- Hardcover: 604 pages
- Publisher: St Martins Pr (Nov 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0312135335
- ISBN-13: 978-0312135331
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14.7 x 4.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,800,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Kingmaking (The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy)
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Product Description
Review
I am so completely and thoroughly obsessed with this author right now. This trilogy is just beautiful. I love how the author turns King Arthur into a man and then the King of legend. The amount of research Ms. Hollick must have done is astounding because the detail in this book is wonderful. --bibliophilicbookblog.com
Hollick's writing is one of the best I've come across - her descriptions are so vivid it seems as if there's a movie screen in front of you, playing out the scenes. --passagestothepast.com
Helen Hollick is an author who is conquering the world one country at a time with her intricate way of bringing the past to life. --Suite 101 Romance
Helen Hollick brings history to life... she weaves fact with fiction in such a way that keeps you spellbound and turning the pages as quickly as you can to find out what will happen. From love and loyalty to fighting raging battles there is never a boring moment.
--peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Hollick's writing is one of the best I've come across - her descriptions are so vivid it seems as if there's a movie screen in front of you, playing out the scenes. --passagestothepast.com
Helen Hollick is an author who is conquering the world one country at a time with her intricate way of bringing the past to life. --Suite 101 Romance
Helen Hollick brings history to life... she weaves fact with fiction in such a way that keeps you spellbound and turning the pages as quickly as you can to find out what will happen. From love and loyalty to fighting raging battles there is never a boring moment.
--peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Product Description
Sweeping from the hills of Wales to the plains of Somerset and the fields of Brittany, this is the first volume of an Arthurian trilogy. Britain is in turmoil, caught between Roman and Saxon, pagan and Christian. Only the young Arthur can lead Britain from darkness to a new age of glory.
--This text refers to the
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Don't read this book (or any of the trilogy) expecting a tale of mystery, magic and Merlin. Rather a historian's view of what the real Arthur and Britain in the post-Roman, pre-Saxon age might have been like. This is a time when Rome has deserted the British and the English are only just arriving from 'Germany' bringing with them upheaval and a constant struggle for power. A time when 1000 soldiers is considered a major force and tribal and ethnic loyalties are constantly shifting. As in real life many people are looking to the past and the glory of Rome while others want to look to the future. Not as clear a distinction as it sounds. Dirt, death, tragedy and a nicely dispassionate view of life and death keeps the books rocking along even though they are quite substantial. I did manage to put it down but it did certainly keep me popping back as often as possible.
If I did have one criticism it was that Guinevere (spelt in the more realistic Welsh fashion in this book) was possibly a little bit more of a modern feminist action hero than I feel reasonable. But then again what is a novel without a challenging interpretation of life and love.
I found it very interesting that the origin of the sword from the stone could be because the Latin for 'out of a stone' (ex saxo) is similar to 'from a Saxon' (ex saxone). Sounds reasonable!
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
By far the best version of the Arthur legend I have read so far - and I've read a few! Helen Hollick combines fact with fiction to create a very real and credible Arthur. Her trilogy is packed with suspense, passion and pathos and is totally addictive! I defy anyone who does not fall in love with at least one of her beautifully developped and fully rounded characters, be it with her headstrong Gwenhwyfar or with her rugged Arthur.
Unlike most contemporary Arthurian novels, Helen omits the characters of Lancelot and Merlin, and rationalises the magical elements of the legend, one would think to the disappointment of the reader. Without a shadow of a doubt however, poor Merlin and Lancelot were not missed by me in the slightest, despite my being a lover of all these magical and romantic elements in previous novels. 'The Kingmaking', 'Pendragon's Banner' and 'Shadow Of The King' are all absolute 'musts' for anyone who enjoys a damn good read, and the sooner a film maker puts them on the big screen, the better!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Arthur and Guinevere of the fairy-tale legend is firmly buried in the past, the moment you pick up Book One of this brilliant trilogy. This tale is packed full of historical earthiness and truly transports the reader back to those early years of Britain, when life was not full of gallant knights and pretty castles, but a harsh world where the British-born struggled against the invaders of the isle, the Saxons, Jutes and Angli, not forgetting the hostile North lands thrown in for good measure. The "Gwenyhfar" and "Arthur" of this tale are solid and believable - the reader cannot help but get caught in these shadowy times and catch a historical glimpse of this dark, far-away age. The characters spring to life through the pages, creating an exciting identity of their own whilst their lives are gradually mapped out through the chapters. There are no love-lorn Lancelots, no gushing Guineveres or awful Arthurs, here you can believe in an age-old legend to the extent that the myths fade, and the real history is like The Kingmaking...yours for the taking.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Reality meets legend
This novel,the first in a trilogy recommended and endorsed by Sharon Penman, an historical novelist of undisputable quality and literary experience, is by an author who shows the... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Hiraethus o Gymru
(4.5) Not your usual romanticized version of the Arthur legends
The Kingmaking begins in post Roman Britain as the exiled Uthr Pendragon lands in Gwynedd, Wales to join Cunedda in an attempt to overthrow Vortigern and drive the Saxons out of... Read more
Published on 22 Nov 2008 by Misfit
An Exquisite Portrayal
Helen Hollick was born 1953 in Walthamstow, North East London. When she came of age to seek employment she had always yearned to be a journalist, but her careers advice was... Read more
Published on 20 Sep 2007 by J. Chippindale
An Exquisite Portrayal
Helen Hollick was born 1953 in Walthamstow, North East London. When she came of age to seek employment she had always yearned to be a journalist, but her careers advice was... Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2007 by J. Chippindale
A must read for all fans of Arthurian fiction!
I am an avid collector of Arthurian fiction and Helen Hollick's Pendragon's Banner trilogy is one of the best fictional accounts of Arthur in Roman times that I have ever read. Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2000
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