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Enemy of God (The Warlord Chronicles #2)

4.33 of 5 stars 4.33 · rating details · 4,858 ratings · 202 reviews

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.

Paperback, 397 pages

Published March 15th 1998 by St. Martin's Griffin (first published 1996)

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Oct 16, 2011 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, fiction, library

Enemy of God

is a solid 4 stars, maybe even 5 stars. I took a little away because I wanted Arthur to be a little more cunning and realistic. He comes across too naïve in areas where he should not be. The portrayal of Christianity and how it spreads conflict is a major theme and isn’t pretty. But it is probably realistic. While this Arthurian tale is not like any others, if you are looking for a “Grail” quest, you will find it here…kind of. This part of the tale is told in the warm summertime,...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

Want an Arthurian legend with grit? With raw human emotion? With unexpected betrayals and intrigue? Here you go.

This is the second in the Arthur/Warlord trilogy and keeps the same momentum started in The Winter King.

It could almost have ended here. You could stop after this and have a satisfying saga.

But who would want to? There's still one book to go.

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Oct 05, 2011 Terri rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, own, britain-fiction

This was a reread for me after having read it first over a decade ago. Wow time flies.
I couldn't really remember the book and as I read it, it didn't look familiar. only had the occasional de ja vu. I am wondering if that is because it can be a little boring at times and therefore it never stuck in my head all those years ago.
A 4 star rating for it. I dropped a star because while at times it was a 5 star read, there were other times when Bernard Cornwell needed to stop over writing and get on...more

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Jan 30, 2013 StoryTellerShannon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-reviewed, historical-fiction, action, owned, my-very-best-reads

Per my review of WINTER KING, this is a different take on Arthur, focusing on the legend and the times. And those times were when Briton was desperately fighting itself and trying to hold back the Saxon invasions. The ruins of Roman occupation still remain.

In the second novel there is a great deal of more focus in how the Saxon problem will be solved. Lancelot shows his true colors to other people. Guinievere betrays Arthur. Merlin is questing for relics that will bring the Old Gods to Britain,...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Billy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So continues Derfel's tale of Arthur...,

Again, as in The Winter King, book 1 in this trilogy of Arthur, Cornwell presents part 2 of the history of Arthur from a very different point of view and with a very different spin on the tale. This is not the magical tale of a sword in a stone or of a round table and a grail quest. What this is, is a tale told by Lord Derfel Cadarn, Derfel 'the mighty'. He is, as he tells this tale, an old monk in the service of the king and queen of the Britons. But he w...more So continues Derfel's tale of Arthur...,

Again, as in The Winter King, book 1 in this trilogy of Arthur, Cornwell presents part 2 of the history of Arthur from a very different point of view and with a very different spin on the tale. This is not the magical tale of a sword in a stone or of a round table and a grail quest. What this is, is a tale told by Lord Derfel Cadarn, Derfel 'the mighty'. He is, as he tells this tale, an old monk in the service of the king and queen of the Britons. But he was a warlord and lifelong friend and warrior of Arthur's. Indeed, he spent most of his life with Arthur.

The tale, despite the fact that it is a tale of Arthur, is more a tale of Derfel and his interactions, opinions and views of Arthur; not to mention a tale of all that Derfel did, his family and his life. It is a tale of broken love, war, treachery and death. It is a tale of the Britons in the 5th century. But it is more about Derfel than it is about Arthur. This does not detract from the story. This is a wonderful tale about a warlord of Briton and Derfel (pronounced 'Dervel', a Welsh name given when Derfel was an orphan raised by Merlin). We hear Arthur's tale of war and of love, of Guinevere and Lancelot, Galahad and all the other names we know from the great mythological tale of Arthur; just not in the way we all know the tale.

But this tale is of real men in a real world with real problems and little, if any, magic. The tale continues Arthur's tale of rise to rule the Britons and his quest to unite the Britons under one king and defend his country from the invading Saxons. It is a tale of broken oaths, untrustworthy alliances and selfish ambitions.

I highly recommend this book to those that seek a story of dark age England. If you seek the mythical sword in the stone type tale, you will, most likely, be disappointed by this, but you may enjoy the refreshing new spin on the tale, without the excesses of magic.

If I have one complaint about this tale, it is that the book does not contain a map, as Book 1 did. I continually had to refer back to the map in book 1 as I read this story. This does contain the very helpful list of names and places at the front of the book, as did book 1. But, a map would have been helpful as the story encompasses travels and wars throughout the British isle.

This is a wonderful tale of medieval England and should be greatly enjoyed by any lover of history or historical fiction.(less)

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Sep 04, 2012 Aaron Dembski-Bowden rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Everything I said in my much longer review of The Winter King (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...) applies to Enemy of God, as well, except ramped up to 11.

The story was tighter, Christianity and Druidism both came across as more sinister and yet somehow more pitiable, and the characters plunged into that old truth of how everything goes wrong in Act II, when things are darkest before the dawn.

My only criticism (of a book as close to flawless as humanly possible) is that towards the end,...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Nate rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Allow me to open this review by apologizing to my friends on Goodreads for spamming so many reviews of Cornwell stuff lately, I don't know what my problem is. I hate to be that guy but the man's stuff is entertaining. Anyways...this book was a very pleasant departure for Cornwell. It's less about stuff like gathering levies, shield walls, and efficient military maneuvering and more about the struggle between paganism and Christianity, the relationships of the characters in the book and how they...more Allow me to open this review by apologizing to my friends on Goodreads for spamming so many reviews of Cornwell stuff lately, I don't know what my problem is. I hate to be that guy but the man's stuff is entertaining. Anyways...this book was a very pleasant departure for Cornwell. It's less about stuff like gathering levies, shield walls, and efficient military maneuvering and more about the struggle between paganism and Christianity, the relationships of the characters in the book and how they effect Cornwell's Britain and the author's vision of the story of Arthur.

And I really love Arthur in these books. You can really tell that Cornwell did his best to imbue him with that magic that the charismatic leaders and heroes of real life are possessed with. People in these books are being overwhelmingly deceitful and self-possessed and sadistic and then there's this kind of odd-looking guy on a huge horse with this gentle and warm demeanor, a rock-solid and utterly benevolent (and pagan!) moral code who also has an indisputable gift at killing people. Any human being with that kind of contradiction in their nature is bound to be a complex person and Arthur is undoubtedly that. One second he's a caring and kind husband and father and then he's completely insane with anger and laying about with Caledfwlch (Excalibur's Welsh and way cooler name). He's kind of like that friend some people have who everyone likes a lot and is totally friendly but is prone to intense rages brought about by specific stimuli that make the room unbearably awkward. The point I'm trying to make with this is that you can see Arthur simultaneously occupying the positions of human being and living legend and it's understandably weird and fascinating. The rest of the characters, although not as particularly shiny as Arthur all have their own unique personalities and motives, something I always look for and like.

That potent mix of pagan magic, Christian ritual, the intense cast of characters and pervasively creepy, cold and dark setting all really made me love this book. The climax was particularly intense and in a way even moreso than some of the climactic battles in other Cornwell books. Just the horrible suspense of the webs of deceit spun in the book and the fate of Dumnonia hanging in those webs...gripping stuff. I almost don't want to finish the series.(less)

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Apr 04, 2013 Bettie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: britain-wales, spring-2013, mythology, medieval5c-16c, fraudio, adventure

Read By: Edmund Dehn
Genre: Audiobook
Series Name: The Warlord Chronicles
Position in Series: 2 of 3
Abridged: No

Blurb: The second book in a trilogy telling the story of Arthur. After one last battle, Arthur will rule a peaceful land. But, unlike Merlin, Arthur has forgotten the Gods, who thrive on chaos. Arthur's plans are thrown into turmoil, as the search for the 13 sacred objects to restore the Gods begins.

This is a amazing book which really takes you back to the times of King Arthur. Told b...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Enemy of God stunned me. I thought I knew what to expect from a Bernard Cornwell novel: a solid, irreverent hero with a talent for fighting, enticing and dramatic narration of historical battles, and a lot of wry commentary thrown in. And Enemy delivered that, but it’s a much different beast than I anticipated. Second in his King Arthur trilogy, it sees Cornwell flirt with the realms of fantasy and horror. Although I opened it planning to continue an thrilling historical series, Cornwell surpris...more Enemy of God stunned me. I thought I knew what to expect from a Bernard Cornwell novel: a solid, irreverent hero with a talent for fighting, enticing and dramatic narration of historical battles, and a lot of wry commentary thrown in. And Enemy delivered that, but it’s a much different beast than I anticipated. Second in his King Arthur trilogy, it sees Cornwell flirt with the realms of fantasy and horror. Although I opened it planning to continue an thrilling historical series, Cornwell surprised me with a read very much appropriate for the Halloween season.

The Winter King set the stage: it is the twilight of the fifth century, the dawn of the sixth, and Britain is going mad as the year 500 approaches. The isle is rifle with conflict between the invading Saxons and the defending Celtic Britons. The Britons were once united under High King Uther, but his death left a baby on the throne, and now all of the British kingdoms fight with one another as eagerly as they do against the Saxons. In Winter King, Arthur emerged as the baby king’s half-uncle, the eldest son of the deceased high king but illegitimate. Arthur strove to unite the Britons, and succeeded – but in Enemy of God, he must defend the peace from internal strife, dark conspiracies, and the growing Saxon hordes.

Cornwell’s usual strengths are present here, but the Arthur books are exceptional because of their larger-than-life characters and the fantasy elements, which are not found in any other of Cornwell’s novels to my knowledge. Arthur and Merlin are the titans; Cornwell’s Merlin surpasses even Albus Dumbledore for being a half-mad mentor – and like Dumbledore, Merlin has his own plans and ambitions which ensnare Arthur and his lieutenant, our narrator Derfel; plans that may run contrary to those of the heroes. Merlin is a chessmaster, forever pulling the strings, and there’s a shadow of malevolence to his hoped-for future. Mordred, Morgan, Galahad, and Lancelot are here as well. I didn’t mention Lancelot* in my comments on The Winter King, in part because he’s a truly unpleasant character, ambitious, vain, and deceitful. Believed by most (especially the ladies) to be a mighty white knight in shining armor, he manages to achieve great praise despite never accomplishing anything, aside from keeping his pretty face free of battle scars. Arthur, of course, dominates the novel, and is legendary – an almost perfect leader, but he is hopelessly in love with Guinevere and doggedly loyal to his friends. Alas for him and Britain, he is not as sound a judge of character as he is a friend, and the result is disaster...and for Arthur, heart-rending pain.

All this makes for a fantastic story: this series is truly set apart from Cornwell's other work. If the characters, humor, historical details, and intense storytelling weren't enough, the backdrop is faintly fantastic, and increasing horrific Regular fantasy readers may not notice it, but it's a jarring difference from Cornwell's other work, and definitely gives the story and edge.Arthur and Derfel go on quests to dark ruins, fight against monsters (people given to madness, rather reminiscent of the Reapers from the Firefly universe), and return to find hell releashed on the peaceful world of Camelot. It would have made for perfect Halloween reading, especially as one of the incidents fell on Samhain and Celtic mythlogy plays a crucial role.

Enemy of God is magnificent.I await Excalibur to arrive in the mail.

* Think of Prince Charming from Shrek 2. Seriously, I watched the movie last night and thought, "That's who Lancelot reminded me of!".
(less)

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Apr 06, 2013 Dark-Draco rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arthurian, adventure-fiction, historic-fiction

The second book of the trilogy starts immediately after the events of the first. Arthur, against the odds, has won a victory, but it is almost snatched away from him by Lancelot's making peace behind his back. Mordred is ready to be acclaimed King, but the country is divided into those who want it to be Arthur and those that secretly want it to be Lancelot. Meanwhile, Merlin is still determined to put together the lost treasures of Britain, and Derfel is persuaded to join him on a dangerous jour...more

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Feb 05, 2012 Ensiform rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, historical

The second book in the Arthur series, this book tells of how Arthur’s fragile peace was broken by Lancelot’s deal with Cerdic, the Saxon raider, and how Arthur discovered Lancelot’s treachery with Guinevere. The narrator Derfel’s story is also fraught with drama; Cornwell knows how to make the reader hate villains (treachery is the trick, it seems, judging from this and the Sharpe series) and yearn for their comeuppance.

Again, this is a very expertly realized historical guess at “Camelot” (a wor...more

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Jan 26, 2011 Dick Edwards rated it 3 of 5 stars

For some unknown reason, the map that was so helpful to the reading of The Winter King is not repeated in this book. Cornwell continues to tell the story through the eyes of Derfel, who now becomes more a part of the action than before. He continues to love Ceinwyn, but now he intervenes in the scheduled marriage of her to Lancelot. The method of this miracle is provided by Merlin, who gives Defel some chicken bones that he breaks just as the ceremony is about to take place. This causes Ceinwyn...more For some unknown reason, the map that was so helpful to the reading of The Winter King is not repeated in this book. Cornwell continues to tell the story through the eyes of Derfel, who now becomes more a part of the action than before. He continues to love Ceinwyn, but now he intervenes in the scheduled marriage of her to Lancelot. The method of this miracle is provided by Merlin, who gives Defel some chicken bones that he breaks just as the ceremony is about to take place. This causes Ceinwyn to leave the ceremony and go with Derfel, who is sworn as her protector. Arthur somehow agrees to return Tristan and Isolde to King Mark (whose bride Isolde is). Arthur kills Tristan in the process, and Derfel is furious with Arthur because of this. He refuses to speak to him except in the minimum possible words. Arthur finally begins to fight against Saxons, whereas up until now, he had fought other Celts/Romans. Mordred is king, and he is unworthy. Nevertheless, Arthur does his bidding, and travels with Derfel to bring back the killer of Mordred’s mother. They have to fight a battle to get him. After the battle, Derfel travels to find his own mother. He finds her. She is fat and slovenly, full of lice, and still a slave. She acts like she does not believe Derfel is her son, but it has been many years since Derfel was torn from her and thrown in a “death pit.” She has a daughter, Derfel’s half-sister, and Derfel leaves some gold with her. Lancelot marries a corpse who had been dead 14 years. She was part of the royalty of Dumnonia, and Lancelot wanted to rule that kingdom. Derfel’s daughter Dian is killed by a Saxon by slitting her throat. Later, when Derfel told Arthur, Arthur drew Excalibur and kissed it and told Derfel that your vengeance is mine. Everyone finally sees Mordred for the scum he is, and Arthur reclaims his crown from him. Nimue tells Derfel that Guinevere has been unfaithful to Arthur, with Lancelot and others, not because she is a whore but rather to get Arthur made High King (I don’t quite understand this). Nimue says Arthur loved Guinevere for her looks, but ignored her brain and capabilities. Arthur defeated Lancelot in battle, and Arthur became King, but not in name (again, I don’t understand). Guinevere asked to be let go, but Arthur kept her in captivity, although well treated. The Christians fought against Arthur, and they had a cauldron that they held to be holy. Cauldron stories are common in Celtic folk-tales, and the Christian tale of the pursuit of the Holy Grail was a re-working of the old cauldron myths. Some Christians considered Arthur to be the Enemy of God, and they spread many distasteful stories about Arthur, including that he was a pagan. The Arthurian legends are Welsh tales.(less)

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Oct 31, 2010 Rob Bradford rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have yet to read a really good book by Bernard Cornwell; but he's never failed to entertain me, either.

Every book of his that I've read could fit into this one generic Cornwell review:

Characters: good, but curiously blind in the places where the plot calls for them to miss something.
Historical Detail: excellent, immersive, impressive.
Plot: frustratingly obvious.
Pacing: excellent, if predictable.
Style: solid, literate, unchallenging.

I guess it's the way it's going to be, if you write as many b...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Christine Van Heertum rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-set-in-the-past

In «The Winter King», Arthur the Pagan has fought his numerous enemies to fulfil his oath: give Britain to Mordred, the rightful king. Times passes by and after several years of peace, Lancelot and Cerdic, the Saxon king, betray the truce. Together with this fight for kingship, Arthur faces the Grail's quest its Celtic origins: the search for a magical Cauldron for which Arthur does not even bother. Merlin, now an old man, has lost everything to his Saxon enemies: his power, his magic, the Thirt...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

This second book of the Arthur trilogy was better than the first book. The writing was powerful. Mr. Cornwell's powers of description are phenominal. I could see Nimue dancing and spitting as she cast her spells. Mr. Cornwell has a different spin on his characters that initially seems contrary to everything I have read begfore about them. After the reading is done and I "think on it" a bit, I find in reality the characters are defined much the same as in other accounts.
The two scenes that were e...more

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Nov 17, 2011 StoryTellerShannon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-very-best-reads

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Jun 03, 2013 Olethros rated it 3 of 5 stars

-Continuación exitosa de los usos y formas del primer libro de la serie.-

Género. Novela histórica (por más que trate una época y un lugar con pocas referencias).

Lo que nos cuenta. Tras vencer en la terrible batalla del valle del Lugg donde Derfel tuvo que resistir ante fuerzas muy superiores, Arturo sigue trabajando por la estabilidad y la unión de los reinos en la isla, con los sajones como único obstáculo en su tarea. Pero Merlín sabe que hay otro enemigo, el cristianismo, que socaba la fuerz...more

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Dec 18, 2007 Darkpool rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, fiction, read-in-2007

Excellent continuation from first book in trilogy. looking forward to number 3.

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Feb 15, 2011 Diane Ramirez rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was my introduction to Arthurian legends, and it was a great place to start. Cornwell proves a scholar in his subject matters, from the development of various legends (searches for Cauldrons, Tristan and Isolde, Lancelot) to the movement of pagan and Christian religions in England in the fifth century. I found myself wikipedia'ing much of the time, as something vaguely familiar would be mentioned and I wanted to make sure and fill in some gaps in my knowledge. The story itself was riveting...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Arnold3k rated it 5 of 5 stars

Finished the 2nd Arthur Books and the story of Arthur continues - a darker grittier perspective i'm beginning to love. Christianity plays a bigger role in Arthur's lore. Characters are further developed to make you love and hate them. There are battles, intrigue, religious conflicts, backstabbing, romance and adventure between the pages. I highly recommend this series to anyone who has read George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire and is tired of waiting for A Dance With Dragons. This is another...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Carolina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is not your fairy tale story love, there is magic involved but much of the "supernatural" events can be explained by other factors; the knowledge of the druids can be explained as nothing other than experience, even the main character through the eyes of Derfel acknowledges that he does not believe much in either Christian "miracles" or Druids' as Merlin and Nimue's "magic" wonders.
This story shows an Arthur and other popular characters that have stayed with us since our childhood. Who hasn...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Kate4484 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

„Zimowego monarchę” umieściłam na liście najlepszych książek, które przeczytałam w zeszłym roku, dlatego moje oczekiwania co do drugiej części trylogii były bardzo wysokie. Bałam się, że po wspaniałej pierwszej części dostanę słabszy drugi tom. Na szczęście moje obawy były bezpodstawne gdyż „Nieprzyjaciel Boga” okazał się nawet lepszy od poprzedniego tomu.

Drugi tom serii Bernarda Cornwell jest rewelacyjny! Poznajemy w nim dalsze losy Artura, Derfla, Ginewry i Lancelota. Tak jak w pierwszej częś...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Kit Fryatt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, fantasy

Authorial complicity is interesting, isn't it? The narrator of these books is a pagan, and so understandably, when conflict between pagans and Christians erupts, he takes the former side; nor does Cornwell present him as oblivious to the cruelty and illogic of his own belief system, compellingly represented by Merlin (still no acknowledgement for T.H. White) and Nimue (who becomes a smelly, intractable Social Services problem case in peacetime, nice). Nonetheless, I can't help feeling the books...more Authorial complicity is interesting, isn't it? The narrator of these books is a pagan, and so understandably, when conflict between pagans and Christians erupts, he takes the former side; nor does Cornwell present him as oblivious to the cruelty and illogic of his own belief system, compellingly represented by Merlin (still no acknowledgement for T.H. White) and Nimue (who becomes a smelly, intractable Social Services problem case in peacetime, nice). Nonetheless, I can't help feeling the books are problematically anti-Christian, though it's one in the eye for all those New Age Celtic Christianity numbskulls. You think flagellants? no, no, where did they come out of, a wormhole to nine hundred years in the goddamn future? and then you reflect on the well-attested tradition of asceticism in the early medieval Irish Church, yeah yeah, and you think, ok, it's old Cornwell finding the vanishingly rare but just about possible thing that will bring modern readers onside again. Derfel's horror at speaking in tongues, u.s.w., though comes over as a bit maidenly given his choice of company--Cornwell seems temporarily to have forgotten that his bff wingwoman is a one-eyed attention-seeking sociopath who performs human sacrifice and gives him cups of her cantharides-spiked piss to drink. (You can tell I want to be Nimue when I grow up, can't you?)

The book is problematically anti-Lancelot, in that the Big Book of Historical Romanciering states firmly that your villain can be any two of treacherous, sadistic, and physically cowardly but not all three. My head-canon is the ugly, tormented, sullen crack trooper of T.H. White's novels, so I was never going to enjoy what Cornwell does with Lancelot, but it's corny (words, see what I done with them?) by any standard. He also buggers up Tristan and Iseult something chronic: his timescale requires Tristan to be a younger contemporary of Arthur and the dubious fascination of middle-aged historical fantasists with child brides (I'm looking at you, George R. R. Martin) requires Iseult to be fifteen. So it comes off as girl flees marriage to Jabba the Hut into the arms of her inadequate, impractical physics teacher. Taint zackly Wagner. On the plus side, the Grail quest is nicely brought down to size, and I'm just about prepared to buy Guinevere as priestess of Isis, because priestesses of Isis are cool. Watch out for Nimue's exasperated Feminism 101 syllabus outline to Derfel, as well, that's the sort of anachronism I like.(less)

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Jan 03, 2013 Thiago Cavalcanti rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature-english, fantasy-medieval

Disclaimer: Same review for the 3 books of the Warlord Chronicles ("The Winter King", "Enemy of God" and "Excalibur").

First of all, do not be deluded: this is not the story of King Arthur. As disappointing as it may sound, the protagonist of the Warlord Chronicles is not King Arthur, but its narrator, Derfel Cadarn, an Arthur’s former soldier, who is now an old Christian monk.

These books have some root in historical findings, but, considering the scarcity of reliable sources, most of the plot de...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Alastair Rosie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance, history

ENEMY OF GOD

The second book in the Warlord Trilogy, it moves straight from the Battle of Lugg Vale to the kingdom of Powys. The price of Arthur’s peace is the marriage of the dead king’s daughter, Ceinwyn to Lancelot, the problem with that however is that the narrator of the trilogy, Derfel has fallen for Ceinwyn. She becomes a central character in this second book as Merlin and his lover, Nimue take Derfel, Ceinwyn and a band of Derfel’s men on a grail quest. The grail in this book is not the v...more ENEMY OF GOD

The second book in the Warlord Trilogy, it moves straight from the Battle of Lugg Vale to the kingdom of Powys. The price of Arthur’s peace is the marriage of the dead king’s daughter, Ceinwyn to Lancelot, the problem with that however is that the narrator of the trilogy, Derfel has fallen for Ceinwyn. She becomes a central character in this second book as Merlin and his lover, Nimue take Derfel, Ceinwyn and a band of Derfel’s men on a grail quest. The grail in this book is not the vessel traditionally used in grail stories, rather it is the sacred cauldron of Clyddno Eiddyn, one of the thirteen lost treasures of Britain. These treasures have been lost since the Black Year of 60 AD when Suetonious destroyed the sacred groves on the Isle of Mona (Anglesey). Merlin leads the warriors on this quest just as the Saxons are massing in the east. Derfel and Ceinwyn’s flight enrages Lancelot who in this trilogy is depicted as more of a spoiled brat than a noble warrior, although he does have a certain degree of rat cunning.
Upon returning with the cauldron, Merlin sets out to recover the last treasure, he’s apparently been collecting them for some time and Ceinwyn and Derfel set up house together. Their romance is actually one of the central themes of the book showing that in the midst of what we call the Dark Ages, men and women fell in love and produced children, planted crops and went about their daily lives. Their world is brutally overturned by Lancelot’s betrayal and here Cornwell has elected to bring Guinevere into the love triangle although refreshingly, it is not the traditional romantic love triangle but revolves around the worship of the goddess Isis. There is a new war against the Saxons and Arthur is confronted by Guinevere’s betrayal and thankfully she isn’t confined to a monastery, although she is under house arrest, Derfel gets his revenge but the treasures are lost, for now.
I found the second book just as engaging as the first one. Writing about the Dark ages is hard because there is so little recorded information. The bulk of written material was written by Christian priests centuries after the war between Saxons and Britons and it has the taint of corruption about it, forcing one to read between the lines and look to other accounts of everyday life to recreate the world of the fifth century. In this I think Cornwell has done remarkably well, combining factual research with the latter tales of a holy grail, a love triangle and a King Arthur. The result is a nicely crafted piece of history that has a stamp of authority about it. We do know that while Christianity was the official state religion throughout the Roman world, it had to battle against pagan gods even within its greatly reduced borders. Britain was well outside the extent of the empire which had effectively imploded. With the subsequent vacuum other powers sought to fill the gap, chief amongst them were the Huns and Germanic tribes.
Cornwell has made the battle between Paganism and Christianity a central theme of the book and has portrayed priests on both sides in full living colour. The Christian priests are not pious saints but greedy, superstitious men who had been pagans until their conversion. They will use any means possible to achieve world domination and that is stressed quite plainly. They are coming up to the year 500 and there is an apocalyptic atmosphere all over the west as priests await what they believe will be the Second Coming. The druids are trying to bring back the old religion that has been so brutally suppressed by the Romans for four hundred years. And here Cornwell has showed them warts and all, they are not the cute tree huggers of the modern age but powerful sorcerers who could command whole armies and were seen as an order with the ability to heal the sick and raise the dead. There are good druids here and evil druids.
Cornwell has a knack for spinning a good tale without lurching into romanticism. Yes there is romance here, that of Arthur and Guinevere, Derfel and Ceinwyn, and the tragic Tristan and Iseult but overall we have a sense that this was an era of great change when two faiths collided and many died as a result. Arthur remains the hero of the story but he is very much a man at war with religion in all its forms trying to form a unified Britain that respects all faiths and it’s not beyond the realms of possibility to suggest that such people existed. Certainly Hypatia of Alexandria who preceded Arthur by a couple of hundred years was very similar. She met with a grisly end at the hands of the Christians. But I would give this five out of five and am looking forward to reading book three.
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Dec 17, 2012 Paul rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 08, 2012 Denise rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, my-fav-authors, my-fav-books

NOTE: This is book #2 of a 3-book series. For best effect, read in sequential order.

We've all heard the mythical story of King Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere. But Bernard Cornwell has taken what what we may believe about the story and given it a fresh twist. He's scraped away the fairy tale and woven a story that shows us real humans with all their quirks and frailties. In my opinion, a much more believable story with many levels that was a real page-turner for me.

The story is done as a narrat...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Magdalena rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, myths-legends

Fantastic book. I liked it slightly less than its prequel The Winter King, but still deserves a 5 star rating and its place on my Favorites shelf.

The story continues as Merlin is still looking to complete the Thirteen Treasures of Britain, Derfel Cadarn is hopelessly in love with princess Ceinwyn, Lancelot's ambition wants to devour all, Cerdic and Aelle continue to make war upon the british kingdoms, Christianity is as violent as ever against paganism, and Mordred grows to become an unfit king...more Fantastic book. I liked it slightly less than its prequel The Winter King, but still deserves a 5 star rating and its place on my Favorites shelf.

The story continues as Merlin is still looking to complete the Thirteen Treasures of Britain, Derfel Cadarn is hopelessly in love with princess Ceinwyn, Lancelot's ambition wants to devour all, Cerdic and Aelle continue to make war upon the british kingdoms, Christianity is as violent as ever against paganism, and Mordred grows to become an unfit king of Dumnonia.

To be completely honest, through the first half of the book, I had to remind myself that this is part two of The Warlord Chronicles, putting extra stress on the word 'chronicles' to continue reading. Unlike The Winter King, I found this book a bit less plot-oriented. There were many stories that diverged and didn't seem to have a point (maybe part three of TWC will prove me wrong?), such as Tristan and Iseult's chapter or Erce's story. Now, they were very enjoyable, but I was hoping to keep reading about the main characters and plot. I just had to remind myself that this is a chronicle, and that every story is being told as it happened. Maybe I was still hung up on the linear, steady narrative of part one? We'll never know.

Towards the second half of the book, it all becomes so much more put-together (for my liking), engrossing, and emotional. I found myself literally tearing up at a certain character's death (talk about awkward, I was left red eyed and teary when I got back to work...), gasping out loud at certain twists in the story, and feeling actual relief in my chest at other events. I had never felt physically affected by a book.

The battles are ruthless, detailed, and an absolute treat to read. The historical context continues to be accurate (with some minor anachronisms that blend the legends- mainly names and characters). There is also a lot more myth and magic than in part one, but the whole story remains rooted in realistic events.

I don't want to give out actual spoilers because the second half of the book is as suspenseful as historical fiction can get, but I will say that it's now one of my favorites and even though the ending is not a cliffhanger, I find myself eager to read the last part in this trilogy ASAP. Completely recommend :)(less)

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Apr 25, 2012 Alex Telander rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2012

In Bernard Cornwell’s second installment of The Warlord Chronicles, he continues where he left off in The Winter King: Arthur has defeated the armies of Powys and Siluria, while the kings, Gorfyddyd and Gundleus, are dead, and with an alliance between the Brythonic kingdoms now near at hand, he turns to confronting their common enemy, the Saxons.

Derfel continues the telling of his tale, where he is ordered to Powys to arrange a marriage between Lancelot, a man he despises, and the beautiful Cein...more

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May 02, 2013 Joseph Finley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This novel is the second in Bernard Cornwell’s series The Warlord Chronicles. Its protagonist is still Derfel Cardan, who is now near thirty years old and one of Arthur’s lords. The book begins immediately where The Winter King ended, after the battle among the British kings at Lugg Vale. Arthur is trying to keep the new peace among kings and protect the claim of a 5-year-old Mordred to the high king’s throne. The conflict begins, however, when Arthur arranges to wed the princess Ceinweyn – the...more This novel is the second in Bernard Cornwell’s series The Warlord Chronicles. Its protagonist is still Derfel Cardan, who is now near thirty years old and one of Arthur’s lords. The book begins immediately where The Winter King ended, after the battle among the British kings at Lugg Vale. Arthur is trying to keep the new peace among kings and protect the claim of a 5-year-old Mordred to the high king’s throne. The conflict begins, however, when Arthur arranges to wed the princess Ceinweyn – the women Derfel secretly loves – to Derfel’s enemy, Lancelot.

Arthur wants to strengthen his alliances among the British kings with the hope of uniting them against the invading Saxons, but Merlin has other plans. He is determined to find the lost Cauldron of Clyddno Eiddyn, one of the thirteen Treasures of Britain and a magical gift to the old Gods. Merlin fears the old gods will desert Britain and the land will be lost to Christianity; yet with the Cauldron, Merlin believes he can control the old gods and defeat the Christians. The Cauldron, however, lies in a land ruled by a ferocious Irish king, so Merlin needs warriors for his quest. To persuade Derfel and his men to join it, he gives Derfel a magic trinket with the power to prevent Ceinwyn’s and Lancelot’s marriage. But if Derfel uses it to win Ceinwyn’s love, all of Arthur's carefully constructed alliances may collapse.

Merlin’s obsession with the Cauldron, which comes to replace the story of the Holy Grail in Cornwell’s retelling of the Arthurian legend, is part of a larger conflict between the old pagan (Celtic) religion and the new Christian faith spreading across Britain – a well-portrayed theme in this series. This also provides some of the more thought provoking, and even disturbing, aspects of the story. For as whimsical and likeable as Merlin's character can be, his obsession with defeating Christianity and the things he’s willing to do to achieve that goal can be troubling. Yet this was clearly one of Cornwell’s goals: to paint Marlin in distinct shades of gray instead of black or white.

Merlin’s quest for the Cauldron is only one part of the story, however. The rest concerns the growing threat of the Saxons, Camelot and the Round Table, and the love affairs and betrayals that are a hallmark of most Arthurian tales. Cornwell, however, puts a quite a twist on the latter aspect. This is not a story about a young, naive Guinevere falling for a chivalrous Sir Lancelot. No, Cornwell’s Guinevere is a fiercely strong and calculating woman, who, like Merlin, has her own plans in this novel, and the ramifications of those plans could decide the fate of Britain. This final element, in my view, makes Enemy of God as good as The Winter King, and it’s one of the reasons this book has stuck with me the longest of three in Cornwell’s masterful trilogy. (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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Quotes from Enemy of God

“But when you have order, you don't need Gods. When everything is well ordered and disciplined then nothing is unexpected. If you understand everything,' I said carefully, 'then there's no room left for magic. It's only when you're lost and frightened and in the dark that you call on the Gods, and they like us to call on them. It makes them feel powerful, and that's why they like us to live in chaos.” — 5 people liked it

“To hear the tales told at night-time hearths you would think we had made a whole new country in Britain, named it Camelot and peopled it with shining heroes, but the truth is that we simply ruled Dumnonia as best we could, we ruled it justly and we never called it Camelot. Camelot exists only in the poets' dreams, while in our Dumnonia, even in those good years, the harvests still failed, the plagues still ravaged us and wars were still fought.” — 2 people liked it

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Enemy of God (The Warlord Chronicles #2)

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