Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
The most unromantic telling of the Arthurian legend I can recall. Lots of inelegant fighting and body odour. Very well written. Will have to read the sequel to find out what Cornwell makes of baby Mordred.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
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
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the best Arthurian retellings I’ve ever read.
Overall, I thought it was a unique approach to Arthurian legend, and the writing was incredible. It was very heavy in text, and I'm not sure if I read it, instead of listened to it, that it would have held my interest. I did enjoy the narrartor perspective approach to the story and thought it gave a good outsider's POV to the larger story line. You got to see characters grow and develop without the focus being on their growth and development.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is an interesting take on the King Arthur story. Cornwell abandons the mystical Morte d’Arthur trope and instead tries to set the book in an actual English historical frame. The story and geographic locations are necessarily guesswork, but nonetheless the reader learns a lot about England at the time of the Saxon invasion. Cornwell also has his own and fascinating take on the characters. I particularly enjoyed his version of Lancelot.
dark
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Brilliant start to a darker age and brutal retelling of Arthurian tales. The book starts out slow with its characters but picks up close to 1/4th into the book and doesn't let go of the steam and pacing. The atmosphere of 5th to 6th century Britain is portrayed in a grim picture.The characters are the most important draw for this series. Must read for anyone wanting to pick up a historical fiction with fantasy elements mixed in very less amounts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Classism