Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell

4 reviews

brightwatcher's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Violence

nerdkitten's review against another edition

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, War, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Murder, Sexism, Blood, Violence, Ableism, Death, Alcohol, Gore, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Alcoholism, Colonisation, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Slavery, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Excrement, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Rape, and Sexual content

Minor: Pedophilia, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Abortion, Confinement, Infertility, Trafficking, Drug use, Vomit, Medical content, Animal cruelty, and Classism

seanml's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Once and Future King is my favorite book. To call this A Tale of Arthur and then have the narrative focus on a warrior named Derfel? It is certainly a bold move, but I think in the end it is a good choice. Trying to base the historically spotty, retroactively-Christian narrative of Arthur in the actual post-Roman dark ages of Britain is no easy task. But Cornwell’s attention to historical detail and respect of it makes for a very fun and interesting read. As long as you can stomach historical sexism and misogyny, which I wouldn’t blame you for skipping.

Also, this Lancelot is wildly different from T. H. White’s, which I didn’t expect. What a dick. 8/10.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racism, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Slavery

Minor: Abandonment, Abortion, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Vomit

yurana's review against another edition

What a absolutely miserable book. Not in that it was badly written but that everything and everyone in it seems miserable. This is sold as a realistic take on the Arthur myth, in with realistic apparently means add lots of violence and rape. I’m only six chapters in and is far there is not a single female character that has not been murdered, raped or horribly disfigured. All this seems to be perfectly normal in this dystopian world where people might talk about law but the only law that actually exists is “might makes right”. There seems to be hardly any positive emotion or friendship or even love (unless you count people laughing about the sexual abuse of a female slave as positive emotion). Women use men to get some measure of safety against a world that sees them as sex toys and brood mares, men use women for sexual gratification and as status objects. And above all rule the warlords most of whom seem to think nothing of slaughtering whole villages if it gets them power or money. 
Arthur himself has hardly made an appearance so far. He apparently objects to rape and murder, but not enough to do something about it, when it is political inexpedient. I guess that makes him the good guy?
There is also the underlying story of the rivalry between Christianity and the old Druidic faith. The Christians all seem to be uneducated fanatics (and sometimes also pedophiles… let’s throw that in for flavor, too), while the druids are really into human sacrifice. I have no idea who I’m supposed to like here. 
There is enough misery in this world already, I don’t need more of it. Especially since the book seems to have nothing more to say on the topic of violence and rape, except; “it happens isn’t that horrible(and/or exciting)?” Yes it is horrible and I don’t want anymore of it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Torture