Yes, I Have Read That Many Books! - Part IV: Camelot

So I'm on to the individual authors that i like and decided to start here with Bernard Cornwell. I should point out that i am not hugely into all of his books. Those written about Arthur and Merlin etc are wonderful though.
Definitely highly recommended by myself.

Funnily enough, i had dragged my partner into the library with me and annoyed him no end, when i couldn't make a decision. It came as a massive surprise when he told me he had read these books and that i might like them. Not once, in the 10 years I've known him, have i ever seen him pick up a book, let alone read one! He was dead right though.

The Warlord Chronicles ( The Winter King, Enemy of God and Excalibur) are a trilogy written by the fictional Dervel for his Queen. So the story is told from a third person's perspective. Initially i was dubious but soon enough i was hooked. Once i am engrossed i feel compelled to continue until the very end. This was the case here.

Naturally, i was already familiar with the tale of Arthur and his knights etc but the way Bernard Cornwell tells it is utterly unique. He keeps the sorcery and myth but also adds realism, that is absent in the work of other authors. The battles and daily hardships are portrayed in all their brutal and graphic glory!
The characters appear real which allows the reader to buy into the mysticism also. On occasion i had to remind myself that these novels are works of fiction, not historic fact! The old style language is not to everyone's taste, i realise, although i stopped even noticing after a while. They're that good!

Almost completely the opposite are the 5 novels in The Pendragon Cycle, written by Stephen Lawhead ( Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon and Grail). Whilst these also tell the whole Camelot story, they are very very different. He begins his tale with Atlantis and ends long after Arthur's demise.

In some ways his books are better as they provide more background and details of what followed the life of mythical King Arthur. In other ways it made sticking with the story difficult for me. To be honest it was the Arthurian legend that was captivating, not the rest.

Whilst Cornwell's writing is honest and un-sugarcoated, Lawhead's is magical and fantastic. His portrayal is far more typical of the Camelot stories i had heard previously. Not that this is a bad thing, by any means.

For a harsh depiction of the well known saga, Cornwell delivers. But, myth and magic also have their place if your imagination can carry them. In this, Lawhead excels.

Also by Bernard Cornwell -
the Sharpe novels
the Starbuck chronicles
the Grail Quest novels
the Saxon stories
the Thrillers

Stephen Lawhead -
Dragon King trilogy
Empyrion saga
The Song of Albion
The Celtic Crusades
King Raven trilogy
Hero
Bright Empires