The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 9:44 AM
“But fate, as Merlin always taught us, is inexorable. Life is a jest of the Gods, Merlin liked to claim, and there is no justice. You must learn to laugh, he once told me, or else you'll just weep yourself to death.”
Fans of Arthur, Cornwell, historical fiction, and fantasy will all enjoy this book. Set in Sub-Roman Britain, the story is told through the eyes of an old monk who had served Arthur in his youth. While the characters are all familiar, Cornwell's style of using a bit of history to immerse the reader in a fantastically plausible world makes them all new again.
The story begins with Uther Pendragon, King of Dumnonia, and the High King of Britain, nearing death. His grandson, Mordred, is his heir; however, Mordred is only a baby. Arthur, a bastard of Uther, takes an oath of loyalty to Mordred and is chosen as Mordred’s guardian. Until Mordred is old enough to rule Dumnonia himself, Arthur is effectively the king.
Arthur dreams to unite the various kingdoms of Britain and push out the invading land-hungry Saxons. This is the story of Arthur. Repeatedly, just when you think that Arthur’s dream is to become a reality, the dream is shattered because of his weaknesses, his sense of justice, the machinations of kings and those closest to him, the conflict between Christians and pagans, or most often his oath of loyalty to Mordred. Certainly, for a moment there is Camelot, but even then dark clouds are on the horizon.
While it may take a few chapters to get into the swing of medieval people and place names, this is soon a rousing and bloody tale of politics and war told from the horror of hand-to-hand combat across a shield wall, of sorcerers, witches, priests, and wizards offering sacrifices, curses, and prayers to whichever Gods may listen. In short, a realistic first chapter in Cornwell’s trilogy of a truly tragic hero and the legend that nearly fifteen centuries later continues to captivate and fascinate.
