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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you want historical fiction that hints at a bit of magic but doesn't actually go there, and is moreso centered around the plot than flowery writing or making sure you feel connected to the characters - this is for you. That might make it sound like i had a negative experience, but actually it was quite refreshing to just let the plot pull me in and nothing else.
I did like our narrator, Derfel, and Galahad, but wasn't particularly bothered about anyone else.
The occasional breaks from plot between chapters while Derfel spoke to the queen he was writing the story down for were a bit annoying and served to spoon feed us more info that was maybe difficult to fit in elsewhere. They did make me intrigued as to how Derfel becomes a monk though.
My main issue with this is that not a single woman could be mentioned without a story about her being raped or assaulted. Any time women in general were mentioned, it was about rape/ assault/ slavery. I know it was and still is common in war, but mentioning it as frequently as Bernard did made it feel like he didn't know how else to feature women unless they were 'magical' or noble. It felt lazy. He also used rape as a plot device to try to make Arthur seem above all other men...oh dear.
Wraps us well enough that you don't need to read the rest of the series if you don't fancy it. I think I'll leave it for now, but may come back to it in future.
I did like our narrator, Derfel, and Galahad, but wasn't particularly bothered about anyone else.
The occasional breaks from plot between chapters while Derfel spoke to the queen he was writing the story down for were a bit annoying and served to spoon feed us more info that was maybe difficult to fit in elsewhere. They did make me intrigued as to how Derfel becomes a monk though.
My main issue with this is that not a single woman could be mentioned without a story about her being raped or assaulted. Any time women in general were mentioned, it was about rape/ assault/ slavery. I know it was and still is common in war, but mentioning it as frequently as Bernard did made it feel like he didn't know how else to feature women unless they were 'magical' or noble. It felt lazy. He also used rape as a plot device to try to make Arthur seem above all other men...oh dear.
Wraps us well enough that you don't need to read the rest of the series if you don't fancy it. I think I'll leave it for now, but may come back to it in future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Sexual harassment, War
Moderate: Slavery, Torture, Pregnancy
adventurous
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
This was perfectly fine.
In Part 1 I don't think I could have given less of a bollocks about any of the numerous characters that were not named Arthur or Merlin and I was quite frankly indignant at the lack of both characters.
But as time went on, I did get sucked into the tale being told by this bland white bread dryshite Derfel. Other characters around him keep this ship afloat for me, and the story itself was compelling by the second and third sections.
I do like that BERnard converted this mythical fantasy story into a believable historical fiction, but it does come at the cost of some of the awe and magic of the tale. Although Nimue, Merlin and Guinevere do maintain that flame of mystical allure.
A decent book.
I feel the need to clarify that I didn't audio this, as people seem to really love that. I don't tend to audio much.. but I did sample it and it was fine apart from the guy's awful Irish accents
In Part 1 I don't think I could have given less of a bollocks about any of the numerous characters that were not named Arthur or Merlin and I was quite frankly indignant at the lack of both characters.
But as time went on, I did get sucked into the tale being told by this bland white bread dryshite Derfel. Other characters around him keep this ship afloat for me, and the story itself was compelling by the second and third sections.
I do like that BERnard converted this mythical fantasy story into a believable historical fiction, but it does come at the cost of some of the awe and magic of the tale. Although Nimue, Merlin and Guinevere do maintain that flame of mystical allure.
A decent book.
I feel the need to clarify that I didn't audio this, as people seem to really love that. I don't tend to audio much.. but I did sample it and it was fine apart from the guy's awful Irish accents
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
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
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm really impressed with this Arthurian reimagining.
I should categorically state that I am TIRED of King Arthur stories. I feel like they've largely been done to death. I prefer my fantasy less based in pseudo-history in general.
That being said, this book does a really nice job of being detail rich enough to feel other-worldly. And it's narrative conventions are really artfully and expertly done. The narrator does an excellent job and likely added a full star to my rating on his vocal tone alone. (not to mention the absolutely flabbergasting number of celtic/olde english names and place names he has to read aloud)
I see why lots of my favorite authors really like this book. Despite my ingrained prejudice against Arthurian legends, I did too.
I should categorically state that I am TIRED of King Arthur stories. I feel like they've largely been done to death. I prefer my fantasy less based in pseudo-history in general.
That being said, this book does a really nice job of being detail rich enough to feel other-worldly. And it's narrative conventions are really artfully and expertly done. The narrator does an excellent job and likely added a full star to my rating on his vocal tone alone. (not to mention the absolutely flabbergasting number of celtic/olde english names and place names he has to read aloud)
I see why lots of my favorite authors really like this book. Despite my ingrained prejudice against Arthurian legends, I did too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Gore, Murder
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As usual with Bernard Cornwell’s big oks it is well written and uses good historical information. I just found this a bit similar to the Saxon stories he wrote.
I was thoroughly disappointed. After reading all of the favorable reviews, I had expected to enjoy every minute of this book. Instead, I struggled to finish it. To me there wasn't anything engaging about the storyline or the protagonist. I was very tempted to abandon it many times, but stuck with it in hopes that my efforts would pay off. Unfortunately, it did not.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced