Content levels
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
With The Winter King, the first volume of his magnificent Warlord Chronicles, Bernard Cornwell turns to the story he was born to write: the mythic saga of King Arthur. Now a major television show. The tale begins in Dark Age Britain, a land where Arthur has been banished and Merlin has disappeared, where a child-king sits unprotected on the throne, where religion vies with magic for the souls of the people. It is to this desperate land that Arthur returns, a man at once utterly human and truly heroic: a man of honor, loyalty, and amazing valor; a man who loves Guinevere more passionately than he should; a man whose life is at once tragic and triumphant. As Arthur fights to keep a flicker of civilization alive in a barbaric world, Bernard Cornwell makes a familiar tale into a legend all over again.
Is The Winter King: A Novel of Arthur appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
Dark Age retelling of Arthurian legend with realistic battle violence, political intrigue, and adult themes including Arthur's forbidden passion for Guinevere. Expect bloody combat scenes and mature content appropriate for older teens and adults.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, moderate sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include death, violence, and war (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens who love gritty, realistic historical fantasy will appreciate this human take on Arthur as a warrior fighting to preserve civilization in brutal Dark Age Britain.