The Winter King

The Winter King is a 1995 novel by Bernard Cornwell. It is the first volume of the Warlord Chronicles series, a reimagining of the legend of King Arthur stripped of magic and romance and instead steeped in the grim realities of Britain after the fall of the Roman Empire. It was followed up by Enemy of God (1996) and Excalibur (1997). By the time Cornwell published The Winter King, he had established his reputation as a major author of historical fiction, especially for stories about his native Britain. His series of novels about Richard Sharpe, a fictional soldier who takes part in nearly every major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, had already proved very popular and been adapted for British television with Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones) in the role of Sharpe. The Warlord Chronicles are among the best-reviewed of Cornwell’s novels, and he has confessed that they are his favorite of his works. In 2023, the entire series was adapted into a limited series called The Winter King.

This summary is based on the 1996 Penguin paperback edition.

Content Warning: This guide and the source material contain graphic depictions of war, violence, and sexual violence.