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Enemy of God (The Arthur Books #2)
by
Bernard Cornwell (Goodreads Author)
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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Community Reviews
(showing 1-30)
Jul 10, 2017
Petrik
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Historical fiction & Arthurian fans
Recommended to Petrik by:
John Gwynne
Shelves:
owned-physical
4.5/5 Stars
Enemy of God, the second book in 'The Warlord Chronicles' trilogy by Bernard Cornwell, and the series so far, has truly been serendipity for me.
As I mentioned in my previous review, I’ve never bothered to start Cornwell’s work, it brings me joy when someone, a friend (even better again when it’s from one of your favorite author) recommended a book/series to you and you loved it. That’s truly how I feel about the trilogy so far, Cornwell again compelled me with his original and hauntin ...more
Enemy of God, the second book in 'The Warlord Chronicles' trilogy by Bernard Cornwell, and the series so far, has truly been serendipity for me.
As I mentioned in my previous review, I’ve never bothered to start Cornwell’s work, it brings me joy when someone, a friend (even better again when it’s from one of your favorite author) recommended a book/series to you and you loved it. That’s truly how I feel about the trilogy so far, Cornwell again compelled me with his original and hauntin ...more
May 26, 2015
Richard
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction
8/10
A slight improvement on the previous novel but definitely a feel of a second book in a trilogy. I enjoyed the first book but it took some time to get into and there were a hell of a lot of names to take on board (only for the majority of them to die or no longer be involved after 50 pages). This one was a little slow at the start and it took me a while to get back into the flow of the style and era but when things got going then the pages flew by.
Derfel and Arthur are two very well rounded c ...more
A slight improvement on the previous novel but definitely a feel of a second book in a trilogy. I enjoyed the first book but it took some time to get into and there were a hell of a lot of names to take on board (only for the majority of them to die or no longer be involved after 50 pages). This one was a little slow at the start and it took me a while to get back into the flow of the style and era but when things got going then the pages flew by.
Derfel and Arthur are two very well rounded c ...more
Apr 19, 2014
Vagner Stefanello
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
physical
Review in Portuguese from Desbravando Livros:
Uma obra-prima da literatura estrangeira! Um dos melhores livros já lidos na minha vida! Uma obra sem comparação! Esse é o único jeito possível de começar a resenhar esse livro magnífico de Bernard Cornwell. Com uma narrativa absurdamente leal aos fatos descobertos pelo autor, somos transportados novamente para a Britânia de antigamente, onde seus habitantes tentam defender suas terras dos invasores saxões.
Dessa vez, além dos problemáticos saxões, nos ...more
Uma obra-prima da literatura estrangeira! Um dos melhores livros já lidos na minha vida! Uma obra sem comparação! Esse é o único jeito possível de começar a resenhar esse livro magnífico de Bernard Cornwell. Com uma narrativa absurdamente leal aos fatos descobertos pelo autor, somos transportados novamente para a Britânia de antigamente, onde seus habitantes tentam defender suas terras dos invasores saxões.
Dessa vez, além dos problemáticos saxões, nos ...more
So,an escape from more formal literary pursuits.Cornwell is a consummate storyteller.He distills history,religion,myth,legend,magic and fable.This predates Game of Thrones but is a marvellous re imagining of the Arthurian legends.This is a story of Britain with religious persecution and invasion and immigration and clashes of Kings and clans.A version of the Arthurian saga was filmed in Ireland in or about 1980 by John Boorman.Two of my classmates had small parts so from then the legends always
...more
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
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
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Cornwell's splendid trilogy of King Arthur continues in the second novel, "Enemy of God" - and it's altogether a darker, dirtier, more brutal world than the Arthur myths most of us remember growing up, with new twists to many familiar characters. Lancelot in this setting is a preening poser, Merlin is a teasing prankster as well as a powerful wizard, and the seasoned Derfel is Arthur's greatest warrior. Arthur now rules as regent for the child king Mordred, his enemies subdued - but chaos is alw
...more
Arguably the worst Cornwell book I have read to date. Characters became boring and really lacked the edge they had in the first book in the series. I still go think Nimue is excellent and I do like this interpretation of Guinevere who is arguably the most dangerous character in the series.
However the main character I find gets more dumb as the book goes on and Arthur seems to become more pathetic each time he appears.
I am a fan of Cornwell but found this one to be boring with a lacklustre ending ...more
However the main character I find gets more dumb as the book goes on and Arthur seems to become more pathetic each time he appears.
I am a fan of Cornwell but found this one to be boring with a lacklustre ending ...more
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Empiezo a pensar que Bernard Cornwell no tiene comparación a la hora de escribir ficción histórica. No es sólo que no haya bajado un ápice la calidad de esta novela respecto de la primera entrega de la trilogía, sino que logra un efecto que muchas novelas prometen y luego no logro experimentar en casi ninguna: empatizas profundamente con los personajes, quieres que triunfen, quieres que fracasen, quieres que se recuperen cuando se encuentran mal.
Me flipa esa sensación tan fuerte que experimentas ...more
Me flipa esa sensación tan fuerte que experimentas ...more
Much better than the first book in the trilogy, this has more exciting plots and made me want to know what happens next. The beginning was fun, the middle bore and the ending page turner, with Cornwell’s writing style already established in the previous book i knew not to expect fantasy and magic. The portrayal of religion and the importance and implication during the dark ages seem real and the way Cornwell uses it in the book is brilliant.
The book is solidly written and well-paced although th ...more
The book is solidly written and well-paced although th ...more
May 11, 2014
Bookdragon Sean
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical,
4-star-reads
After reading this, I have decided I don’t want to read the third book in the series because if I do, it will end. But no seriously, I will read it but I won’t be happy to finish it; it’s just one of those epic series’ that you come across every so often that is that good you don’t want to read it because when you have you can never read it again for a first time.
This novel is fantastic, the character development strong and the plot action packed. It’s just great! For fans of Arthur and his knig ...more
This novel is fantastic, the character development strong and the plot action packed. It’s just great! For fans of Arthur and his knig ...more
The story of Arthur, the king that never was and the enemy of God, continues in the great sequel.
It finally seems like Arthur has his order. Mordred’s throne is safe and after a final battle with the Saxon’s there will be a time of peace.
But Arthur forgot that the Gods thrive on chaos and so his peace will never last.
This is the last day of the old year. The bracken on the hill has turned brown, the elms at the valley’s end have lost their leaves and the winter slaughter of our cattle has begun. ...more
It finally seems like Arthur has his order. Mordred’s throne is safe and after a final battle with the Saxon’s there will be a time of peace.
But Arthur forgot that the Gods thrive on chaos and so his peace will never last.
This is the last day of the old year. The bracken on the hill has turned brown, the elms at the valley’s end have lost their leaves and the winter slaughter of our cattle has begun. ...more
May 30, 2012
Magdalena
rated it
it was amazing
·
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
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
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
Again, this is a very expertly realized historical guess at “Camelot” (a wor ...more
An absolute page turner. Derfel is a wonderful central character. I really like the way the story is written as a memoir. Because of that, we have a bit of a glimpse of his future. I keep reading to discover how he winds up in such a situation as an old man. Of course, that's not the only reason. Mr. Cornwell has developed wonderful characters and plots that kept me wondering what would happen next and astounding me when I found out!
I don't remember reading another book or series that i thought ...more
I don't remember reading another book or series that i thought ...more
I don't understand my ratings anymore. Maybe the Uhtred books should have been 5 stars, 3 doesn't seem enough for this one. I enjoyed it, took me a while to get back into the story though. Definitely appreciated the story more after having read the Uhtred booos and the first book. So maybe 3.5 stars. Ah hell just give it 4.
από έναν μετρ του ιστορικού μυθιστορηματος, ίσως το καλύτερο βιβλίο του είδους.... εκπληκτική ατμόσφαιρα, δράση πολύ ίντριγκα.... Γενικά άψογο....
Better than the first, but I think rather than 3 OK books, it should have been 1 Good book. Liked it enough to read the 3rd.
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
An interesting take on the main period of Arthur's reign that doesn't suffer from the middle book syndrom. I learned a lot about the post-Roman Britain and the earlier less-fancy version of the Arthur legend from this book. It is a period of confusion, a melting pot of religion and uneasy alliances.
I thoroughly enjoyed the battle descriptions which were never drawn out too long and actually fairly quick and to the point giving them a realistic feel. The magic in the book still has me thinking wh ...more
I thoroughly enjoyed the battle descriptions which were never drawn out too long and actually fairly quick and to the point giving them a realistic feel. The magic in the book still has me thinking wh ...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 w ...more
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
Still good. I said most of it in the first book's review, but this is an amazing series.
I did want to address two characters who I think fall a bit into Cornwellian stereotype. They are Lancelot, and Bishop Samson. Lancelot is portrayed as a whiny, cowardly, vain, treacherous piece of garbage. In theory, I'm fine with this. I'm all for throwing a wrench into the traditional narrative, it's just that this character isn't far off from a lot of Cornwell villains, especially in the Sharpe series. Sa ...more
I did want to address two characters who I think fall a bit into Cornwellian stereotype. They are Lancelot, and Bishop Samson. Lancelot is portrayed as a whiny, cowardly, vain, treacherous piece of garbage. In theory, I'm fine with this. I'm all for throwing a wrench into the traditional narrative, it's just that this character isn't far off from a lot of Cornwell villains, especially in the Sharpe series. Sa ...more
The second volume of the Warlord Chronicles: begin with The Winter King.
Bernard Cornwell recontextualizes the familiar episodes of the Arthurian legend within a plausible fictional history. The central characters are intelligently reimagined: none more so than Lancelot, whose villainy is thorough and multifaceted. While Arthur is animated by the quest to unite Britain (Wales) against the looming threat of the (English) Saxons, his fifth-century world is being reshaped by the waning of Druidic pa ...more
Bernard Cornwell recontextualizes the familiar episodes of the Arthurian legend within a plausible fictional history. The central characters are intelligently reimagined: none more so than Lancelot, whose villainy is thorough and multifaceted. While Arthur is animated by the quest to unite Britain (Wales) against the looming threat of the (English) Saxons, his fifth-century world is being reshaped by the waning of Druidic pa ...more
Every few years I look around the bookshop for something medieval/dark ages. And/or fantasy. Something that will be a rollocking tale, battles, kingdoms rise and fall and all that. Possibly - but not necessarily magic. Then after about ten minutes I think "Sod it, I'll read Bernard Cornwell's Arthur trilogy again".
So this is not the first time I've read this. Nor the second. It's the best series Cornwell has done - with source material this good, second rate writers do well, so a first rate hist ...more
So this is not the first time I've read this. Nor the second. It's the best series Cornwell has done - with source material this good, second rate writers do well, so a first rate hist ...more
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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Cornwell was born in London in 1944. His father was a Canadian airman, and his mother, who 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 birth mother's maiden n
...more
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“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.”
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“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.”
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