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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
I reread The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell, preparatory to reading the next two books in his Arthur series. I found books two and three for cheap when the Borders was slowly dying, but I put off reading them because it had been so long since I read the first novel. I realize that for someone who doesn’t like Cornwell, I read an awful lot of him, but I had enjoyed The Winter King when I first read it (it was what made me think I liked Cornwell, actually–-a notion every subsequent book I’ve read by him has then dispelled), and I wanted to see if it was really any good or if I was just crazy the first go-round. It is certainly better than his other works that I’ve read: the aspects of his writing that I enjoy are stronger, and the ones that irritate me are less prevalent. The subject matter helps a lot, too; he obviously loves the Arthurian stories and is trying to do them justice. I almost wonder if Cornwell writes best that way, working with the outlines of existing plots and characters. They seem so much more alive than his original characters. In large part, too, I think the inherent idealism of the Arthurian story helps to soften Cornwell’s signature grittiness. Cornwell’s Arthurian books are still pretty horrifying–-this is muddy, bloody storytelling, and I remember being pretty horrified by parts of it when I first read it–-but unlike Cornwell’s other characters, his main characters in this novel are strongly motivated by ideals and are relatively complex.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A story of King Arthur the way you've never seen it before.
I've got very little to say that other reviewers haven't said.
This is not a cozy book. If you know Cornwell's Uthred books, and like their grim realism, then you'll find more of that here, plus paganism, magic of sorts, and tenderness in unlikely places.
The only problem that you might have with this is that it might stray too far from Arthur and the Round Table for your taste. I didn't mind, but mileage may vary.
This is not a cozy book. If you know Cornwell's Uthred books, and like their grim realism, then you'll find more of that here, plus paganism, magic of sorts, and tenderness in unlikely places.
The only problem that you might have with this is that it might stray too far from Arthur and the Round Table for your taste. I didn't mind, but mileage may vary.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Enjoyed it. A lot going on, to be sure, but the battles were intense and it was certainly more greatness from Bernard Cornwell. Regardless of how "historical" this is, based on what little is known, Cornwell did a helluva job. Definitely check it out.
Really quite slow to get going (took me the better part of 80 pages to understand who/where everything was, but once certain events transpire it really hooked me into a story about a legend I know next to nothing about.
Very interesting and informative, so much that it reads like a textbook sometimes. Not for me.