Bernard Cornwell?

Since I've heard quite a few of you guys praise his work over the years (I myself read The Archer's Tale a few years back, but I've forgotten most of it already), I decided to go to the library and see what books of his I could find. I ended up checking out Lords of the North, as it appeared to be a stand-alone novel (I didn't want to risk starting a series if the library didn't have all the books). Haven't started yet, but it's next on my list.

Anyway, my question is this: Are there any of Cornwell's books that are considered "must-reads", and/or books that I should avoid like the plague? Or are they all considered to be generally good?

Lords of the North is actually the third book in his most recent series. The two books preceding it are the Last Kingdom and The Pale Horseman.

Out of all the books i've read of his, my favourite would have to be the The Winter King. It's the first book in his Warlord Chronicles trilogy and is a grittier, more realistic take on the legend of King Arthur.

I agree with Tratorix, the Warlord Chronicles is my favourite series and Bernard's too, at least according to a quote on the back page...

His Sharpe stories are quite decent, though like with many popular authors who often subsitute quantity for quality (Cornwell has churned out his novels at a steady pace of one per year), it does get rather repetitive, especially with his recycling of characters (the leading women in the books nealy all seem to fall under the category of either fiesty, skinny, dark-haired raven or relatively docile, golden-haired, angel).

If you're looking for a stand-alone novel, "Gallows' Thief" is quite good.

Cornwell had a couple 'modern fiction' books which weren't good at all. I can't remember the names, but the quality was pretty bad.

I would also avoid his American Civil War fiction. It's alright, but I never got a good hold of it. Your better off reading Shaara.

Love the Warlord series, but perhaps this is because those were the first I read. Everything else by the guy I hated - repetitive, formulaic and of little literary value.

Might I recommend books by Henry Treece? That guy's the classic when it comes to these kind of historical novels.

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Originally Posted by Tratorix

Lords of the North is actually the third book in his most recent series. The two books preceding it are the Last Kingdom and The Pale Horseman.

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What?! Well that's irritating. Neither the cover nor the inside flap(s) gave any indication it was part of a series. :furious3: Guess I'll see if the library has the other two, then.

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Originally Posted by Tratorix

Out of all the books i've read of his, my favourite would have to be the The Winter King. It's the first book in his Warlord Chronicles trilogy and is a grittier, more realistic take on the legend of King Arthur.

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It appears the Warlord series is everyone's favorite thus far, so I'll have to see if I can find that as well.

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Originally Posted by King Henry V

If you're looking for a stand-alone novel, "Gallows' Thief" is quite good.

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Thanks, mate. Will look that one up as well. :bow:

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Might I recommend books by Henry Treece? That guy's the classic when it comes to these kind of historical novels.

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Not sure if I've heard of him, but I'll keep an eye out for his stuff. Any particular recommendations?

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Originally Posted by Martok

What?! Well that's irritating. Neither the cover nor the inside flap(s) gave any indication it was part of a series. :furious3: Guess I'll see if the library has the other two, then.



It appears the Warlord series is everyone's favorite thus far, so I'll have to see if I can find that as well.

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Yeah, while the books go in order and follow the same character, it doesn't seem to be considered a series for some reason. The Warlord series is probably his best work, it varies quite a bit from the formula he tends to follow in his other books.

As many people seem to agree, the Warlord series is his best (by far IMO)

The Sharpe series are okay, all enjoyable but not particularly absorbing (ideal for long journey's)

--> i also quite enjoyed the three books set in the 100 years war (can't remember the name)

:2thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by Scurvy

--> i also quite enjoyed the three books set in the 100 years war (can't remember the name)

:2thumbsup:

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I think that's what's generally referred to as his Grail trilogy, of which The Archer's Tale is the first.

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Originally Posted by Martok

Not sure if I've heard of him, but I'll keep an eye out for his stuff. Any particular recommendations?

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The Queen's Brooch is one I remember in particular. Also, The Great Captains and The Dark Island. The books are quite old by now, largely out of print. But they're classics of the genre, similar to the works of Mary Renault in style of writing, and it's clear where people like Cornwall got their inspiration from.

Update:


Well I recently finished Sword Song: The Battle for London, the fourth book in Cornwell's Saxon Tales (it was just published last year), and am definitely enjoying his writing so far. While I didn't like the character of Uhtred that much initially, I've warmed up to him since then. At this point my main frustration is that the series is obviously still far from over; I hate waiting! :wall: :laugh4:


Now I've gotta see if I can find the Warlord series....

The Sharpe series is fairly good, but does get repetitive after a while.

The Saxon-Viking books following Uhtred are a good read however. I don't see how their not considered a series when one picks up where the one before leaves off.

My favourite are The Grail Quest Books though. Harlequin, Vagabond, and Heretic. Set in France during the Hundred years war.

Just my two cents.

I know it's below most reading levels here, but has anyone given the Bartimaeus Trilogy a shot? It's quite funny, creative, and has a wonderful plot line.

Just out of curosity, as I've never read many of Cornwell's books, just a few Sharpe here and there, how historically accurate are the other books?
I mean I bought Manfredi's books after listening to similar praise elsewhere and was disappointed.......one likes a good fictional tale, as long as it's set in accurate background.

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Originally Posted by Evil_Maniac From Mars

I know it's below most reading levels here, but has anyone given the Bartimaeus Trilogy a shot? It's quite funny, creative, and has a wonderful plot line.

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Can't say I've heard of it. Who's the author?

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Originally Posted by india

Just out of curosity, as I've never read many of Cornwell's books, just a few Sharpe here and there, how historically accurate are the other books?
I mean I bought Manfredi's books after listening to similar praise elsewhere and was disappointed.......one likes a good fictional tale, as long as it's set in accurate background.

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Well I obviously can't vouch for the Sharpe series (yet), but I can at least tell you that his Saxon Stories novels are reasonably accurate. He's obviously embellished certain events and/or filled in the blanks with his own imagination where details of said events are lacking (such as Alfred's decisive victory over Guthrum at the Battle of Edington), but there's nothing seriously out of joint.

About the greatest liberty I've seen him take was in The Last Kingdom (the first book in the series), in which he moved the Battle of Cannington up by one year. To his credit, he immediately copped to doing so in his historical notes at the end the novel, along with explaining his reasons why -- in fact, he's made an effort in every one of the first four books to explain any historical discrepancies/inaccuracies that appear, even minor onces. Overall, I'd say he's gone to a fair degree of effort to keep as much historical fidelity in his books as possible.

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Originally Posted by Martok

Can't say I've heard of it. Who's the author?

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Stroud. It's more of a teenager's book (more mature than say, Harry Potter though), but it's very good. Anyways, I got entirely the wrong thread, I meant to post this in book review. Sorry. :shame:

I haven't read his Sharpe's series, but I've been avidly reading the Saxon Chronicles series dealing with Alfred The Great and find them quite entertaining. The author's development of the fictional character, Uhtred, through whose eyes we see the events of King Alfred's time, and the very human frailties assigned to Alfred and other historical figures, make for a great tale. I can hardly put each book down before finishing it cover to cover. Except for dates and our dependence on questionable historical accounts of what really happened and why, Cornwell's interpretation fleshes out the period with an entertaining panache that is as good as, as believable as, any "historical" account written by a biased Christian Church. This story would make a great movie.

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Originally Posted by india

Just out of curosity, as I've never read many of Cornwell's books, just a few Sharpe here and there, how historically accurate are the other books?
I mean I bought Manfredi's books after listening to similar praise elsewhere and was disappointed.......one likes a good fictional tale, as long as it's set in accurate background.

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With the Sharpe books, the actual battles and relevant dates are usually correct. There are obviously fictional characters and embellishments. Also Sharpe takes the glory of a number of real people that aren't mentioned. Having said that it is fiction.

The Grail Quest books also seem to be fairly accurate (but how many ordinary people have heard of the Siege of La Roche-Derriene (I think the spellings is right)). Having said that the last book is entirely fictional.

IMO however, Cornwell keeps an accurate historical context, and explains reasoning if there are any major departures from reality.