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The Winter King

Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available

It takes a remarkable writer to make an old story as fresh and compelling as the first time we heard it. With The Winter King, the first volume of his magnificent Warlord Chronicles, Bernard Cornwell finally turns to the story he was born to write: the mythic saga of King Arthur.

The tale 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. It is to this desperate land that Arthur returns, a man at once utterly human and truly heroic: 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.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from April 29, 1996
      Arthurian literature may be a worldwide cottage industry, but Cornwell, author of the Sharpe series of historical military adventures (Sharpe's Battle, etc.) stands out from the crowd with this exemplary kickoff to a trilogy about the legendary warrior-king. Cornwell's Arthur is fierce, dedicated and complex, a man with many problems, most of his own making. His impulsive decisions sometimes have tragic ramifications, as when he lustfully takes Guinevere instead of the intended Ceinwyn, alienating his friends and allies and inspiring a bloody battle. The secondary characters are equally unexpected, and are ribboned with the magic and superstition of the times. Merlin impresses as a remarkable personage, a crafty schemer fond of deceit and disguise. Lancelot is portrayed as a warrior-pretender, a dishonest charmer with dark plans of his own; by contrast, Galahad seems the noble soldier of purpose and dedication. Guinevere, meanwhile, no gentle creature waiting patiently in the moonlight, has designs and plots of her own. The story of these characters and others is narrated forcefully and with dry wit by Derfel Cadarn, one of Arthur's warriors, who later becomes a monk. Cornwell knows his history--the battle scenes are particularly fine--but not once does it get in the way of people of flesh and blood meeting on a darkened field of combat. Author tour.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Cornwell's experience as a historical novelist (Sharpe Chronicles, etc.) is evident in this, the first in an Arthurian trilogy. Told by Derferl Cardan, rescued as a child by Merlin and then a warrior for Arthur, the story has battles aplenty but also insight into the actions of Arthur et al. A rich, expressive narration by Tim Pigott-Smith renders the language and dialects musical, creating a period atmosphere and sense of place for the listener. This is a most enjoyable incarnation of timeless characters. M.A.M. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 14, 1997
      In a starred review PW called this Camelot rewrite an "exemplary kickoff to" Cornwell's trilogy The Warlord Chronicles.

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  • English

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