&sq=&lang=&file=File:TheWinterKing.jpg) First edition (UK), featuring a rendering of the Sutton Hoo helmet | |
| Author | Bernard Cornwell |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | The Warlord Chronicles |
| Genre | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Michael Joseph (UK) St. Martin's Press (USA) |
Publication date | 5 October 1995 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) Audio book |
| Pages | 434 pp (hardcover 1st edition) 512 pp (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | 0-7181-3762-0 (hardcover 1st edition) ISBN 0-14-023186-2 (paperback edition) |
| OCLC | 60236624 |
| Followed by | Enemy of God |
The Winter King: A Novel of Arthur is the first novel of the Warlord Chronicles trilogy by Bernard Cornwell, originally published in the UK in 1995 by Penguin Group. The book is based on characters and plot elements from Arthurian myth, but considerably changed and re-worked.
The novel is divided into five parts narrated by the protagonist, Derfel Cadarn. A former warrior sworn to Arthur and now an elderly monk, Derfel tells the story of how Arthur became a warlord in Dark Age Britain despite illegitimacy to the throne. After being banished to Armorica by his father, the High King Uther Pendragon, Arthur returns to protect the new king, his infant half-brother Mordred. However, on the cusp of a united peaceful Britain, Arthur's decision to marry Guinevere plunges the island into war again.
A 10-episode television adaptation, produced by Sony Pictures Television and starring Iain De Caestecker as Arthur Pendragon, premiered on ITVX on 21 December 2023.