Derfel, once a captain in Arthur's warband, recalls the days of Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and Bishop Sansum. But, above all, it tells the story of Arthur, the only man who can hold Uther's throne for its infant heir, and unite Britain's squabbling kingdoms against the enemy.

Uther, the High King of Britain, has died, leaving the infant Mordred as his only heir. His uncle, the loyal and gifted warlord Arthur, now rules as caretaker for a country which has fallen into chaos - threats emerge from within the British kingdoms while vicious Saxon armies stand ready to invade. As he struggles to unite Britain and hold back the Saxon enemy, Arthur is embroiled in a doomed romance with beautiful Guinevere.

There is no end to the writing of books about Arthur the King; from 9th-century Nennius to T H White and Mary Stewart, writers have been fascinated, intimidated, frustrated. Who was Arthur? What was Arthur? Did Arthur ever exist? If so - where? Bernard Cornwell, author of the hugely popular Sharpe series, sets King Arthur firmly in the traditional West Country - not a romantic King but a towering Warlord, in a realistic Dark Ages setting. It takes courage to tackle, yet again, Britain's most powerful and enduring myths. Here it works magically, seen through the eyes of Saxon Derfel in old age, after a charmed life - a monk who was there when Arthur returned from Brittany to rescue his war-torn homeland for the first time. The Winter King is the first of The Warlord Chronicles. (Kirkus UK)