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Stonehenge

3.53 of 5 stars 3.53 · rating details · 3,830 ratings · 237 reviews

Four thousand years ago, a stranger's death at the Old Temple of Ratharryn-and his ominous "gift" of gold-precipitates the building of what for centuries to come will be known as one of mankind's most singular and remarkable achievements. Bernard Cornwell's epic novel Stonehenge catapults us into a powerful and vibrant world of ritual and sacrifice at once timeless and who

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Paperback, 578 pages

Published December 14th 2004 by Harper Perennial (first published 1999)

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Sep 20, 2010 Terri rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, historical-fiction, britain-fiction

It really has me baffled that some people don't like this book. I found it enthralling and captivating.
There was something about Bernard Cornwell's version of these bronze age people and their mystical and monolithic Stonehenge, that captured my imagination and I felt stirred by both them and their pristine, unpolluted environment.
They were innocent and gullible, ignorant and sweet, yes, even at their deadliest or maddest. They are unblemished by a modern world. Their existence is aligned in eve...more

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Aug 27, 2010 Ron rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

A good story, well-written, but not up to what I expect from Bernard Cornwell. He builds on John North's Stonehenge: Neolithic Man and the Cosmos to include a plausible explanation of what little we know about this wonder of the ancient world, contemporaneous with the Great Pyramids of Egypt.

But the book doesn't connect. For one thing it lacks the humor which leavens the drama and gore of his Wessex series. (I assume Sharpe has his humorous moments, too.) I never grew to care for Saban as I shou...more

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Jun 18, 2013 Amy rated it 2 of 5 stars

I wanted to love this book; I love Stonehenge, megaliths, and the like. The story captured my interest in the beginning, and I found myself intrigued by the characters. But as the book went along, I basically lost interest. The technical details of the building of the temple were hard for me to understand (and this is not the book's fault, but mine) and as many people are aware of, Stonehenge was built more than once, so there was plenty more technical description to come. I did appreciate that...more

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May 14, 2013 Heather rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I didn't connect with the female characters; it felt like a book written by 'a man'. Be forewarned, there is much violence, rape, ritual child and girl murder, slavery, more rape and murder,.. Bronze Age life may have been that brutal, but I want a more hopeful story for a fiction read. The building of Stonehenge now seems like a stupid macho idea, and that a truly great society would do better to eschew expensive monuments and plant enough crops to feed their people. The tale portrays religious...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Dark-Draco rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, historic-fiction

I really enjoyed this book. Cornwell writes a compelling story that tries to answer why, how and be whom Stonehenge was built. It follows the life of Saban, a young son of the tribe's chief, who only wants to be a warrior. When he and his brother, Lengar, come across a wounded man, he is shocked that Lengar can kill him in cold blood. But his brother also turns against him when the stranger is found carrying a fortune in gold. Saban escapes, but the gold changes everything. Lengar wants to use i...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Iceman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stonehenge situa-se na zona de Wiltshire, zona rica em ruínas pré-históricas com mais de 350 sepulturas que servem de testemunhas a uma intensa actividade que, outroura, dominou a planície de Salisbury.
Constituído actualmente por um anel de monólitos de arenito ligados por inúmeros lintéis e com uma altura de 5 metros, Stonehenge é apenas uma sombra do monumento/construção que um dia foi. Conhecido pelos saxões por Pedras Erectas "Stonehenge" ou "Hanging Stones" (Pedras Suspensas), enquanto que...more Stonehenge situa-se na zona de Wiltshire, zona rica em ruínas pré-históricas com mais de 350 sepulturas que servem de testemunhas a uma intensa actividade que, outroura, dominou a planície de Salisbury.
Constituído actualmente por um anel de monólitos de arenito ligados por inúmeros lintéis e com uma altura de 5 metros, Stonehenge é apenas uma sombra do monumento/construção que um dia foi. Conhecido pelos saxões por Pedras Erectas "Stonehenge" ou "Hanging Stones" (Pedras Suspensas), enquanto que na época medieval eram conhecidas por "Dança de Gigantes", Stonehenge foi, provavelmente, construída há cerca de 5.000 anos, sendo então constituído por uma formação circular em torno da qual se dispunham 56 fossas formando assim um anel. Investigações efectuadas na segunda metade do séc. XX, colocaram a descoberto evidências claras de uma avenida de monólitos que ligavam o monumento ao rio Avalon, a cerca de 3,2 km de distância. Esses monólitos, assim como aqueles utilizados para edificarem Stonehenge, foram extraídos e transportados desde a zona Sul do País de Gales, a cerca de 320 km de distância. Todo este cuidado e preciosismo dá-nos uma clara ideia da grande importância que Stonehenge constituiu para os seus construtores. Sabe-se também que o monumento teve várias etapas de construção, pois cerca de 1500 após o início da edificação, ainda se procedia a arranjos finais.
Stonehenge é um assunto extraordinário que levanta muitas e pertinentes questões:
Quem a construiu? Qual a sua finalidade? Porquê a necessidade daquele tipo de pedras (pedra-lipes e arenito do País de Gales)? E mais extraordinário fica este mistério quando se sabe que ali foram celebrados ritos funerários; que Stonehenge constituía um sofisticado meio de observação do céu; que se podia tratar de um poderoso templo cósmico dedicado aos doze deuses do zodíaco; que o monumento aponta o exacto momento do nascer do Sol quando os dias são mais longos e, mais extraordinário, como foi possível transportar enorme blocos de pedra de arenito a uma distância tão grande (há uns anos tentou-se recriar esse transporte apenas com as ferramentas da altura e, essa experiência constituiu-se como um autêntico fracasso).
E mais há para dizer. Bernard Cornwell teve a coragem de abordar de frente este mistério e essa coragem é de salientar e louvar.
Famoso pela forma realista e excitante como descreve mundo antigos, Cornwell é, na minha opinião, um dos melhores escritores de romances históricos, sendo autor de uma das melhores obras que alguma vez li: "Crónicas do Senhor da Guerra", e precisamente por ter aquele dom da escrita, de Bernard Cornwell espera-se sempre uma grande narrativa e, afirmo aqui, ele também tem essa responsabilidade.
Neste livro e embora seja impossível não fazermos comparações com a obra acima referida, Cornwell não foge às expectativas, criando um romance excitante, com acção e bastante realista de uma época distante onde existem poucas evidências dos seus habitantes, quanto mais da forma de eles pensarem e agirem.
Na base do livro, embora o seu objectivo seja a construção de Stonehenge, estão três irmãos filhos do chefe de Ratharry, cujos feitios e ambições são completamente distintas. Nessa trilogia de amizades, interesses e conflitos, os mitos, crenças e medos vão interagindo de uma forma convincente com o povo e com o leitor, dando assim origem ao desenvolvimento de uma obra que porá em evidência a supremacia da sua tribo no seio dos Deuses, um importante legado para que jamais esqueçam aquele povo: Stonehenge. E assim Cornwell, assente em profundas pesquisas sobre o tema, dá-nos a sua visão e teoria sobre o assunto: Foi um monumento construído para efeitos religiosos. Talvez!, digo eu.
Uma obra que me apaixonou, sobretudo pela forma como Cornwell dá vida aos personagens, pela forma como consegue tornar real as suas descrições e, principalmente, volto a repetir, pela sua enorme coragem em, através do romance histórico, abordar um assunto que mais ninguém abordou.
Uma narrativa excelente, mas que perde um bocado, pelo menos em relação a "Crónicas do Senhor da Guerra", pela quase ausência de suspense, ou seja, Cornwell não tem muito para explorar em relação a batalhas e acontecimentos sangrentos, facto que fazem de "Crónicas do Senhor da Guerra" uma obra monumental.
Um livro que aconselho e que consegue dar uma visão realista desses tempos tao longínquos e desconhecido.(less)

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Jul 04, 2012 Billy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ancient architecture 101...,

No matter how you slice it, the book is about how to build a stone temple in ancient times. There is a story behind this, an interesting and complex tale of people from all over present-day England, surrounding three brothers, sons of a chieftan, and their aspirations, plottings, dreams and failures. There is travel throughout the ancient island with Cornwell's requisite description of place and people, but it still comes back to building the stone temple; so the titl...more Ancient architecture 101...,

No matter how you slice it, the book is about how to build a stone temple in ancient times. There is a story behind this, an interesting and complex tale of people from all over present-day England, surrounding three brothers, sons of a chieftan, and their aspirations, plottings, dreams and failures. There is travel throughout the ancient island with Cornwell's requisite description of place and people, but it still comes back to building the stone temple; so the title suggests, so the book goes...

This is not, in my humble opinion (and I am a big fan of Cornwell), Bernard's best work. It is interesting enough. There is treachery, murder, rivalry, betrayal, lust, insanity, god-worship, slavery, battle, bravery, courage and cowardice, but all offered in less heaping helpings than usually offered from Cornwell.

Surely, it was no small task for our neolithic ancestors to collect the stones, shape them, move them and stand them so precisely, but the description of such consumes probably 75-80% of the book. Cornwell does his best to make this description interesting, but I believe that where this book really falls short is in its length. The tale could have been told in fewer pages with fewer people and less outside storylines.

The back-story is sufficient, but nothing outstanding. To be honest, I'm a bit surprised by the praise offered by the "experts"; people that get paid to review. I think the experts failed us on this one. This is an average read with Cornwell's exceptional ability to lay out the scene bringing the rating up slightly.

This is certainly an interesting read for anyone that is interested in ancient history, but I don't think that the average historical fiction reader will find much to be excited about here. The battles are weak in comparison to Cornwell's usual epic warfare storytelling. There is no real mystery, though the book does not promise this; I have just come to expect this from Cornwell so I offer it as an aside.

I am very interested in anything prehistoric/ancient and I did enjoy reading about the tools, processes, people and lifestyles of our forefathers, but I realize that some may not take so much enjoyment from the tale.

***I give 4 stars, my personal rating, understanding full well that some may disagree and so also offer the reasons why I believe some may not be quite so interested. Overall, I would rate this a 3+, rounding up to 4 because Cornwell can make even the grinding and standing of stones sound interesting. But some may want to skip this one and move on to a more involving tale.***(less)

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May 01, 2012 Simon Turney rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'll start by saying that I'm not a Cornwell-a-holic. I haven't read every series he's written. I did, however, read the Sharpe series as far as Waterloo and loved and enoyed every minute. To some extent, Sharpe set the standard for Historical Fiction for me, a fact that amazingly was not diminished by the production of the TV series which, while it lost something from the books, was still extremely entertaining.

I bought the Arthur novels and Stonehenge at the same time on a book buying binge, e...more

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Apr 11, 2011 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-novels

After his series of Saxon novels about the England of Alfred the Great, Bernard Cornwell has continued his attack on organized religion. In the Saxon novels, he opposed Christianity to Asatru -- the Viking religion -- in favor of the latter, which could be called a DISorganized religion. With Stonehenge, Cornwell shows us three brothers in a mythical kingdom called Ratharryn: Saban, the builder; Lengar, the cruel warrior; and Camaban, the mad priest of Slaol (sort of sounds like Slay-All, doesn'...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Shawn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The writing was fine and entertaining. And the story-line was interesting. But there wasn't much of a desire for me to root for any of the characters in this book.
The book centers around three brothers. The oldest is a greedy, selfish, self-worshiping jerk who tried to kill both of his brothers within the first couple chapters. So he's out.
The middle brother was born crippled and there are attempts to sacrifice him to the gods very early on. But through some miracle he survives the killing. So y...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Meghan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: shelf-of-a-friend, reviewed

This was the first book I've read by Bernard Cornwell and I was very pleased with his writing :). It was recommended to me by a friend, it is one of her favorites. I can see why. If you are a fan of historical fiction at all, I think you should probably read this.

The story, obviously, is a fictional story about the creation of Stonehenge. I'll admit, I didn't expect great things from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. The amount of depth and detail put into this book is really quite ama...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Duesterwald-Online rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historische-romane-krimis

Inhalt:
Wir befinden uns in der Zeitrechnung vor Christus in England. Im Herzen des Landes liegen die zwei Stämme Ratharryn und Cathallo. Verbunden durch Blutsverwandtschaft, herrscht doch immer ein Machtkampf zwischen den beiden Stämmen. Ein Kampf, der nie zum Krieg wurde, so lange Hengall von Ratharryn und Hirac von Cathallo die Herrscher waren.
Doch Hengall wird von seinen eigenem Blut bedroht: Sein ältester Sohn, Lengar, ist mit der Führung Hengalls nicht mehr zufrieden. Und so wendet Lengar s...more Inhalt:
Wir befinden uns in der Zeitrechnung vor Christus in England. Im Herzen des Landes liegen die zwei Stämme Ratharryn und Cathallo. Verbunden durch Blutsverwandtschaft, herrscht doch immer ein Machtkampf zwischen den beiden Stämmen. Ein Kampf, der nie zum Krieg wurde, so lange Hengall von Ratharryn und Hirac von Cathallo die Herrscher waren.
Doch Hengall wird von seinen eigenem Blut bedroht: Sein ältester Sohn, Lengar, ist mit der Führung Hengalls nicht mehr zufrieden. Und so wendet Lengar sich gegen seinen eigenen Vater und nimmt seinem Bruder Saban die Clanführer-Rolle weg, indem er ihn in die Sklaverei schickt. Das Volk Ratharryns muss fortan im Krieg leben.
Doch da taucht der mittlere Sohn Hengalls auf, Camaban. Er ist ein Seher und hatte eine Vision: Lengar soll einen gewaltigen Steinkreis erbauen lassen, eine neue Heimstätte für die Götter, die dem Land Frieden bringen wird - Stonehenge.

Meinung:
Wer kennt es nicht: Das in der Jungsteinzeit in England begründete Bauwerk Stonehenge. Jeder weiß sofort, worum es sich handelt, jeder hat sofort ein Bild vor Augen. Doch wer weiß, was es genau damit auf sich hat?
Bernard Cornwell beantwortet die Frage, teils mit Wahrheit, teils mittels Fiktion. Die Personen und Götter mögen reine Fiktion sein, doch hat der Autor viele Kleinigkeiten eingeflochten, die wirklich wahr sind und die man zum Teil bis heute auch in Museen bewundern kann. Wer genau wissen will, was Wahrheit und was Fiktion ist, der lese sich nach der Geschichte einfach das Nachwort durch.
Im Grunde genommen spielt es jedoch keine Rolle, wie viel an der Geschichte nun wahr ist oder nicht. Denn Cornwells geschaffene Fiktion über Stonehenge ist abenteuerlich, abwechslungsreich und fesselnd.
Mittels dreier Brüder, die unterschiedlicher gar nicht sein könnten, baut er die Geschichte auf. Er schafft dabei eine Welt voller Personen, Sitten und Bräuche, die faszinierend ist. Da gibt es nicht einfach die Guten und die Bösen. Da sind auch Grauzonen, denn was im Leben ist schon schwarz und weiß?
Und genau diese Erzählweise, die so durchmischt und abwechslungsreich ist mittels der Charaktere, die so vielseitig sind, bringt einem das Geschehen so dermaßen nahe, dass es im Moment des Lesens mehr als Fiktion ist.
Man fühlt mit Saban mit, man erlebt den Wahnsinn Camabans und spürt die Machtgier Lengars, als würden diese Personen vor einem Stehen. Opferungen, Kämpfe, Krieg - Cornwell schildert alles eindringlich, doch ohne zu viel Emotion.
Selbst am Ende, wenn man die Geschichte durch und das Nachwort gelesen hat, verweilt man noch eine kleine Weile in der Welt Cornwells - Denn wer sagt, dass es nicht möglich gewesen wäre?

Fazit:
Ein reines Lesevergnügen - Sobald man die Hürde der Namen von Personen und Stämmen genommen hat.(less)

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Oct 06, 2011 Diana rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, didnt-finish

Cornwell is a master of historical research, and always finds a compelling point of view to illuminate the past. Unfortunately, Stonehenge seems more generic than inspired, and I've been trying to analyze why that is so. I loved Agincourt and his Arthur trilogy, which both kept me turning the pages, but I won't be finishing this one.

I enjoyed skipping ahead to the end of the book and reading Cornwell's notes on his Stonehenge research, which I found far more interesting, particularly his specula...more Cornwell is a master of historical research, and always finds a compelling point of view to illuminate the past. Unfortunately, Stonehenge seems more generic than inspired, and I've been trying to analyze why that is so. I loved Agincourt and his Arthur trilogy, which both kept me turning the pages, but I won't be finishing this one.

I enjoyed skipping ahead to the end of the book and reading Cornwell's notes on his Stonehenge research, which I found far more interesting, particularly his speculative but supported insight that the major construction was completed within a lifetime, probably under the direction of one or very few people.

I think as a writer he was dominated by three problems:

1) The mentality of our more distant ancestors is difficult to penetrate, and even more difficult to represent in anything like a modern novel. There's a reason that the novel, as an art form, arose at the same time as the European Enlightenment. That's worth a book in itself. In any case, although stories are as ancient as the hills (so to speak), they are a far cry from the requirements of the popular novel form, which depends a great deal on vivid individual personalities that speak for their times. I think that, with study and inspiration, one could touch the hard lives, oral culture, magical thinking, and tribal identities of earlier people (heck, go look at rural Afghanistan today), but they are not like the people of modern novels. I think that Cornwell has fallen too deeply into creating types instead of individuals, depending too much on the reader's interest in the construction of Stonehenge. Historical novels always require representative types of characters, but inspiration is required, too. The most interesting but also most enigmatic character is Camaban, the sorcerer, but he is external to much of the action, and too strange for this author to seriously entertain. I think that Cornwell has taken his fascination with Stonehenge and has challenged himself to write a book about it, but having set himself this project, it feels to me as if he is fleshing it out into a standard novel format, without passion or inspiration.

2) Too many points of view, diluted over many "types" who are generically intended to speak for their culture, reduce the reader's ability to connect with important characters.

3) The main character is a weird, massive, strange, chthonic stone temple that stands in some relationship between the earth and the sun. I think Stonehenge would work better as a movie. I think that the visual, physical properties of the setting far outstrip the writer's ability to represent it, and the myriad characters of the book would succeed as primarily visual actors (in both senses of the word). Bernard, get crackin' on that screenplay!

I think Peter Weir or Ridley Scott could direct. Or, preferably, a less renowned, up-and-coming director who I haven't heard of. This is a movie that won't need stars to succeed: the star is Stonehenge itself. It needs a superb cinematographer who "gets" the mystery and power in a big-screen way, an energetic, physical cast, and a director with a great love of setting and action scenes. But oh, Lord, save us from the shaky-cam, and let us return to clearly staged fights and battle scenes, and give us gore with a modicum of taste... sounds like a prayer, doesn't it?)

Doesn't Britain have bronze-age re-enactors? (less)

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May 25, 2010 Lloyd rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1990s

It's difficult for me to read nonfiction, but upon visiting Stonehenge earlier this month, I wanted to come back and read SOMETHING about it. I picked up Bernard Cornwell's "Stonehenge".

The book rather reminded me of the parts of George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" that I've read, maybe mingled with a bit of Orson Scott Card's "Homecoming" series. (Both of these are a good thing.) Mingled with kingdoms (although primitive), the story shows the conflict between and within these kingdom...more

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Apr 15, 2010 Bettie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ancient-history, adventure, britain-england, historical-fiction, published-1999, philosophy, spring-2010, witches-and-wizards, war, revenge, recreational-homicide, plague-disease, period-piece, gorefest, fraudio, bullies

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Stonehenge
2000 B. C.
Edition: Unabridged
Written by: Bernard Cornwell
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

Description - Four thousand years ago, a stranger's death at the Old Temple of Ratharryn—and his ominous "gift" of gold—precipitates the building of what for centuries to come will be known as one of mankind’s most singular and remarkable achievements. Bernard Cornwell's epic novel Stonehenge catapults us into a powerful and vibrant world of ritual and sacrifice at once timeless and wholly origina...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Andrew added it

Although we can never truly know the story behind the construction of Stonehenge, Bernard Cornwell has taken the archaelogical evidence and the existent knowledge of life in England around 2000BC and created a story that is not only plausible from a historical and engineering perspective, but also entertaining. For characters living (fictitiously) 4000 years ago they are easy to relate to in many ways. The plot rolls along building tension between the characters and their conflicting motivations...more

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May 31, 2010 Bill Shears rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: engineers, ancient monument fans

Finally plowed all the way through this, for two reasons. One: we wanted to see the darn thing built. No spoiler there. You know the thing does get built.

How they raised the lintels is always a matter of controversy and as a warning for some Chariots of the Gods fans, there are no aliens involved, which is good thing. Give the humans some credit for the emergence of intelligence, and application of brute force which would have been their strength in that era.

It's a plausible-sounding method I ha...more Finally plowed all the way through this, for two reasons. One: we wanted to see the darn thing built. No spoiler there. You know the thing does get built.

How they raised the lintels is always a matter of controversy and as a warning for some Chariots of the Gods fans, there are no aliens involved, which is good thing. Give the humans some credit for the emergence of intelligence, and application of brute force which would have been their strength in that era.

It's a plausible-sounding method I hadn't heard of as a possibility. It does not involve building earthen ramps as has been proposed, due to -- as one of the characters points out -- a thin top soil layer over the chalk bedrock of the area; there might not have been enough earth to gather for ramps with reasonable effort. We won't give the lintel-lifting method away. If it interests you then you are the reader the author is looking for.

The other reason we wanted to see this book through to the end was, without even peeking, we sensed there would be an afterward where the author talks about the research on which the book was based. We were looking forward to that and was not disappointed.

The author's strength is in the knowledge -- no, complete mastery - of the subject exhibited in that Historical Note afterward. He admits at the outset of the Historical Note that nothing of the plot, characters or action are anything but fiction.

Limitation of the narrative, in fact, prevents some of the more interesting findings on the site from being included, such as the fact that there are painted circles in the parking lot at Stonehenge that mark the locations of ancient post holes from 8000 BC, 5000 years prior to the start of the Neolithic Stonehenge construction.

In the story, a political/religious conflict involving early Bronze Age villages is conjured up, and all of it struggles to reach the level of contrivance. At the root of it, you find out early, is gold. In the afterward is a mention that a body had been found that had been buried with gold piece artifacts just like those in the story.

The hero, Saban, is not all that heroic, letting events wash over him pretty much exactly like a hero isn't supposed to do, and at times, indeed, allowing himself to be pushed around and knocked about. At one point the line "Seize him!" is actually spoken. Enough said.

All in all a run-of-the-mill impetus to a plodding build-up to the construction of one of humankind's earliest engineering achievements. Read it for the account of the gathering, transportation and placement of the stones, but don't expect much from the surrounding story.(less)

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Jul 16, 2009 Pedro rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: epic-historic-literature

I like this book ! Cornwell has a unique ability of being able to write romances about different historical periods in a very attractive way.

Among archeologists and historians, Stonehenge is still a matter of much debate and controversy. Eventhought lots of researches have been done in the last few decades Stonehenge is still a mystery far from being solved.

Cornwell's book gives life to this remote period that we know so little about, and yet it has the credit of not being anachronich and fanta...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Maurits Lourens rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

Great book about the creation of Stonehenge. It's fascinating to read what the people believed in 4000 years ago. The actually thought they could please the Gods by building a large ring of stones, so the Gods of the moon and the sun would finally reunite and all would be well again. But like in every religion there are a few fanatics who overdo everything, but this time it got us Stonehenge, a marvelous structure of ageless stones, but with a very high price.
The book is about three brothers wh...more

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Feb 16, 2011 Tracey rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've always been fascinated and intrigued by Stonehenge and in this book Cornwell takes us back in time. We are introduced to the landscape, the settlements, the people and their beliefs in such a realistic fashion I almost forgot that this was fiction! Of course, Cornwell has conducted extensive research and this is a spectacular work of fiction for any reader who has ever wondered about the meaning of Stonehenge or its construction. The people worship many Gods, including the God of the Sun an...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Ginny rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found this to be a fascinating story about the building of Stonehenge. The story takes place in 2000BC when men believed that gods and goddesses ruled over everything in the world and that the two most powerful were the Sun and the Moon. Three brothers lives were wrapped up in the building of this great temple. The oldest was the fierce warrior who left the village only to come back and kill his own father and took over the leadership of the his people. The middle son was born with a twisted l...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Chris Bray rated it 4 of 5 stars

Even though this seems to be one of Cornwell's less popular novels I thoroughly enjoyed it. The early British bronze age was a time of change, of trade, of new peoples and ideas, of astonishing monuments and rituals that would have seemed both frightening and strange to us, and Cornwell captured it well.
Cornwell does play around a lot with the timeline of the monument, including having certain golden objects in the pre-stone circle phase that did not exist until hundreds of years later...and in...more

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Sep 02, 2012 Katharine Ott rated it 4 of 5 stars

Abandoned man-made structures are so attractive for storytellers - derelict houses, overgrown cemeteries and especially the subject of Bernard Cornwell's "Stonehenge." With bits and pieces of evidence and lore handed down over the centuries, Cornwell weaves an engrossing tale of a family whose lives shape what we exists now as a mysterious field of huge stones in southern Great Britain. The principal character Saban belongs to a time when the gods were feared as much as worshipped, and we read a...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Joseph Finley rated it 4 of 5 stars

The novel takes place around 2000 B.C. and most of the story events surround the construction of Stonehenge. In this sense, it was a lot like The Pillars of the Earth – except with Bronze Age characters. And like The Pillars of the Earth, the characters drive this story, which concerns the three sons of Hengall, a tribal chieftain. Lengar, the eldest son, is a ruthless warrior who wants to bring war against the tribe’s enemies. Camaban, the middle son, is an outcast and a sorcerer who speaks to...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Abigail Hartman rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

"It's violent," says Dad.

"Oh," says I, with a lofty wave of the hand, "violence is all right. I can handle THAT."

Turns out, Dad knew what he was talking about. This book was far, far grittier than my usual fare, and there were several times where I had to put it aside and read something as cheery as "Howl's Moving Castle" to settle the emotions. It is not a difficult book stylistically, but the weight of darkness and paganism was so great that it took me over a month to plow through to the end....more

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May 04, 2009 Glee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sort of a cross between Braveheart and Pillars of the Earth. Not as good as either, but lots of blood, gore, revenge and evildoers (Braveheart) accompanying the complexities of constructing a temple that would seem to be beyond the capabilities of Bronze Age society (Pillars of the Earth). Lots of architectural, mechanical, cultural anthropological details -- probably too much for some readers, but fascinating to me. The sheer scope of Stonehenge is unimaginable, but Cornwell breaks it down into...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Liz Chapman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Cornwell based this book mostly on John Norths book Stonehenge , Neolithic man and the Cosmos . The characters he invented to tell the story are vivid ,there is high drama and the pace is kept up so you have to know what happens next . Personally I did not like the scenes where the children were killed although sadly It is a fact that they were sacrificed at that time. We know mostly when , how and where Stonehenge was built but of the people we know very little. Who knows but perhaps Cornewll h...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Molly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Stonehenge did not really benefit from Cornwell's simplicity of style. I feel that something as grandiose and as epic as Stonehenge deserves something more rich and toned than what this novel offers. The attempt, however, was commendable - it must be quite challenging to craft a tale explaining one of the great mysteries of history. The tale centers around 3 brothers, the sons of the chief of Ratharryn. The eldest is violent and warlike, the middle malformed and stuttering, considered a fool by...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Ben Molyneux rated it 4 of 5 stars

Bernard Cornwell is one of my favourite authors. In fact it is safe to say I have read more of his books than anyone else's and he has also influenced my writing more than anyone else.
Setting a novel in 2000 BC is a very brave thing to do. To write an historical novel set so far back in time would leave a lot to the imagination.
The plot is exciting, the details are rich and brings the age to life.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone. What you get from Bernard Cornwall is a...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Magdalena rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Not Cornwell's best, but not a bad read at all, I quite enjoyed this book! It's a tale about three very different brothers and how their lives clash and join as one of the greatest wonders (IMHO) of England.

I don't know a whole lot about this time period; only what I remember about high school lessons and tidbits included in general history books, but I get the feeling that there was a lot of research involved in writing this book. As always, Cornwell excels at painting a precise picture ('preci...more Not Cornwell's best, but not a bad read at all, I quite enjoyed this book! It's a tale about three very different brothers and how their lives clash and join as one of the greatest wonders (IMHO) of England.

I don't know a whole lot about this time period; only what I remember about high school lessons and tidbits included in general history books, but I get the feeling that there was a lot of research involved in writing this book. As always, Cornwell excels at painting a precise picture ('precise' being the key word, as I don't know how accurate it actually is) of the setting, the people, and the way of life and battle without boring with endless descriptions. At the end Historical Notes, Cornwell does state that all the characters and gods mentioned are fiction. But what fascinating fiction! I loved the different stories about Lahanna and Slaol (moon goddess and moon god, respectively), the different rites of manhood and of midsummer, and everything!

***semi-spoilers ahead***
The characters are well thought out, with deep motivations and complex characteristics.

The three brothers are the main characters throughout, and Cornwell does a fantastic job of making them grow and evolve. For one, you have the power-hungry, ruthless and violent spearman with fear of magic and of the gods, who will nevertheless challenge a goddess in order to earn fearsome reputation. He is unpredictable in his actions and his thoughts, thugh at times he seems to be a very straight-forward person. Another is the outcast cripple who evolves into a wise and determined sorcerer with no interest in people, who will commit everyone to his vision of what the gods demand. However, he feels deep attachment to a certain character and to an ideal and won't give up his attachment, even at the cost of his sanity. The other brother is a resourceful, peaceful man who yearns for a simple life with the woman he loves, but is constantly dragged around, following orders from the gods and from anyone, really. He tries to prove his authority but is constantly betrayed by his emotions, his willingness to do good, and his regret of the past. In the end, however, he is the one who is able to maintain his balance in the world.

The temple is the main plot in this story, but there is so much going on between fighting tribes, alliances, treason, sacrifices, slaughter, deaths, births, rites, love, etc, that it doesn't become the focus until the last third of the book (more or less). And when it does, it's majestic.

What I didn't like was parts of the narrative, which made me feel like reading a children's book in the way that absolutely everything is explained. Maybe this is what makes Stonehenge such a quick, easy read. There is no need to think about what's going on, what's motivating a character, what's a character thinking, what's happening elsewhere, because Cornwell lays it out so bluntly and in-your-face. There's no guesswork, no loose ends, and it's all too tidy. Rest assured, all your questions will be answered sooner or later in the story. (Usually sooner.)

So, this is a great book set in a time period that doesn't get much attention (at least in my world...). It's different, it's quick, it's light, and very enjoyable. Recommended. (less)

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About Bernard Cornwell

Cornwell was born in London in 1944. His father was a Canadian airman, and his mother was English, a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. He was adopted and brought up in Essex by the Wiggins family, who were members of the Peculiar People, a strict Protestant sect who banned frivolity of all kinds and even medicine. After he left them, he changed his name to his mother's maiden name, Cornwe...more Cornwell was born in London in 1944. His father was a Canadian airman, and his mother was English, a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. He was adopted and brought up in Essex by the Wiggins family, who were members of the Peculiar People, a strict Protestant sect who banned frivolity of all kinds and even medicine. After he left them, he changed his name to his mother's maiden name, Cornwell.

Cornwell was sent away to Monkton Combe School, attended the University of London, and after graduating, worked as a teacher. He attempted to enlist in the British armed services at least three times, but was rejected on the grounds of myopia.

He then joined BBC's Nationwide and was promoted to become head of current affairs at BBC Northern Ireland. He then joined Thames Television as editor of Thames News. He relocated to the United States in 1980 after marrying an American. Unable to get a Green Card, he started writing novels, as this did not require a work permit.

As a child, Cornwell loved the novels of C.S. Forester, chronicling the adventures of fictional British naval officer Horatio Hornblower during the Napoleonic Wars, and was surprised to find that there were no such novels following Lord Wellington's campaign on land. Motivated by the need to support himself in the U.S. through writing, Cornwell decided to write such a series. He named his chief protagonist Richard Sharpe, a rifleman involved in most major battles of the Peninsular War.

Cornwell wanted to start the series with the Siege of Badajoz but decided instead to start with a couple of "warm-up" novels. These were Sharpe's Eagle and Sharpe's Gold, both published in 1981. Sharpe's Eagle was picked up by a publisher, and Cornwell got a three-book deal. He went on to tell the story of Badajoz in his third Sharpe novel Sharpe's Company published in 1982.

Cornwell and wife Judy co-wrote a series of novels, published under the pseudonym "Susannah Kells". These were A Crowning Mercy, published in 1983, Fallen Angels in 1984, and Coat of Arms (aka The Aristocrats) in 1986. (Cornwell's strict Protestant upbringing informed the background of A Crowning Mercy, which took place during the English Civil War.) He also published Redcoat, an American Revolutionary War novel set in Philadelphia during its 1777 occupation by the British, in 1987.

After publishing 8 books in his ongoing Sharpe series, Cornwell was approached by a production company interested in adapting them for television. The producers asked him to write a prequel to give them a starting point to the series. They also requested that the story feature a large role for Spanish characters to secure co-funding from Spain. The result was Sharpe’s Rifles, published in 1987 and a series of Sharpe television films staring Sean Bean.

A series of contemporary thrillers with sailing as a background and common themes followed: Wildtrack published in 1988, Sea Lord (aka Killer's Wake) in 1989, Crackdown in 1990, Stormchild in 1991, and a political thriller called Scoundrel in 1992.

In June 2006, Cornwell was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's 80th Birthday Honours List.

Cornwell's latest work is titled Azincourt and was released in the UK in October 2008. The protagonist is an archer who participates in the Battle of Agincourt, another devastating defeat suffered by the French in the Hundred Years War. However Cornwell has stated that it will not be about Thomas of Hookton from The Grail Quest or any of his relatives.(less)

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Books by Bernard Cornwell

The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories, #1)

The Winter King (The Warlord Chronicles, #1)

Lords of the North (The Saxon Stories, #3)

The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories, #2)

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