Product Description

The continuing story of Arthur, the second in a trilogy which began with THE WINTER KING. The novels bring Arthur and his world to vivid life. A man battling for his vision of the future in a brutal age, dragged down by suspicions and magics of the past, surrounded by intrigue, dependent on his skill at war and genius for leadership.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1760 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 496 pages

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.

Customer Reviews

Amazing second story in the trilogy
I am a fan of Bernard Cornwell's work but like the author himself, the Arthur trilogy is my absolute favourite. I must admit I am also a fan of King Arthur storiesand untill I read these novels, Mary Stewarts "Merlin" books were my absolute favouritesbut Cornwell is so vivid and realistic in his version that he puts you there.
Told by Derfel one of Arthurs warlords the story follows the years of the battles against the Saxons (the Winter King it's predecessor, followed the rise of Arthur and the way he unites the kingdoms of Britain)
Morte D'Arthur it aint, no middle age knights on horseback wearing plate armour and following the rules of chivalry. Instead, it is dark age Britain at it's dirtiest, bloodiest and liveliest. Romance, friendship, divided loyalties, no real good guys and bad guys (except the obvious traitors) and astory in which pagan and christians battle for religious supremacy to mirror the Saxon battles. Gritty realism in the shield wall and beyond.
Excellent, readit in sequence though.
Thanks for many hours of reading pleasue Bernard, I re read it often.

The author of the Sharpe novels writes about Arthur
"Enemy of God" is the second volume in Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles trilogy, it follows directly on from "The Winter King". The story is narrated by Derfel Cadarn, one of Arthur's warriors.

If you are expecting swords and sorcery in the traditional fantasy style you will be disappointed. Cornwell excels in writing about battles and in involving the reader in the bloody horrors of war. Each sword thrust is described, his warriors bleed curse and die, and at the end of a fight, the battle field is strewn with dead and dying men.

Magic is an important part of the tale. Everyone in the book believes in it, but the magical events can all be explained. Merlin is not a supernatural being but simply an old Druid trying to collect the thirteen Treasures of Britain.

In summary, the series is the most readable and certainly the most realistic telling of the legend of Arthur and "Enemy of God" is a powerful mixture of intrigue, magic and warfare.

Excellent Adventure Tale
This is my first encounter with Richard Cornwell. It has definitely piqued my interest to read the other two volumes in the trilogy and to investigate other books by this author.

If you are familiar with Grail literature and with such classics as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Le Morte d'Arthur, etc., you will have certain preconceptions about the major characters that are here transmorgrified by Cornwell. The chivalrous Arthur is transformed into a more human, too-trusting, well-meaning leader of a tribe. Guenivere is a scheming, conceited megalomaniac, who mellows somewhat as the story progesses. The narrator's (Derfel's) harshest judgment is reserved for Lancelot. He is definitely not the same Lancelot-du-lac that we have come to know from Mallory. He's more like the 5th century version of a matinee idol. He's all image, no substance. He's not someone to be counted on in the heat of battle. Merlin is a rascally magus whose main concern lies in stemming the tide of Cristianity that he views as an invasion of the old order. Cornwell is obviously making judgement calls here, but he's not doing it purely for the sake of novelty. This is a thoroughly-researched, as well as an eminently well-written work.

Tolkien fans who have been turned-off by the pale imitators that have attempted to emulate the master's style will no doubt find many parallels in Cornwell. That's not to imply that Cornwell is imitative by any means. He just handles prose almost as adroitly as his predecessor. If there were a worthy Tolkien successor writing today, though in a slightly different genre, it would have to be Cornwell. Cornwell has created a truly heroic saga, and has left this reader looking forward eagerly to the other two volumes in the trilogy. Enemy of God is definitely several rungs above the mass of historical fiction being churned out today. The man can write!