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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
I'm a huge fan of historical fiction and history in general, but I have to admit that beyond the broad strokes, I'm pretty unfamiliar with the legend of Arthur. Everyone knows about the Sword in the Stone, the Round Table, and Merlin, but I've never read the "source material" myself. So when I stumbled upon this trilogy that promised a realistic portrayal of Arthur I was definitely interested.
In the Warlord trilogy, Cornwell makes Arthur into a man. A great man, certainly, but a flawed man, not some larger than life figure out of legend, or as a Roman general as some media portrays him. Arthur here is a bastard prince of Dumnonia, determined to unit Britain and defend her from the very real Saxon threat in late fifth and early sixth century Britain. Not a ton is known for sure about murky era of Britain, sandwiched between the departure of Rome and the rise of Wessex and the later Kings of England. Britain is caught between worlds - the old pagan Gods still hold sway while Christianity is starting to take hold.
It's definitely a less popular era - most British history media focuses either on the Viking or the Victorian, if not even more modern. But that doesn't mean it isn't interesting. Cornwell weaves a dark and gritty tale here. The magic of the Druids is based in superstition and trickery, Arthur's power comes from his continental armor and his armored heavy horse, and Britain is definitely not a very nice place to live.
Cornwell writes simply and well. Our narrator is Derfel, born a slave, a companion of Arthur. Derfel is an old man, a Christian monk, and the story is told as a series of flashbacks as he chronicles his past for his Queen, who wants to hear the true story of Arthur. It works well enough - though we're often treated to some very on the nose foreshadowing like "I would not know until later that X happened" or "It wasn't until later that I found out that actually...", which always seems to me rather lazy. It works well enough here though, and I found that I actually wasn't bothered by it, maybe because the story of Arthur is already broadly known and it doesn't seem so spoilery.
If you're interested in King Arthur, especially in a more realistic take on him, or just in Dark Age Britain in general, you can't go wrong with The Winter King.
In the Warlord trilogy, Cornwell makes Arthur into a man. A great man, certainly, but a flawed man, not some larger than life figure out of legend, or as a Roman general as some media portrays him. Arthur here is a bastard prince of Dumnonia, determined to unit Britain and defend her from the very real Saxon threat in late fifth and early sixth century Britain. Not a ton is known for sure about murky era of Britain, sandwiched between the departure of Rome and the rise of Wessex and the later Kings of England. Britain is caught between worlds - the old pagan Gods still hold sway while Christianity is starting to take hold.
It's definitely a less popular era - most British history media focuses either on the Viking or the Victorian, if not even more modern. But that doesn't mean it isn't interesting. Cornwell weaves a dark and gritty tale here. The magic of the Druids is based in superstition and trickery, Arthur's power comes from his continental armor and his armored heavy horse, and Britain is definitely not a very nice place to live.
Cornwell writes simply and well. Our narrator is Derfel, born a slave, a companion of Arthur. Derfel is an old man, a Christian monk, and the story is told as a series of flashbacks as he chronicles his past for his Queen, who wants to hear the true story of Arthur. It works well enough - though we're often treated to some very on the nose foreshadowing like "I would not know until later that X happened" or "It wasn't until later that I found out that actually...", which always seems to me rather lazy. It works well enough here though, and I found that I actually wasn't bothered by it, maybe because the story of Arthur is already broadly known and it doesn't seem so spoilery.
If you're interested in King Arthur, especially in a more realistic take on him, or just in Dark Age Britain in general, you can't go wrong with The Winter King.
This is another take on the Arthurian legend. It is told by a character who follows Arthur and is one of his soldiers. It does stick closer to what the typical Arthurian legend is with some minor changes and embelishments. It is interesting however because of the change in point-of-view. This is book 1 of a trilogy.
i first read this series when i was probably 10 or 11 (i was a very precocious reader and my mum was extraordinarily lax about it lol) and i loved it then so unforch i’m completely unable to be objective about it now! but even so i think this does for the most part hold up - i will admit that on the surface gritty violent realistic arthuriana with all the magic and the chivalry sanded down if not completely removed sounds like the most obnoxious thing ever to the point of perhaps undermining the whole appeal of the mythology in the first place but i ALSO think that cornwell is an erudite enough writer to pull it off; his prose has a lovely elegance to it and the narrative voice has enough compassion and humanity that it’s really not as gratingly macho as it could be. his version is not particularly kind to guinevere but he does give her a hilary mantel anne boleyn vibe that is tbqh kind of cunt! cornwell’s biggest sin is the way he writes lancelot - there’s so much potential for complexity in the lancelot/guinevere/arthur dynamic and it’s v much underserved by making lancelot a purely villainous character imo (and also lancelot is blorbo from my myths, so)
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was so, so good. Definitely one of the best Arthurian retellings. It reminded of the A Song of Ice and Fire books in the best way possible and I tore through it.
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Excrement, Pregnancy, Colonisation
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Drug use, Infertility, Pedophilia, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Abortion, Classism
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-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:
Yes
Phenomenal Arthurian retelling. Tackling the legend from a historical, rather than fantastic, perspective, the first of Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles offers up a grim, gruesome, and thoroughly engaging alternative to the classic Arthurian tale.
This is my first experience with Cornwell; pleased to confirm that the battle sequences, close combat, and utterly hateable villains came exactly as advertised.
I docked a star only because it took me a while to settle into the story. I fully expect to love the sequels, which I plan to start immediately. So glad I finally got around to picking this one up!
This is my first experience with Cornwell; pleased to confirm that the battle sequences, close combat, and utterly hateable villains came exactly as advertised.
I docked a star only because it took me a while to settle into the story. I fully expect to love the sequels, which I plan to start immediately. So glad I finally got around to picking this one up!
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A retelling of the Arthurian legend, but a much grittier, more realistic tale than the romanticised myth of the knights of the round table.
It's a good thing that I saw the series first and read the book later; had I done it the other way around, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the show at all. The plot was butchered, some characters were altered to the point where they were barely recognizable, and the season finale was kind of meh compared to the the final chapters of the novela thrilling battle, which is one of Cornwell's strengths .
I'm definitely going to continue with the next book (and will likely despise the upcoming seasons of the series).
It's a good thing that I saw the series first and read the book later; had I done it the other way around, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the show at all. The plot was butchered, some characters were altered to the point where they were barely recognizable, and the season finale was kind of meh compared to the the final chapters of the novel
I'm definitely going to continue with the next book (and will likely despise the upcoming seasons of the series).