[ebooktalk] Re: BERNARD CORNWELL
- From: "Shell" <shell@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2013 19:56:01 +0100
Hi Steve,
I haven't read any from the Saxon series, but I have often thought about trying
them. I really enjoy listening to Bernard Cornwell whenever I hear him on the
radio. I agree with Ian, that I didn't enjoy the Sharpe series as much as some
of his other books. The first couple I read in the series did seem to lurch
from one battle scene to another and I'm not very keen on battle history.
However, I did wonder if perhaps that got better as the series went on. I have
read one of his modern stand alone books, an eco thriller called Storm Child,
set on a boat, but I thought it was a bit daft and think he is better sticking
to historical novels. I quite enjoyed Stone henge, though I often find his
books a bit over long and sometimes quite heavy going. I would like to read
Azincourt as I heard an interview about it and it sounded quite thrilling.
Shell.
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From: "Ian Macrae" <ian.macrae1@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2013 12:23 PM
To: <ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [ebooktalk] Re: BERNARD CORNWELL
> Yes, that's a good series. His other sequences have proved hit and miss to
> me. there's a trilogy about Arthur which I really liked and another called
> The Lords Of the North which is set some time before the saxon Chronicles and
> I enjoyed those too. then there's a series set in the One Hundred years War
> featuring a character called Tomas of Hookton. They are very good especially
> on the tyranny of the Catholic church. He also wrote a very good stand-alone
> novel called Azincourt, which is about the battle we know as Agincourt. The
> book Clare g mentioned is from his Sharp sequence, and I think there are 21
> of those. I've read some but not enjoyed them as much as the others.
> Finally, there are two sets of books concerning early American history from
> the time of the Revolution and another about the Civil War. Again I've read
> one or two of these but found them less satisfying. He has also written a
> couple of contemporary thrillers one of which I tried and gave up as
> unconvincing.
> On 21 Apr 2013, at 09:55, Steven Bingham wrote:
>
>> Hi
>>
>> I have just finished Bernard Cornwell’s Last Kingdom. It is the first in his
>> Saxon series about the time of King Alfred.
>>
>> This was the first Bernard Cornwell book I have read and I was quite
>> impressed. I often find historical fiction difficult because the facts, or
>> at least their telling, often get in the way of the story and can make
>> reading very hard going. In this case there was quite a lot of history but
>> it never seemed to slow the plot too much. There were not too many battle
>> scenes so I did not suffer from battle weariness (once you have read one
>> battle scene you’ve read them all). The character development was good for a
>> comparatively short book covering a wide sectrum of events.
>>
>> I liked the way Cornwell dealt with the different religions. It was obvious
>> that Christianity would not appeal to those brought up in the Danish way of
>> life and death.
>>
>> Overall an enjoyable book and I now need to find the next in the series.
>>
>> Steve
>
>
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