The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

 

Title: The Winter King

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Publication: 5 October 1995/reprint: 15 April 1997

Format: paperback & Kindle ebook

Amazon Description: 

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.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I mentioned on Tuesday (and again on Wednesday) that this book was going to get an awful lot of love ... and posts ... go back to Tuesday for the teasers and ramblings from Part One. Today I get to ooh and aah over Part Two. Arthur and Guinevere are around but I really love Derfel and Nimue. Derfel is the one telling the tale, and Nimue is the "she" from the 156ish ... which I think is actually 158 because 156 was good but not as good as Nimue. 

She might be one of my all-time favorite "book bitches" at this point.

I am not at all familiar with the actress they have cast for the series and I think I might be a good thing. I'm a little hesitant already with the casting of Arthur and Merlin (who still has only been mentioned in the book and not actually seen). Since I care about Derfel and Nimue more at this point, I'm still quite ecstatic to see what happens. No matter what, though, I'm pretty sure this will definitely be a case of "the book was better."

 

Now on to Part Three ....

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Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader