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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Interesting version of story.
So good! And why do I always want to punch Guinevere and Lancelot in the face?! Really, in every account of the Arthurian myth I have read, I just want to slap them. They are so annoying!!!
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked it, but I'm a huge King Arthur fan. This story seemed to be based on history, and it was interesting for that. But it was mostly about battles and very violent. Lancelot and Guinevere are not portrayed in a favorable light, and I'm okay with that. All in all, I doubt I'll be looking for the other books in the trilogy.
It is my second reading this book, and I returned to it not because I remembered liking it but rather because I forgot I had read it. This is not an indictment against the book, but more of a statement on how much I enjoy reading different versions of the King Arthur legend (and the flurry of confusion/lack of time to look more into it during our family's recent move).
One of the best things that sticks out to me when reading this book again is how well written the battle scenes are. These are the types of sections that I typically get bored of reading, which is especially a problem for books like this that have so many long battles. However, Bernard Cornwell makes them compelling even to someone of my personality who prefers reading internal musings and dialogue exchanges to descriptions of nature, cities, and battles.
I also particularly enjoy the unexpected take that Cornwell has on Lancelot, which I will not describe here so that it is not spoiled. As always, Arthur is a likeable character and I suppose this is only right in order that readers cheer more for one of our greatest literary protagonists. However, I feel that Cornwell stumbles in his portrayal of Guinevere. He is not able to cleanly convey to the reader her complicated nature and why Arthur loves her. Perhaps this is because the narrator spends such little time with her, but it leaves the reader (or at least this reader) a little confused and wanting for better description.
One of the best things that sticks out to me when reading this book again is how well written the battle scenes are. These are the types of sections that I typically get bored of reading, which is especially a problem for books like this that have so many long battles. However, Bernard Cornwell makes them compelling even to someone of my personality who prefers reading internal musings and dialogue exchanges to descriptions of nature, cities, and battles.
I also particularly enjoy the unexpected take that Cornwell has on Lancelot, which I will not describe here so that it is not spoiled. As always, Arthur is a likeable character and I suppose this is only right in order that readers cheer more for one of our greatest literary protagonists. However, I feel that Cornwell stumbles in his portrayal of Guinevere. He is not able to cleanly convey to the reader her complicated nature and why Arthur loves her. Perhaps this is because the narrator spends such little time with her, but it leaves the reader (or at least this reader) a little confused and wanting for better description.