StoryGraph

754 reviews for:

The Winter King

Bernard Cornwell

4.07 AVERAGE

goonerette's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad 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

unluckycat13's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 3%

Really vile, sexist stuff in this one. Not because it's historically accurate mind you, they never are when it comes to women.

Content Warnings

seclement's review against another edition

5.0

There are a lot of different depictions of the Arthur legends, but this is a classic for a reason. This is an epic book, just one of 3 about Arthur by Cornwell, so I suggest you read it at a time when you can devote a few hours to reading at a time so that you can get immersed in the tale. There are so very many characters, which can get confusing, but helpfully there is a key to the characters in the book. The map and justification for the places he chooses and the names he uses - because of course there are so many different candidates for places in the Arthurian legends - are very helpful as well. I read this just after a trip around Wales and England to sites purported to be associated with Arthur, so it was a timely read, but it was also just the sort of escapism I needed in 2020. It is not a cheery book...in fact it is brutal in many places and none of the characters are without fault...but it does indeed transport you to a different world. His depiction of the characters is much better than the romantic depictions you get in some versions of the legend, in my opinion, but by "better" I mean it feels more realistic and in keeping with the time that these events could have taken place (if they ever did). This is not a genre of book that I normally read, but the story is well told and timeless. The prose is descriptive but not tedious, and despite being a long book there are definitely many points where you won't want to put it down.

corletta29's review against another edition

4.0

4.0/5

Slow in the first half, lots of run on sentences and long paragraphs. Would’ve been nice to have numbered chapters.

All that being said, the second half of the book really picked up, and the author’s ability to bring alive these characters was impressive. The battle scenes are easy to envision thanks to his abilities. Looking forward to the next couple of books.

elwoodradley's review against another edition

1.0

DNF @ 60%. Idk what’s going on, but I’m in a huge reading slump. Can’t seem to get into any books I’ve been reading recently. I didn’t like the narrator style in this book, and Arthur seemed like a goddamn idiot.