Arthur

Author Giles Kristian
Narrator Philip Stevens
Publisher Transworld
Publish Date 1 January 1970
Run Time 16 hours and 30 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Adventure fiction, Fantasy, Historical adventure fiction, Historical fantasy, Historical fiction, Myths and Legends.

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

Years have passed since the clash of shieldwalls echoed across the land. The Saxons are now the lords of Britain. And yet the bards still sing of Arthur - 'In our darkest time, when we need him most, shall he come again.'

Yet old Beran has no love of bards' songs. Nor of people, unless they are paying him to steal or kill. He is a mercenary, in the employ of the cutthroat Nabor ap Nabor, and he has been ordered to murder a boy fleeing a burning city. No ordinary boy either. No, this boy is the son of King Constantine and the grandson of High King Ambrosius. And he could be the hope of Britain . . . if he lives.

Betraying his companions and returning to a world he thought he had left forever, Beran gives his word that he will take the boy to the one place that still holds out against the Saxons: Camelot.

Crossing a hostile land, they will meet the runaway lovers, Tristan and Isolde. They will seek the help of Guivret, called the Little King, and the Saracen, Palamedes, who once rode beneath Arthur's banner.

Hunted by Saxons, Nabor ap Nabor, and Queen Morgana, this unlikely band must fight for their lives and for each other. For if there's to be any hope for Britain, Beran must deliver the boy to Camelot. But to do that, he must also face his own past . . .

©2024 Giles Kristian (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

Superb . . . authentic and terrifying . . . fans of Bernard Cornwell’s Winter King trilogy will devour this and conclude that Kristian has surpassed the Master.

THE TIMES

Giles Kristian is a sure hand. Great ending and a talented author.

Conn Iggulden, Daily Express

A truly excellent finale to a wonderful trilogy. Gritty and heartbreaking, this is a novel that grabs you and sweeps you along to its emotional and bittersweet ending. A must read.

JOHN GWYNNE, author of The Faithful and the Fallen

For me, Arthur is Kristian’s crowning achievement. Taken together, his trilogy will surely stand in a high place of honour among the many great retellings of the legend of Arthur.

THEODORE BRUN, author of The Wanderer Chronicles

Giles Kristian’s Arthur is brilliant . . . it is a rare gift to be able to transport readers into such an ancient and alien time and make them smell, see, hear and experience every battle, each sword thrust or step of a journey as if they were physically there. But Kristian has that gift in spades . . . an exquisitely poignant and perfect ending.

KAREN MAITLAND, author of Company of Liars

The best re-telling of Arthur’s legend I’ve read . . . Giles brings Dark Age Britain to life in a way no one else could. He touches all your senses, from the sight of a rook in flight to the smell of Britain’s rich earth. Every bird, tree, landmark or hilltop painted in vivid colour for the reader as they travel through the Dark Isles in the midst of legends of old . . . bloody and glorious, and very well done.

ADAM LOFTHOUSE, author of Ravensworn

Shines out like a beacon . . . the characters scarred and ravaged by time, it pulls no punches in its depiction of the dark ages, these were brutal and hard times . . . the ending is sublime . . . full of heart and emotion . . . had me spellbound throughout.

AMWBOOKS

Every now and then, a book comes along that stands head and shoulders above the rest . . . it is perfection. If there is only one book you read this year, make sure it is Arthur by Giles Kristian.

HISTORY...THE INTERESTING BITS!

A tale elegantly and expertly told; Kristian’s novels are the modern exemplar of the Arthurian mythos.

RICHARD SWAN , author of the 'Empire of the Wolf' trilogy

Absorbing and gripping . . . Arthur is a moving, atmospheric, and enthralling experience that culminates the Arthurian Tales in the best possible manner.

GRIMDARK

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