The Winter King

By: Bernard Cornwell

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble

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.

©1995 Bernard Cornwell (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

Great fun!

Liked the Saxon Chronicles better but this was still good. And I love hearing Jonathan Keeble.

Great King Arthur Adaptation

I really did struggle with the first good chunk of this book. It was super boring in the beginning and was getting lost and I almost gave up with this book. However I’m really really glad I toughed it out because it got really good! Great action and amazing narration! On to the next book in the trilogy!!

Bernard Cornwell fan

I’ve long been a fan of Bernard Cornwell, and his version of Arthurian Legend is a gritty realism of the time period. It strips away all the chivalry that was added during the romanticism, and he brings the reader back to the reality of the hardships of early life in Britain following the fall of Rome. This is not a courtly telling of knights in shining armor, so if that is your expectation you may want to pass.
Jonathan Keeble does a good job, although some of his character voices are a little “over done” and don’t fit the personality of the character, but not anything that makes it unlistenable.

My new favorite telling of the Arthurian Legend.

I love a good sword and shield journey. I read/listen to MANY. Same for the classic legends and hero tales. Arthur was one I was, frankly, tired of hearing. However, listening to The Winter King was thoroughly entertaining. You follow the storyteller, a Britton raised Saxon through his life with Merlin and the gang....Yes and no. Things happen; but nothing like you expected and yet never a disappointment. This will be the framework in which I now imagine these legends.

AMAZING!!!

Very well written and exquisitely read! looking forward to book 2!! One of the best stories I have encountered!

Solid, A Brilliant New Take On A Classical Tale

Bernard Cornwell is to historical Anglo- fiction what Dave Brubeck was to jazz-dependable, underrated, charasmatic, and as capable of creating as many sublime narratives as the musician bequeathed melodies. Cornwell is a tough, workingman's 'R.R. Martin, that mixes kernels of truth, socio-psychology, historical research second to none, with the epic fantasy beloved by fans of the genre. Here is something for everyone, but I am far less sophisticated than some reviewers. If you are looking for hidden robotics (Prince of Thorns), or Battlemages hurling ice waves like the D.C. Comic's best forgotten "Wonder Twins," (think anything Rothfuss) then you may be unnerved by the pitiful druids that populate the world of Arthur.

Very good

Very fun take on King Arthur with a great protagonist. It is very dark and vivid in its descriptions of cruelty and that makes it refreshing to hear. As a listener it brought a sense of realism to a world that is often described with more Bard tale than reality. Cornwell has a fantastic way of describing battle that brings us to the period in an exhilarating way.The narrator is fantastic as well! Loved it.

Another excellent story by Cornwell

After reading the Saxon chronicles, this was a great view into the land of Britons a few centuries before, and a very different take on the story of King Arthur. Love this narrator! Looking forward to the next in the series.

the characters never became real for me

This book failed to draw me in. I can't really put my finger on why I couldn't connect with this book. The story is good and the narration is fantastic. I did finish the book, and I may finish the series one day, but it just wasn't as good as the Saxon series I guess.

Best Arthur story ever

This is such a great twist on the Arthur legend. The best version in my opinion. Bravo Bernard you have done it again.