The Enemy of God

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Cornwell furnishes a provocative look at the Arthurian legends in Enemy of God, the second book in the Warlords Chronicle. This version of the tale takes place during the Dark Ages, when even the lords of the land lived in thatched huts. Arthur, still defending Britain for his younger half-brother Mordred, faces religious uprisings, Saxon invasions, and disloyalty at the heart of the kingdom. His uncompromising belief in oaths and his optimistic blindness to human betrayal isolate him from even his closest friends. At the same time, Merlin's quest for the Cauldron (read Holy Grail) also becomes entangled in treachery.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The balance of King Arthur's unified kingdom is threatened by Merlin's quest for the last of Britain's 13 Treasures; by the conflict between the ancient religion and the new Christianity; and by Britain's war with the Saxons. A master storyteller continues his retelling of the Arthurian legend. "...wonderful and haunting."--People Magazine.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Arthur, having defeated the last holdouts of civil war in southern Britain, has secured King Mordred's throne. But the unified kingdom seems no steadier, its balance threatened by Merlin's ceaseless - and some say futile - quest for the last of the Thirteen Treasures of Britain, by the conflict between the ancient religion and the new Christianity, and by Britain's war against the Saxons. Arthur must face other foes as well, foes more powerful and more dangerous - becuase they pose as friends.

SYNOPSIS

When Bernard Cornwell embarked on his Arthurian trilogy, beginning with The Winter King and alive again in his latest, Enemy of God, it was his intention to extract the legendary king from the mire of myths. He hoped to set the tale of Arthur's fifth century against a more certain -- and less chivalrous and romantic -- historical backdrop. His purist approach demanded that he eliminate both the dashing Lancelot and even the mystical Merlin, because, as Cornwell has noted, "It's almost certain that Merlin had nothing to do with Arthur whatsoever."

Searching for the meaning of Arthur led Cornwell back to the earliest of histories, folktales, and epic poems. Without the colorful additions of Merlin's magic and Lancelot's betrayal, what he found was a relatively dark tale set in an even darker age. And so Cornwell chose to compromise fact and fiction, striking a celebrated balance between the academic truth and the familiar yet compelling, arguably fictional characters who act as a vehicle for his well-researched version of Arthurian history.

Enemy of God picks up where Cornwell's first, Novel of Arthur, left off, with Arthur having defeated the last holdouts of civil war in southern Britain and secured King Mordred's throne. But the unified kingdom seems no steadier, its balance threatened by Merlin's ceaseless -- some say futile -- quest for the last of the Thirteen Treasures of Britain, by conflict between the ancient religion and the new Christianity, and by Britain's war against the Saxons.

FROM THE CRITICS

AudioFile - Miriam B. Kahn

In volume two of The Warlord Chronicles, Cornwell presents a gripping tale of Arthur and Merlin, as well as other familiar personalities of Arthurian legend. Pigott-Smith￯﾿ﾽs gravelly voice reflects the character of the grizzled veteran of Arthur￯﾿ﾽs retinue who writes these tales and reminiscences for future generations and for Queen Igraine. The bloodcurdling adventures, intrigue and wars are brought to life by Pigott-Smith, who captures the flavor and fabled personalities of this time before written history. Evil characters ooze their wickedness, while heroes, even the tarnished ones, sound good and honorable in the voices created by Pigott-Smith. M.B.K. ￯﾿ﾽAudioFile, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

The second volume in the prolific Cornwell's robust Warlord Chronicles (The Winter King, 1996), an ambitious embroidering of the saga of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Narrated by Derfel, a Saxon slave boy who has risen to become a great warrior and one of Arthur's closest friends, this next in the series follows their continuing struggle to unify a Britain composed of small, quarrelling kingdoms, and to rally its people against the threat posed by the land-hungry Saxons and their allies, the fanatical Christians. Cornwell, best known for his lengthy series of historical novels about a British soldier in the Napoleonic wars (Sharpe's Battle, 1995, etc.), writes more gripping battle scenes than any other contemporary author, and he mixes those bloody clashes here with a sharp, grim portrait of a land racked by contending religions (on one side Merlin's brand of Celtic paganism, on the other a variety of old Roman beliefs and the new, fiercely intolerant Christians), and of Arthur, a great hero anxious only to unite the kingdom and retire, with his wife Guinevere, to some quiet corner. As this installment ends, a sadder, wiser Arthur, betrayed by Lancelot and by Guinevere, reluctantly accepts that only he can rule, and perhaps save, Britain. Rousing, persuasive entertainment.