A story of love, war, loyalty and betrayal, EXCALIBUR begins with the failure of Lancelot's rebellion and the ruin of Arthur's marriage to Guinevere. The Saxons, sensing the disunity of the Britons, seize the chance to destroy Arthur. The climax of the war comes with the legendary triumph at Mount Badon, and Arthur`s great victory. But the promises he made then come back to haunt him after the years of peace and glory.
Excalibur
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"Medieval times burst to life in Cornwell's canny retelling of the King Arthur myth." --"People"
"The action is gripping and skillfully paced, cadenced by passages in which the characters reveal themselves in conversation and thought, convincingly evoking the spirit of the time." --"Publishers Weekly "on "Excalibur" (starred review)
"The best Arthurian since Gillian Bradshaw, if not Mary Stewart herself." --"The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction "on "Enemy of God"
"The strength of the tale lies in the way Cornwellflesh-and-blood tells it through the creation of fesh-and-blood players who make a historical period come magically alive." --"The Washington Post "on "The Winter King"
"The action is gripping and skillfully paced, cadenced by passages in which the characters reveal themselves in conversation and thought, convincingly evoking the spirit of the time." --"Publishers Weekly "on "Excalibur" (starred review)
"The best Arthurian since Gillian Bradshaw, if not Mary Stewart herself." --"The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction "on "Enemy of God"
"The strength of the tale lies in the way Cornwellflesh-and-blood tells it through the creation of fesh-and-blood players who make a historical period come magically alive." --"The Washington Post "on "The Winter King"
About the Author
Bernard Cornwell is the author of many historical thrillers, including the SHARPE series which was a highly successful television drama. He was born in London but now lives in America.
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First Sentence
WOMEN, HOW THEY do haunt this tale. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
WOMEN, HOW THEY do haunt this tale. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By Alan
Format:Paperback
I found this book to be a great conclusion to an already great series. The book concludes in such a way that it makes you want to know more, even though the book has come to a satisfactory end.
I was very impressed in the way how Cornwell managed to write about a period in history where very little is known and is often associated with fantasy. Cornwell changed this and managed to write a perfectly plausible book on the events that happended, apart from the mild fantasy element.
The outline of the story is different from Cornwell's usual so it makes for orginal material if you are used to the normal Cornwell setup. The character narrates and the character has to overcome many personal challenges and tribulations.
Overall, i would say that this is Cornwell's masterpiece. I often say that Sharpe's Sword was the best but after reading excalibur, I have changed my opinion. THe state of my Excalibur book reflects this!
I was very impressed in the way how Cornwell managed to write about a period in history where very little is known and is often associated with fantasy. Cornwell changed this and managed to write a perfectly plausible book on the events that happended, apart from the mild fantasy element.
The outline of the story is different from Cornwell's usual so it makes for orginal material if you are used to the normal Cornwell setup. The character narrates and the character has to overcome many personal challenges and tribulations.
Overall, i would say that this is Cornwell's masterpiece. I often say that Sharpe's Sword was the best but after reading excalibur, I have changed my opinion. THe state of my Excalibur book reflects this!
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
By led zep
Format:Paperback
Ok, I know that this is supposed to be a review for 'excalibur' but im going to write this in the context of the other two books. I first got the winter king when i was 12 and have since read all three books at least 200 times. The artistry and skill whith which cornwall casually emits is staggering. I think the reason why i love this trilogy so much is because of the charcters. all of them are idosyncratic, loveable and three dimensional. Having read the books as much as I have you come to think of them as old friends, ready to take you on an epic quest of adventure and fantasy. It was these books that inspired my love of the arthurian legend and i think it is the way the charcters progress throughout the novels, that makes these works truly epic. As a reader, you have the sense of a greater period of time passing, from the turbulent stages of Arthur's early rule, the chaos of civil war, to the final battle in which civilisation is pitted against savagery. Therefore you, as the reader, feel like you have lived the lives of these characters; experienced their happiness, despair, avarice, and courage.
Cornwall himself has admitted that these three books are his favourite and upon reading them it is not difficult to see why. Although i have followed his work in the 'holy grail' series and most recently, the chronicles of 'alfred the great', the arthurian saga stands as his magnum opus. Within these pages a whole world has been created, which as any enthusiastic writer will tell you is extremly difficult process to achieve and can only convincingly be done by a true professional. I know this sounds like a patronising eulogy, but the engagement with which these books are able to draw the reader in is spectacular. I can only hope that this, along with J.R.R Tolkiens the 'lord of the rings', will eventually become texts that are studied in school, as a testment to ingenuity and artistic creativity.
So what are you waiting for?
Cornwall himself has admitted that these three books are his favourite and upon reading them it is not difficult to see why. Although i have followed his work in the 'holy grail' series and most recently, the chronicles of 'alfred the great', the arthurian saga stands as his magnum opus. Within these pages a whole world has been created, which as any enthusiastic writer will tell you is extremly difficult process to achieve and can only convincingly be done by a true professional. I know this sounds like a patronising eulogy, but the engagement with which these books are able to draw the reader in is spectacular. I can only hope that this, along with J.R.R Tolkiens the 'lord of the rings', will eventually become texts that are studied in school, as a testment to ingenuity and artistic creativity.
So what are you waiting for?
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I haven't read any other books by Bernard Cornwell and only read these because I'm interested in this period of Britain's history. Absolutely magical, to compare it with Tolkein is perhaps irrelevant but it may help the prospective buyer so here goes... In a nutshell, where The Lord of The Rings is a fantasy story based in a 'realistic', but unfamiliar, history, the Warlord Chronicles are realistic stories based in a familiar period of history that conveniently leaves few written records. A number of the 'shock' moments in these three books simply wouldn't have happened either in LOLR or most other fiction. Excalibur ties up the story, giving it a reasonably satisfying ending but leaving you wondering what then happened in the years between the end of the book and Derfel's arrival at the monastery. These books are as near perfect as possible: pretty close to being my favourites of all time. Cornwell is a genius.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
arthur a different view of the legend
this novel was well written and gave a different view of the legend of king arthur and his round table
Published 22 days ago by laurence miller
4.0 out of 5 stars
A powerful novel wrapped aroung Arthurian legend
This is a typical Cornwell novel with a strong storyline and full of powerful descriptions.It is structured as if the main character is recounting recent history, which I found a... Read more
Published 1 month ago by S J MORRIS
3.0 out of 5 stars
Slightly disappointing ending to an amazing series
*WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS*
Arthur has crushed a christian rebellion, been betrayed by those closest to him, and seen his peace fall to pieces, and he has gotten bitter. Read more
Arthur has crushed a christian rebellion, been betrayed by those closest to him, and seen his peace fall to pieces, and he has gotten bitter. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Stålfors
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!
The third and final book in the Warlord trilogy, this book wraps the whole saga up beautifully.
Packed full of battles with the Saxons, as well as Lancelot's eventual... Read more
Packed full of battles with the Saxons, as well as Lancelot's eventual... Read more
Published 3 months ago by David Wistow
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it
This whole series is about a period of history I know very little about. Want to learn more and also try and locate some of the places in the books
Published 3 months ago by Pauline B-Pownall
4.0 out of 5 stars
Paper back
This was a little bit creased and marked but nevertheless it was still very good value for money an I would be happy to recommend this to anyone else.
Published 3 months ago by William Hill
4.0 out of 5 stars
exciting
very good novel. the historical side is well documented and works well with the overall plot. quite exciting reading, anytime.
Published 4 months ago by paul sheeran
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific
A wonderful read. Cornwell convinces one of the reality of the imagined past. A book that is hard to put aside.
Published 4 months ago by jim
5.0 out of 5 stars
Left you wanting more
Fantastic conclusion to a fantastic series, everything is made plausible when it would have been quite easy to fill it with fantasy. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Howard Eaton
4.0 out of 5 stars
Arthurian magic
Excellent conclusion to trilogy. This blend of ancient welsh Briton with classic Arthurian legend had me spellbound. Highly recommend this book. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Dominic
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