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    Enemy of God
    Enemy of God
    Enemy of God
    Audiobook18 hours

    Enemy of God

    Written by Bernard Cornwell

    Narrated by Jonathan Keeble

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    At the end of The Winter King Arthur fought the battle that forces unity on the warring British kingdoms and now he sets out to face the real enemy—the English (it is one of the great ironies of the Arthur stories that he should have become an English hero when, if he existed at all, he was a great war-leader who opposed the invading Sais). First, though, Merlin leads a perilous expedition into the mysterious west to retrieve a cauldron, one of the treasures of Britain—this cauldron story is almost certainly the root of the holy grail strand in the Arthur tales. The treasures of Britain, Merlin believes, will bring the old Gods onto the side of the British in their struggle against the Saxons (and the Christians, whom Merlin hates). But the treasures will also set Briton against Briton—especially as Guinevere, now Arthur's wife, wants to make a magic of her own. 'Chaos was now thick across Britain, for someone had spilt the Cauldron's power and its horror threatened to engulf us all.'

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateNov 18, 2014
    ISBN9780062393685
    Enemy of God
    Author

    Bernard Cornwell

    Bernard Cornwell was born in London, raised in Essex and worked for the BBC for eleven years before meeting Judy, his American wife. Denied an American work permit he wrote a novel instead and has been writing ever since. He and Judy divide their time between Cape Cod and Charleston, South Carolina.

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    Reviews for Enemy of God

    4.5/5

    65 ratings15 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I have nothing to add to what i said about the first book, really, except to say that the continuation of Arthur's tale through Derfel's eyes was even more engaging and interesting. cornwell's take on this very well-known story is simply fantastic.
    • 5/5
      i didn't find this one quite so easy to read as the first one, but still a fantastic book and a really interesting take on the well-known Arthurian legend.
    • 5/5
      I read the English language version of this, but weirdly Goodreads only seems to feature the German edition as a stand-alone title?
    • 4/5
      As with the first of Bernard Cornwell’s take on the Arthur legend, here we have a tale that uses little of the well-known legends, such as a magnificent Camelot or the Lady of the Lake. The famous characters of Guinevere, Merlin, Galahad, and Lancelot all appear, yet they all differ from the usual depictions in literature and film.Merlin is a famous druid here, thus in some respects he does fit in with the wizard character that he’s best known for. It’s clever how he and other druids make themselves powerful by playing on people’s superstitions. For a narrator we have Derfel, one of Arthur’s most trusted warlords. He makes a good lead character. He effectively replaces the role usually occupied by Lancelot.One of the biggest changes in this compared to other Arthurian retellings is Lancelot’s character. He’s portrayed as a self-obsessed coward, not as an infallible hero. I liked the characters, the author’s plotting skills, and enjoyed this sequel more than Book 1, but – as with all Bernard Cornwell novels I’ve read to date – certain poor elements of style distract me from the narrative. Three style aspects in particular let this otherwise talented author down in my eyes. One is the amount of long-winded sentences. Most of these could’ve been reduced in length. Why Mr Cornwell feels the need to keep a sentence running with superfluous “ands”, other conjunctions, and commas I don’t know. The quote below isn’t long-winded, but it demonstrates a wasteful amount of words through needless repetition:>The King was dressed entirely in black: black shirt, black trews, black cloak and a pair of black boots‘I want to march with Merlin, Lord,’ I said.
    • 3/5
      Good, a little less violent than book 1, and with even more compelling drama.
    • 4/5
      The second installment in this entertaining take on the King Arthur legend. I did enjoy the way the story took on the Christian vs. pagan populations as King Arthur tried to unite both populations against the Saxons. The battles are believable and enlightening compared to more current techniques. I do not envy the lack of better armor. Durfel continues to be one of my favorite heroes, despite his oafishness, he always tends to do the right thing for the right reasons.
    • 5/5
      For those who finished 'The Winter King', this is where the plot of Cornwell's trilogy really picks up steam. A very fast read, this work covers Arthur and co.'s attempts to stem the tide of disaster and ruin in the midst of constant challenges, warfare, betrayal, and overall disappointment.
    • 5/5
      Book 2 in the Arthur saga. Here we see the true stripes of Lancelot, the King without a kingdom who presumes to be Arthur's friend in spite of evidence to his true nature. Lord Derfel Cardarn, one of Arthur's "made men" is narrating this memoir, and from their first meeting, he had never liked Lancelot, whom he brands as a coward. Several other "Arthurian" tales cross paths in this book. Merlin's quest for a druidic cauldron of great power starts off the book. The fateful story of the doomed lovers Tristan and Iseult is told as well, in this case Arthur's commitment to justice at the expense of an old ally drives a temporary wedge between himself and Derfel. The real source of evil in this book is the Christian church, or, more precisely, it's scheming bishop who contrives to send Arthur and Derfel on a trivial errand that ends in ambush (the only corpses from the encounter being fanatical Christian ones) and then while they were presumably being killed, Mordred, Arthur's' nephew and now King, is attacked while hunting and also presumed dead. Meanwhile, the duplicitous Lancelot, who earlier averted a Saxon civil war that would have helped the Britons, seized power while his Saxon friend launched an attack on Arthur's frontier forces. When it becomes apparent Arthur is indeed not dead, Lancelot summons him under the threat that something unfortunate will happen to Guinevere and Arthur's son. Arthur, under the guise of a peace mission to gain the support of the other Saxon lord, instead circles back to capture his wife and son. Lancelot isn't the only snake, however, and Guinevere is found in a compromising position with one of Lancelot's druids during a religious ceremony dedicated to Isis and Osiris (during which they all hailed Lancelot as king). The story ends with the cauldron again recovered (the cauldron and other treasures were stolen and given to Guinevere), Lancelot fleeting with his tail between his cowardly legs, the Saxons turned away at the border, except for possessing some of what used to be Lancelot's kingdom, and Guinevere in chains. Arthur is supremely pissed...he won't usurp the throne from Mordred, but has decreed that Britain would be ruled by council and Mordred king in name only. Derfel nominates Arthur to be Emperor (king of kings); this time Arthur does not dismiss it, but neither does he embrace the title. The army and most of the lords have long wanted Arthur to declare as king, they are happy now, although the riotous Christian's are seething under the prospect of tyranny under the "Enemy of God."
    • 4/5
      An excellent second entry in the Warlord Chronicles. Mr. Cornwell rather than being pedantic and overblown as some authors in this genre can be, adds his own twist to the Arthurian legend that stands out of the crowd. Arthur's inner and outer turmoil, the religious turmoil of Britain, and obvious turmoil of the book's hero (not Arthur mind you) makes for some interesting and fantastic reading. Mr. Cornwell definitely adds to the legend without losing any of its magic.
    • 4/5
      This is the second book of the 'Warlord Chronicles' trilogy. The first of these (The Winter King) was fantastic and I cannot praise it enough. This one is less good and although it has its moments,it certainly drags a bit at times. We renew our acquaintance with Arthur and Merlin and Lancelot and Guinevere. Derfel is once more both the narrater and the hero (co-hero ?) of the saga. Nimue,who was my favourite character in Book one,has a much less prominent role to play in this one. What is certain,is that Bernard Cornwell has invented a completely different slant to the 'Arthurian Legends' and one which is extremely thought-provoking.
    • 5/5
      He made Gweniver's betrayal a surprise. The revenge on the druid twins was great. Touching and well written.
    • 4/5
      This book continues the series. The first time I read the trilogy, I stumbled on it, but I see nothing wrong with it now. I love the characters, and I love the layers of (likely accurate) detail.
    • 5/5
      The 2nd in the Arthurian legend.Taking up from the end of The Winter King, after Arthur’s astonishing victory at Lugg Vale, Enemy of God continues with Cornwell’s highly imaginative reconstruction of the Arthurian legend. Mallory’s Le Morte d’Arthur was romantically based more on his interpretation of the legends, setting them more in the 11th and 12th century. and giving them a “modern” (15th century) interpretation with chivalry, Knights of the Round Table, and all the trappings of medieval fantasy. 5th century reality--the reality of Arthur’s time--was quite different. No knights, no chivalry; Arthur’s ideas of a brotherhood of kings to throw the Saxons out of England were far ahead of his time and actually detrimental to the safety of the kingdom he handed over to Mordred. Cornwell continues to do a beautiful job with elements of the Mallory version; his account of the Round Table is extremely entertaining. Mallory’s Grail quest becomes something quite different and quite grippingly done in Cornwell’s hands; it’s one of the best parts of an outstanding book.Christianity continues to come off looking like a bad idea, but again, Cornwell remains faithful to what is known of those times, and certainly the scenes he describes in england and Wales certainly occurred elsewhere in the world as well.What is particularly good about this book is Cornwell’s continued deconstruction of Lancelot, and the “truth” behind the affair with Guinevere. Guinevere herself, as are just about all the important female characters in Cornwell’s books, is an intelligent, strong woman frustrated by the subservient role that even royal women had to play. One of Cornwell’s real contributions to the genre is the continued development of his characters. They are not stick figures who simply exist as an excuse for action, but complex and believable people who react believably to their experiences.Cornwell continues to write the most fascinating historical action-adventure novels around, and his research is meticulous. The only quibble with the book is that there is no map; it’s a good idea to scan the one in The Winter King and print it out to use as a place reference.But, other than that, it’s a terrific read. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Cornwell's second entry in this series is as strong as his first (see my review for [Winter King] for my opinion of his general approach to Arthurian legend). There's lots of action and great characters, and Cornwell's usual great storytelling. Can't wait to read the next one! Oh wait, I already am.
    • 5/5
      The finest Arthurian novel I have read, I think. Cornwell weaves a compelling tale that is not necessarily true to the legend, but explains the legend in a manner that is truthful and intriguing. This second volume makes us truly hope for something that can never be, for a king without a crown. The conflicts here ring true, and sets us up nicely for the final battle.