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The Winter King cover art

The Winter King

By: Bernard Cornwell
Narrated by: Tim Pigott-Smith
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Summary

Uther, the High King of Britain, has died, leaving the infant Mordred as his only heir. His uncle, the loyal and gifted warlord Arthur, now rules as caretaker for a country that has fallen into chaos - threats emerge from within the British kingdoms while vicious Saxon armies stand ready to invade.

As he struggles to unite Britain and hold back the Saxon enemy, Arthur is embroiled in a doomed romance with beautiful Guinevere.

©2010 HarperCollins Publisher (P)2010 HarperCollins Publisher

What listeners say about The Winter King

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Mr
  • 27-01-12

The arthurian legend given substance

I had the trilogy as books and as tapes. This is the first time I have seen them as audio books to download and I have been looking for them for several years.

The three titles, The Winter King, The Enemy of God, and Excalibur, are my favourite and the best retelling of the legend of Arthur I have read or heard, filled with action and interesting facts about the era, real locations and a gritty realism. I loved them and will enjoy listening to them again.....and again..

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Brilliant Story

Any additional comments?

A wonderful story, wonderfully read by Tim Piggot-Smith, who brings a real depth of character to the different parts. The audio is also nice and clear. My one issue is that it is abridged; so much of the story is left out.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant book, superb performance

Bernard Cornwell has often said the Warlord Chronicles (of which this is the first part) is his favourite work and I agree (although the Saxon series runs it close).
This is an imagined past, but rooted in realism. A fantastic story told in the first person, this sets up the rest of the trilogy perfectly.
Tim Piggott-Smith performs the book superbly - he is a true master of his craft.
The only downside is that it's abridged - the full length book is better.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

The Warlord Chronicles - part 1

I had enjoyed the audiobook immensely, however I selected this book as it although it appears to be less about the Arthurian legends but more about Arthur's faithfull follower Derval. I also found that the audiobook just ends with no real conclusion.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

+++

Excellent story by Bernard Cornwall. I own the book but have struggled to read this due to the amount of characters yet and being able to focus therefore being able to listen to this over various evenings has really helped my comprehension. Voice acting was flawless in its delivery as well.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent, as expected!

Any additional comments?

EXcellent audiobook, exactly as expected. I was hesitant to take the abridged version, but I don't really get the time to listen to an unabridged trilogy.

I thought the abridged version was absolutely fine - the story still flowed, and with one or two minor exceptions I didn't get the sense it was abridged at all.

Excellent narration and story, but you probably knew that already :)

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

excellent

Tim Pigot Smith is by far the best narrator for Cornwall. Shame this was abridged.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Ripped off by Amazon

This abridged version was the same price as the full version. No way to cancel and download the unabridged version. Poor service.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Exciting but short

A thrilling start, great for setting the scene but not a great stand alone book. Compelled to read the next book as it ends on a cliff hanger.

Feels as if the author was contractually obliged to write 3 books

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Welsh

Great stories and beautifully written. A rich evocation of long lost ancient Britain. Tim Piggot-Smith's voice is rich and dipped in history He brings the story alive, but to a Welsh ear it's hard to listen. The miss pronunciation of Welsh names is painful. Not just slightly off - but totally. "Caer" is pronounced "KAIR" not "KERR" It means 'Castle'. Caer Cadarn literally means 'Strong Castle'. Not an issue perhaps if you have never heard the correct pronunciation and have no knowledge of the culture and language. Uncomfortable if you have. Perhaps it might have been better to use a Welsh narrator?

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