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The Winter King
The Winter King: A Novel of Arthur | Bernard Cornwell
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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eeclayton
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#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

(1) On Goodreads, I challenged myself to read 40 books. I'll accomplish this soon, I'm reading the 40th book right now.
(2) The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell
(3) I hope to continue Cornwell's trilogy as soon as the library opens after the winter break.

Thanks for the tag @The_Penniless_Author ☺️

Would you like to play @Dilara @Kristy_K @marleed ?

Eggs Thank you for playing and sharing 🥰👏🏻📚 10mo
16 likes1 comment
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eeclayton
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Pickpick

A retelling of the Arthurian legend, but a much grittier, more realistic tale than the romanticised myth of the knights of the round table.

eeclayton It's a good thing that I saw the series first and read the book later; had I done it the other way around, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the show at all. The plot was butchered, some characters were altered to the point where they were barely recognizable, and the season finale was kind of meh compared to the the final chapters of the novel, a thrilling battle, which is one of Cornwell's strengths. 10mo
26 likes1 comment
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Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures
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Pickpick

This is not the King Arthur you know….

I enjoyed this first book of the Warlord trilogy. The author does a huge amount of research for his books, and it really shows. The historical accuracy that is used throughout made this a fascinating version of the legend of King Arthur.

Full review on my blog:
http://bookshelfadventures.home.blog/2023/01/05/the-winter-king-warlord-chronicl...

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mjdowens
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Arthur goes to the dark side LOL

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Twainy
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*** NOVEMBER WRAP UP ***

I read 51 books …

3 - 6⭐️
7 - 5⭐️
2 - 4⭐️3/4
7 - 4⭐️1/2
15 - 4⭐️
2 - 3 3/4⭐️
7 - 3 1/2⭐️
8 - 3⭐️

19 of these books were fantastic!

16 favorites are above.

Did you read any 5 or 6 star books this month? Happy December everyone!!

candority I‘m so curious about why you give out six stars? Fantastic reading month! 👏 (edited) 3y
Twainy @candority 6 stars is reserved for cream of the crop, books I‘d easily reread, stellar books that are my inner circle favorites. There are very few books that I would reread so maybe that‘s the gold star or scale. I read A LOT of awesome books but only a few were books I‘d reread. This month there was a book I‘d already read multiple times plus 2 dense books that I loved & feel I‘d see something new in a reread. Books I own or want to own. 😁 3y
candority I love that! Thanks for explaining 😊 3y
20 likes3 comments
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Twainy
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Pickpick

🎧 WOW! Great narration! This is my 1st book by Bernard Cornwall & the best retelling of the Arthurian legend that I‘ve ever read.

The dialog, the characters, the gritty real life world building. Ultimately believable in its realness & this is only the 1st book!

As characters make an entrance you‘re nodding becuz you already know them but they‘re painted so clearly it‘s like meeting them all over again.

Looking forward to book 2!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BethM I‘ve often wondered about adding this to my tbr bc I‘m an Arthurian geek. Your review convinced me. 3y
Twainy @BethM it‘s not froo froo fairytale like a lot of King Arthur stories I‘ve read/seen. It‘s an amazing audiobook and really brings the story to realistic life. Not glamorized or romanticized. I guess beware the dark & bloody reality? 😳 3y
34 likes1 stack add2 comments
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BacklistReader
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Some new to me books on my radar that I‘m really excited for

#newbooks #neverendingwishlist

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Trad
Pickpick

Really impressed by the Author writing good story

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Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures
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Got these lovelies from a good friend of mine. He sent them to get my opinion and reviews for my blog. *squee*

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Minervasbutler
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Pickpick

This retelling of the Arthurian legend is the very best type of historical fiction - you can smell the damp furs and feel the itchy lice and it contains some marvellous characters - Derfel our narrator, a warlord turned monk, the Flashmanlike coward Lancelot, Arthur himself of course, but especially the Druid Merlin, a kind of saltier Gandalf. Great stuff.

Balibee146 Have this on Kindle and, almost read it several times this year... You've convinced me 👍 5y
Minervasbutler @Balibee146 Won't lie, the first 50 pages or so are dense. But so worth it once you get into it. 5y
jillrhudy That whole trilogy is great 5y
57 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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Derf
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#WhatWouldYouDo @DannyHattan

I chose the Winter King.

1. Derfel
2. ❤️ this dude.
3. I‘ve not read this book in about 15 years, but his character has always stuck with me. He‘s a military man, not very important. But he‘s the most loyal character I‘ve came across.
4 . Help me to get it going please
 @teainthelibrary
@Andrew65
@mutlee
@BigHappiness
@booksandtea97
@Ashley_Nicoletto
@Andrea4
@wanderinglynn
@Eggs
@LeahBergen

Andrew65 A great choice. Thanks for the tag. 5y
38 likes1 comment
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Sweetkokoro
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Pickpick

Completed The Winter King last night. Over all I did enjoy the book, the gripes I had where the hard to pronounce names and the few times it felt like it was falling off track. It‘s a very slow starter to a Trilogy and not a lot of action but if your fan of King Arthur it‘s worth checking out. Now on to book two....after I catch up on a few other books hahah

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Sweetkokoro
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7 hours left to finish this tale! I have mixed feelings about this book, while all the parts that pertain to the actual tale of Arthur and his companions is very interesting, the narrator in the story, who is telling the story of Arthur, who is named Derfel (Pronounced Dervul) tends to get side tracked and ramble about useless stuff, which make it boring at those parts.

Also the audio book has a way better cover haha.

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Sweetkokoro
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Switching to the audio version of this book was such a great idea. I am enjoying it so much more now, since im not struggling with the pronunciation of names. The only other gripe I have about this book is the lack of chapters. It just goes and goes and goes... it makes it hard to find a good stopping point, I need chapters. But overall it‘s really good so far, Arthur just showed up finally so I‘m happy now haha

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Sweetkokoro
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So I ended up switching to the audio version of this book due to the names being so frustrating for me, on remembering how they are pronounced since the author used the Old Welsh spellings. And I‘m actually enjoying it more now since I don‘t have to get wrapped up in the names. Also I‘m following along with my physical copy too so let‘s hope I can fully enjoy this Arthur retelling now! the narrator is also doing amazing I‘m enjoying his voice.

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Sweetkokoro
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The universe does not want me to be happy, had my heart broken yet again (︶︹︺)
But at least my books are still here. Decided to start this one, a lovely Novel (part 1 of 3 so I‘m not sure why it‘s called a novel) about one of my favorite stories, King Arthur. So far the only thing frustrating about this book is the old Welsh spelling of names since it leaves me confused on how to pronounce them haha.

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mrsmarch
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On a Sunday Blizzard — Again
The wind is so full of snow, it makes no sound. It blows not, neither does it bluster—
it just is. It drifts about and the snow appears. I glance out the window and think it covered with snow. But no —it is the world itself covered in snow, heaped, mounded, hidden, an inscrutable canvas, a feather bolster under which fair Lady Spring hides her green head.

mrsmarch “Not six more weeks of this,”
she groans. “When will it end?” We ask ourselves the same, dear friend, and jealous you your lazy bed. Our shovels beckon
6y
monalyisha I‘m feeling this. 🙌🏻 Thanks for sharing! 6y
26 likes2 comments
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toofondofbooks
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Pickpick

I don't think anyone is better to take on an Arthurian retelling than Bernard Cornwell. Excellent story by a #faveauthor of mine.

14 likes2 stack adds
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Becker
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Historical fiction + Bernard Cornwell + Jonathan Keeble‘s narration = a fascinating listening experience 😍

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Balibee146
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MayJasper The Seasoning! - very clever 7y
47 likes1 comment
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BarbaraTheBibliophage
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Whoooops! Audible has a great sale right now and these books just begged me to “take them home.”
👏🏻👏🏻📚📚😎😎

ReadingVampire How do you see sales on audible? I always get confused... 🤷🏻‍♀️ do they post the sale prices on them already? 7y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Puredragonstar I got an email this morning and clicked through on that to the sale page. Usually Audible puts a banner on their home page for sales. I think most of the time you have to a member to be eligible for a sale too. They should always post your lowest price as long as you‘re signed in. One of the sale items was lower for me since I already have the Kindle book too. Does this help? 😎 7y
ReadingVampire Never mind I found it! Oh man!!! 7y
ReadingVampire Yes thank you!!!!! Now imma spend some monies lol!!! 7y
110 likes5 comments
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Andrew65
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It's over 10 years since I've read them but I enjoyed the Arthur story told in the Warlord Chronicles Trilogy by Bernard Cornwell. The first book in the trilogy is The Winter King. A slightly different version, but definitely enjoyed them and read all 3 back to back within a week. #Camelot #melodiousmusicals

398.2 I am a sucker for anything about Arthur. I need to read this. 7y
TrishB Haven't got his new one yet - looking forward to it! 7y
Andrew65 @TrishB I do enjoy his books. 7y
CrowCAH Wow that sounds like a great series; three books in a week! 🤴 7y
41 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Derf
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Pickpick

😬😊 a new Bernard Cornwall book. Winter King was the book to really get me into reading! Can‘t wait to read this modern take on Shakespeare‘s life.

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I-read-and-eat
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A sign of life! I haven posted on Litsy in a while and just wanted to say that I miss you guys ❤ And my dear #litsypenpal @trazo I loved your letter and plan to write back soon! My life is so crazy right now 🙈 I ended my relationship of 6 years and my master program is very stessful. So I am very busy with school and running away from my problems with my friends 😂

Hope to be posting again soon! 💕

MayJasper May you know peace ☺ 7y
Mimi28 I hope things get better! ❤️ 7y
LauraBeth 💕💕 7y
See All 6 Comments
LiteraryinPA Thinking of you during this challenging time! 💜💜 7y
megt Thinking of you! Hope things settle for you soon. 💕 7y
trazo Hi @I-read-and-eat. I sent you an email for when you get a chance to read it. I hope things start to look up for you. 7y
42 likes6 comments
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Sha0102
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Pickpick

A very well written book that deconstructs Arthur mith for those who read Mists of Avalon and other more romantic book about him. I loved it. This one added knowledge to me regarding this period of history. It's a pitty we don't have hard proof Arthur really existed. " Uther has died, leaving the infant Mordred as his only heir. His uncle, the loyal warlord Arthur, now rules as caretaker for a country which has fallen into chaos." #Sha2017

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Sha0102
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Holiday + Japanese food + French fries + Book = Happiness 💖

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Sha0102
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Holiday here in Brazil. Yay. Independence Day. Let's read!

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JulAnna
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Relaxing at the end of a busy holiday weekend, I am starting this King Arthur tale tonight. 👑😊

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Sha0102
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Saturday Night moments. Book + Caipirinha (Brazilian alcohol drink) + Roulade = perfection. I'll read the book now after the rendez vous with friends.

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LectricSheep
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How had I not heard of Bernard Cornwell until this week? Thank you Litsy! ❤️"Once upon a time, in a land that was called Britain, these things happened." And he has a bajillion book series of novels about the history of England too, starting in the 8th century?! ?Sign me up!

LeahBergen They are fun reads! 👍🏼 7y
AlaMich I read one of his books many years ago. I really enjoyed his writing style, the setting, etc. except....so many battles!!! This is NOT a criticism because that is what the man writes and he's good at it. It's just those scenes became boring after awhile to me and I started skimming them. If he could write some books that were exactly the same but with, like, 1/3 of the battle scenes, I would probably devour them. 7y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Looking forward to your review. I'm concerned that I'd feel the way @AlaMich describes. Battles = 💤💤 7y
See All 12 Comments
LectricSheep @AlaMich I saw a blurb from GRRM (not on this book, on one of his others) that said Cornwell writes "the best battle scenes of any living writer" (or something to that effect), so I think you're right: they must be his forte! @BarbaraTheBibliophage I think I can handle some battle scenes, but...too many can get a little overwhelming. ? I'll let you know how many pints of blood per page. 7y
AlaMich @LectricSheep Yeah, the story would be going along really well, I'm totally into it, and then out come the swords and bows, and I'm like, really? Things were just getting good! 😧 7y
BarbaraTheBibliophage It's a deal - thanks! 🏹🗡⚔️🛡 7y
JoRead Now this is how yoy sell a book! Thanks!! 7y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk Ummm... this sounds awesome. 7y
LectricSheep @TobeyTheScavengerMonk I know right?! I'm very excited. I love King Arthur stories. 7y
batsy I just heard about him through Litsy 💜 So intrigued by Arthur stories too. Look forward to your thoughts. 7y
elkeOriginal I only knew Cornwell from when I watched the Richard Sharpe series starring Sean Bean on PBS back in the 1990s. I had no clue he did Arthur books too! Sharpe was all war & battles, but I had a thing for Sean Bean, obviously 💕 7y
readinginthedark I've been meaning to read some of his series, too! 7y
81 likes7 stack adds12 comments
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Balibee146
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Also picked this one up on Kindle for 99p. Bargain!

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thierrybm
Pickpick

An original take on King Arthur's story, as political as Game of Thrones, read the trilogy in 2 weeks. For middle age or fantasy fans.

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QueenWing19
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Lancelot = Prince Charming from Shrek. Honestly.

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