Search
David McK (3219 KP) rated The Winter King - season 1 in TV
Feb 26, 2024 (Updated Feb 26, 2024)
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Bernard Cornwell adaptations.
I (generally) like his books.
I've yet to encounter a good adaptation, with the possible exception of the 90s Sharpe series (with Sean Bean), although those definitely needed a bigger budget!
This is loosely based on Cornwell's 'Warlord' trilogy - The Winter King, Enemy of God and Excalibur - which Cornwell himself views as his best works.
They're a 'realistic' retelling of the Arthurian stories, basically.
I (generally) like his books.
I've yet to encounter a good adaptation, with the possible exception of the 90s Sharpe series (with Sean Bean), although those definitely needed a bigger budget!
This is loosely based on Cornwell's 'Warlord' trilogy - The Winter King, Enemy of God and Excalibur - which Cornwell himself views as his best works.
They're a 'realistic' retelling of the Arthurian stories, basically.
MarianL (0 KP) rated The Last Kingdom in TV
Jul 10, 2019 (Updated Jul 10, 2019)
Brilliant series!! Based on Bernard Cornell's books "The saxon stories". Full of action as well as great stories including romance to bring you closer to the characters. Set in the 800s at the time of king Alfred (the great) and is very interesting from a historical point of view. There are Anglo-Saxons, Danes, Britons and even talk of scots. There's no obvious good guys or bad guys either and there are many twists and turns. Definitely gives of game of throne vibes. Would highly recommend!
The Cross and the Curse
Book
AD 634. Anglo-Saxon Britain. A gripping, action-packed historical thriller and second instalment in...
David McK (3219 KP) rated Outlaw (The Outlaw Chronicles, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
"Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Riding throught the Glenn
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, and his bunch of blood-thirsty murderous outlaws ..."
Doesn't have quite the same ring, does it?
"Outlaw" is the story of Robin Hood, told from the perspective of Alan Dale. Like Bernard Cornwell's series of books about King Arthur (indeed, my copy of the book even had a "As good as Bernard Cornwell or your money back" sticker on it), Outlaw is a more earthy, more 'real', telling of the famous tale. All the famous characters are here: Robin Hood, Maid Marie-Anne (Marion), Little John, Friar Tuck, Guy of Gisbourne, and (obviously) Alan Dale himself.
Forget the recent BBC adaptation, or even the '91 film starring a not-very-English Kevin Costner; this is more what Robin Hood would have been like (if he ever existed) than the over-romanticised legendary figure.
Worth a read? If you like Cornwell (or Simon Scarrow's) style of historical fiction, then my answer is a definite yes.
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, and his bunch of blood-thirsty murderous outlaws ..."
Doesn't have quite the same ring, does it?
"Outlaw" is the story of Robin Hood, told from the perspective of Alan Dale. Like Bernard Cornwell's series of books about King Arthur (indeed, my copy of the book even had a "As good as Bernard Cornwell or your money back" sticker on it), Outlaw is a more earthy, more 'real', telling of the famous tale. All the famous characters are here: Robin Hood, Maid Marie-Anne (Marion), Little John, Friar Tuck, Guy of Gisbourne, and (obviously) Alan Dale himself.
Forget the recent BBC adaptation, or even the '91 film starring a not-very-English Kevin Costner; this is more what Robin Hood would have been like (if he ever existed) than the over-romanticised legendary figure.
Worth a read? If you like Cornwell (or Simon Scarrow's) style of historical fiction, then my answer is a definite yes.
The Winter King
Book
From bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, comes a brilliant retelling of the Arthurian legend,...
Wars of the Roses: Stormbird
Book
Historical fiction master Conn Iggulden retells the gripping story of the English Civil War in this...
David McK (3219 KP) rated Albion: The Legend of Arthur in Books
May 22, 2020
For some reason, and I don't know why, but modern stories about Arthur, the once and future King, always seem to miss the mark with me. Maybe it's because little can compare to T.H. White's The Once and Future King?
(That's not to say that there are enjoyable stories set in and around the same period - Giles Kristian's Lancelot, for example.)
Still, I live in hope.
It was that hope that led me to pre-order this Audible exclusive, described as somewhat akin to Bernard Cornwell's The Winter King: A Novel of Arthur trilogy (incidentally, the authors favourite, and that I couldn't really get into that much the last time I tried: might be time for another re-read!).
Now I've read (listened) to it, and I feel it could probably best be summed up in one word: "M'eh".
This Arthur, I found, was thoroughly unlikeable. Yes, I know he could be at times in the originals, but the key phrase there is 'at times'; not for the entirety of the story! Never the less, I persevered throughout to see if it would improve: I have to say, however, that the other recent Audible original (Assassin's Creed: Gold) was far better, in my opinion.
(That's not to say that there are enjoyable stories set in and around the same period - Giles Kristian's Lancelot, for example.)
Still, I live in hope.
It was that hope that led me to pre-order this Audible exclusive, described as somewhat akin to Bernard Cornwell's The Winter King: A Novel of Arthur trilogy (incidentally, the authors favourite, and that I couldn't really get into that much the last time I tried: might be time for another re-read!).
Now I've read (listened) to it, and I feel it could probably best be summed up in one word: "M'eh".
This Arthur, I found, was thoroughly unlikeable. Yes, I know he could be at times in the originals, but the key phrase there is 'at times'; not for the entirety of the story! Never the less, I persevered throughout to see if it would improve: I have to say, however, that the other recent Audible original (Assassin's Creed: Gold) was far better, in my opinion.
Bad dog!
Cujo taps into a lot of those primal feelings with animals and relationships. Stephen King takes this St Bernard and turns it into a killer but he also makes you understand why the dog is acting the way that it is acting. You get to view the world through the lens of the dog's eyes and the through the dog's thoughts as well.
On the other side of the coin is the family that used to the own the dog and of course the Trentons. Both family are sucked into the horror and neither come out the same. This is a classic work of Stephen King's but it is tough to swallow if you are not ready for it.
On the other side of the coin is the family that used to the own the dog and of course the Trentons. Both family are sucked into the horror and neither come out the same. This is a classic work of Stephen King's but it is tough to swallow if you are not ready for it.
The Three Theban Plays (Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colunus)
Book
Antigone defending her integrity and ideals to the death, Oedipus questing for his identity and...
Literature Ancient Drama Ancient Greece Mythology