Astonishingly gritty, dark, and immersive, this isn't the King Arthur I remember from my childhood – but it's so much better! I can't wait to dive into the second book!As someone who's usually immersed in the realms of high fantasy, I was a bit hesitant about diving into historical fiction. But as The Lonely Island once said: \"yolo\". So, I decided to give it a shot, and I'm pretty stoked that I did. Bernard Cornwell's *The Winter King* has made me question why I didn't try historical fiction s...

An extremely enjoyable retelling of the legend of King Arthur, courtesy of Bernard Cornwell's *The Winter King*. A full review will be available shortly... I'm already eager to share my complete thoughts on this fantastic historical fiction novel!

Re-read: Still a solid 5 stars even on the second go-round. Jonathan Keeble's narration is absolutely tremendous, and Lancelot remains the absolute worst character in any book that isn't named Obadiah Hakeswill. Seriously, I can't stand him!

The audiobook version of *The Winter King* by Bernard Cornwell is utterly fantastic. If you're looking for great historical fiction audiobooks, this is a must-listen!

A BeginningThe legends of King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, the Knights of the Round Table, Sir Galahad's quest for the Holy Grail, Excalibur, Merlin and his sorcery, and the age of chivalry are all classic elements of medieval fantasy. Bernard Cornwell's version of the tale in *The Winter King* feels like the most authentic I've encountered, turning many familiar images completely on their head. The resulting novel is a reimagined story that feels both believable and historical.The story is tol...

I now have a YouTube channel that I run with my brother, called 'The Brothers Gwynne'. Check it out - The Brothers Gwynne *Sep 2025 - Beginning a reread of one of my all-time favourite series! The Winter King is even better than the first time I picked it up, as the foundations set for twists to come are just brilliant!*“The bards sing of love, they celebrate slaughter, they extol kings and flatter queens, but were I a poet I would write in praise of friendship.”If you love stories packed wit...

Full review now posted!Original review can be found at Booknest.Here's a book that didn’t exactly sweep me off my feet, but it held my attention in a strange way. I didn't find myself itching to pick it up and dive back in, but every time I did, I was rewarded with incredibly interesting theories and historical nuggets. This is probably the most believable take on the Arthurian legend I've ever encountered. The whole Arthur, Merlin, Excalibur, Camelot thing has always intrigued me, but it's alwa...

4.5/5 StarsDepending on how the rest of the trilogy plays out, this could be the most original and best Arthurian legend retelling of all time, across any medium.A little background before I start: this is my first time diving into Bernard Cornwell’s work and only my second time reading historical fiction. So, this is completely outside my comfort zone, but I'm thrilled I decided to try something new. I’d heard Bernard Cornwell’s name mentioned plenty of times, with most people claiming he’s a l...

Nobody does it quite as well as Bernard Cornwell. He's quite literally the master of this genre. He creates a vivid warrior culture time and time again, and I'll never get bored of it. That's saying a lot because Bernard Cornwell has written a huge number of novels over the years, and a few are similar in ways, but I don't care because they're just so good. This time, Bernard Cornwell tells the story of Arthur, though not from Arthur's perspective; he tells it from the point of view of one of hi...

Why is *The Winter King* written in such a dry, boring narrative style? Bernard Cornwell's books can be exciting and full of period detail that really engage the reader. This one is sadly not like that. There is a helpful list of characters and places (and map) at the front of the book, for those of us unfamiliar with all the Welsh names. I dutifully consulted this every time a new name was mentioned but after 50 pages I was just so very bored by it all. Where's the action? All reported. Where's...

I truly can't praise this book enough. There are countless reasons to enjoy a book, and this one excels in so many areas. It's simply a fantastic read. Who should read this book?If you loved *The Lord of the Rings* but secretly wished it had a bit more action and less poetry...If you loved watching the movie *Braveheart* but wished it were a little more historically accurate...If you were excited about the 2004 movie *King Arthur*, which, despite being advertised as "the real story of King Arthu...