winter_king

The Winter King

The saga begins in Dark Age Britain, a land where Arthur has been banished and Merlin has disappeared, where a child-king sits unprotected on the throne, where religion vies with magic for the souls of the people. Going far beyond the usual tales of romance and chivalry, The Winter King introduces us to an Arthur who is both utterly convincing and a true hero: a man of honor, loyalty, and amazing valor; a man who loves Guinevere more passionately than he should; a man whose life is at once tragic and triumphant. As Arthur fights to keep a flicker of civilization alive in a barbaric world, Bernard Cornwell makes a familiar tale into a legend all over again in this magnificent novel that will forever change the way the story of Arthur is told.

The Arthurian legend has seen countless renditions over the centuries. The Winter King is a retelling that is reminiscent of Mary Stewart's "Crystal Cave" series (e.g., The Crystal Cave: The Legend of Merlin, Dove Audio,1989). Characters are rearranged, resulting in a vain and unpopular Lancelot, an ambitious and scheming Guinevere,a Merlin who is more absent Druid than mystic magician, and a Mordred who is Uther's grandson and legitimate heir. The tale is told by the Saxon-born monk Derfel Cadarn for Igraine, a young queen. He relates his childhood in Merlin's compound, his years soldiering with Arthur, and the deeds he witnesses.

Reviews

"This story is wonderfully researched as is all the author's work, giving it a credibility and authority it is difficult to credit other Arthurian romances stagnated by the same reprocessing that the legend has undergone to be consistent with current theology. I have done my own resarch and I now know that Derfel is most likely based on Bedivere, but that is merely the instrument of narration, and even he is a man a reader must develpop affection for thanks to the manner the story is told in. The story is told in such a renewed manner which creates room for revelation and imagines a world where magic and faith seem credible and frightening. I do fear that those wishing for quick satisfaction of their desire for a clone of the traditional tale will be conmfounded. You do not instantly feel you have been transported to Arthurian Britain as we think of it today when you read it, and in fact you have to read substantial chunks to reach familiars like Lancelot. Such readers must persevere because this is an independant tale which uses the the legend as a platform, not a template. "

T"The one thing that makes a change in this retelling of the Arthurian ledgends is the amount of realism for the time. No more farting around at the chalice well for the druid to do his augury. Now he stabs the buggers and watches how the blood falls. Written from the view of fighting men it, there is none of this 'slap your wrist you naughty boy!' and the enemy runs away howling like puppies. It's shirt sleeves rolled up and the lopping off of heads left right and centre. If your sick of your arthurian stuff being romatacised and rubbished then you have to read this. The characters are so real, Arthur is a bloke you really feel for and Lancelot is a slimy git that you want to kill! After reading the first chapter you can guarantee that you'll want the other three. The Author is a God!"

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