9780062009487
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Excalibur audiobook

  • By: Bernard Cornwell
  • Narrator: Tim Pigott-Smith
  • Length: 6 hours 9 minutes
  • Publisher: HarperAudio
  • Publish date: March 30, 2010
  • Language: English
  • (19448 ratings)
(19448 ratings)
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Excalibur Audiobook Summary

In The Winter King and Enemy of God Bernard Cornwell demonstrated his astonishing ability to make the oft-told legend of King Arthur fresh and new for our time. Now, in this riveting final volume of The Warlord Chronicles, Cornwell tells the unforgettable tale of Arthur’s final struggles against the Saxons and his last attempts to triumph over a ruined marriage and ravaged dreams.

This is the tale not only of a broken love remade, but also of forces both earthly and unearthly that threaten everything Arthur stands for. Peopled by princesses and bards, by warriors and magicians, Excalibur is the story of love, war, loyalty, and betrayal-the work of a magnificent storyteller at the height of his powers.

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Excalibur Audiobook Narrator

Tim Pigott-Smith is the narrator of Excalibur audiobook that was written by Bernard Cornwell

BERNARD CORNWELL is the author of over fifty novels, including the acclaimed New York Times bestselling Saxon Tales, which serve as the basis for the hit Netflix series The Last Kingdom. He lives with his wife on Cape Cod and in Charleston, South Carolina.

About the Author(s) of Excalibur

Bernard Cornwell is the author of Excalibur

Excalibur Full Details

Narrator Tim Pigott-Smith
Length 6 hours 9 minutes
Author Bernard Cornwell
Publisher HarperAudio
Release date March 30, 2010
ISBN 9780062009487

Additional info

The publisher of the Excalibur is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780062009487.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Petrik

August 01, 2017

The Warlord Chronicles trilogy is hands down the best Arthurian saga I’ve ever had the chance to experience out of all medium."I have to confess that of all the books I have written, these three are my favourites.” – Bernard Cornwell2 months and 20 books after my last 5/5 stars (without rounding up) read, the end to that slump is finally here, for I have found a new addition to my favorite shelves in a genre I rarely ventured. Cornwell has a new fan and this might be a sign for me to dive into more Historical Fiction in the future.Excalibur, the third and last book in the Warlord Chronicles trilogy is definitely the best entry out of the trilogy. I’ll try to keep this review as brief possible to avoid any kind of spoiler, I’ve talked about what made the trilogy great in my previous reviews, the only thing missing was the battle and war scenes I’ve come to expect from the genre, and they’re finally here.Cornwell’s capability in weaving plot and unfolding them slowly is impeccable. He’s a masterful storyteller and one of the few authors whose prose worked wonderfully to me. Both George R R Martin and John Gwynne stated that Bernard Cornwell is their personal best author when it comes to battle scenes and this book finally reveals the truth on that notion. “Only a fool wants war, but once a war starts then it cannot be fought half-heartedly. It cannot even be fought with regret, but must be waged with a savage joy in defeating the enemy, and it is that savage joy that inspires our bards to write their greatest songs about love and war.” Three intricate, fast paced duels with a lot of stakes behind each one, the 130 pages of war filled with siege, tactics, clashing shield walls against the Saxon at Mynydd Baddon, and the thrilling climax, were all so epic, thrilling and breathtaking.Everything about Derfel and Arthur also reached closure here. The story that was told from 480 AD until 525 AD, full of loss, tragedy, friendship, familial love, war, heroism, betrayal, everything has been waged and fought and the ending has reached the most appropriate conclusion. I do admit that I wish for one more chapter of epilogue for more closure for two characters, but when it comes down to it, this series has never been only about Derfel, it’s about Arthur and the people he met as well and for that, I can't ask for any other end.Picture: Fanart of Derfel Cadarn by chronicvillainy on DeviantartOften I had to remind my brain that this story is fiction. The book is superbly written and Cornwell’s Arthur formed out of the blend of legend and imagination has brought forth original characters, retelling and amazing plots that reminds us how deep the history humanity has left us, how much we, despite living in a totally different age and civilization still remained the same with the people of our past. Fate, as Merlin says, is inexorable. “History is not just a tale of men’s making, but is a thing tied to the land. We call a hill by the name of a hero who died there, or name a river after a princess who fled beside its banks, and when the old names vanish, the stories go with them and the new names carry no reminder of the past.” This book was published exactly 20 years ago, I was only 8 years old back then and yet, it became and still the best Arthurian saga I’ve ever had the chance to experience, not to mention superior in comparison to a huge amount of high fantasy books I’ve read. It’s Cornwell’s personal favorite books that he ever wrote and it’s now included in one of my favorite trilogies of all time list. That's all I have to say on this review.I totally recommend this to anyone who’s a fan of Historical Fiction genre, Arthurian saga, or just in need of a marvelous book with great storytelling in general. The Warlord Chronicles trilogy is an incredible retelling of a name. A name which personification cannot be put proven to exist by countless historians, a name that brought forth countless retelling, adaptation and a name that may have truly became ‘real’ in the perception of many despite the lack of proofs. His name is Arturus Rex Quondam, Rexque Futurus: Arthur, our Once and Future King. Series review: The Winter King: 4.5/5 Stars Enemy of God: 4.5/5 Stars Excalibur: 5/5 Stars The Warlord Chronicles: 14/15 Stars You can find this and the rest of my Adult Epic/High Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at BookNest

Matt's Fantasy Book Reviews

December 30, 2022

Check out my YouTube channel where I show my instant reactions upon finishing reading fantasy books. It's hard to consider this book on it's own and judge it without comparing it to the previous book, which is one of the best books I have ever read. Unfortunately (and predictably) this book doesn't reach the heights of that second book, but it is extremely enjoyable nonetheless and has a quality ending to an extremely wonderful series.

William

July 08, 2021

I now have a YouTube channel that I run with my brother, called 'The Brothers Gwynne'. Check it out - The Brothers Gwynne My expanded review is on BookNest!BookNest “Tell your father” I said, “That I loved him to the end.” Excalibur is the third and final book in The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell. It brings about the conclusion of the best Arthurian novels I have ever read. “This tale of Arthur, my Lord, my friend and the deliverer of Britain.” Excalibur was utterly brilliant just like its predecessors. It is the finale of a story that has immersed me into the lives of the characters as my feelings became the victims to the scale of emotions experienced, from euphoria to misery. “Only a fool wants war, but once a war starts then it cannot be fought half-heartedly. It cannot even be fought with regret, but must be waged with a savage joy in defeating the enemy, and it is that savage joy that inspires our bards to write their greatest songs about love and war.” Excalibur contained the largest scale conflicts of the trilogy, with Arthur and his warriors forced to repel a Saxon invasion that far outnumbers them. One of the best duels I have had the pleasure to read was in this, and it was mesmerising, the tension and description moulding together to make the scene truly incredible, I will remember that duel for many years to come.So many acts of heroism were performed that had me physically grinning and then there were the despicable actions that had me weeping as the characters I have so grown to love fell victim to those whose ambitions are insatiable. Some of my most loved characters and most hated were in this trilogy, Derfel and Arthur being two who I will genuinely miss. While Excalibur had its fair share of tragedy to say the least, it was also complete with moments of bitter satisfaction, that softened the blow slightly, but not enough to stem the tears…. (view spoiler)[ FINALLY LANCELOT (hide spoiler)] “So, in the morning light, where they flapped in the drying wind, the bear and the star defied the Saxons.” Excalibur was certainly a five star rating for me, I would give it more if I could. It was a wonderful, brutal, heart-wrenching, beautiful story about friendship and loyalty. I wept at multiple points and am shocked about how much my emotions have been affected.The Warlord Chronicles is one of my all-time favourite series that has left me with a serious book hangover which will surely take a while to overcome. But now I must say farewell to the novel and all its contents, so goodbye to Derfel and his inspiring loyalty, Merlin and his wisdom, Galahad and his kindness and of course, Arthur, the Lord and saviour of Britain.Farewell

Wick

November 30, 2022

A stunning masterpiece.I feel like I want to write a several page essay about why this book, and this trilogy, is so incredibly good. I walked away from the final book in this Arthurian trilogy, Excalibur, humbled and awestruck at the remarkable accomplishment of characterization achieved. Every character has depth, dimension and enough flesh and bones that I will never forget them. The epic saga that unfolds in these pages is bursting with thematic power, lore, history, romance, bravery, friendship and the horror of warfare. First with the characters. The depiction of Arthur is incredibly masterful. He is a man full of ideal, do-goodery. The reluctant ruler who refuses to be King yet cannot help but rule by his sheer bravery, charisma and loyalty. Arthur pines for consensus and brotherhood when no one wants to share his same fellowship. Arthur is both a fool and a hero and perhaps he is a hero because he's a bit of a fool. His foibles abound when his inaction causes disaster and his self-interest causes calamity. Yet it is only Arthur's idealism that actually keep Britain together. And yet, despite Arthur's bravery and loyalty, he is despised of his own because of the very forces that refused to reciprocate his naive round table. I believe that Arthur depicted in this trilogy is one of the best depictions of a protagonist I've ever read. His romance with Guinevere serves as both foil and companion. Guinevere herself is a dynamic, brilliant and unpredictable character. Derfel is one of my favorite characters that I've read in a novel, period. The loyal narrator of this tale, Derfel is honest to a fault, loyal when very few remain, and most of all: he loves his family and friends. Defel is shrewd when he needs to be and ignorant when it best serves the interest of Arthur. He is brave and terrifying on the battlefield and all his words are tinged with a self-aware irony. His romance and loyalty to his wife and family almost had me in tears. I will never forget Derfel.Let's not forget Merlin and Nimue. No spoilers, but by the end of this series it is clear that they are out of their minds. They serve to function as vestiges of Britain past, the crumbling world order that once ruled as Pagans and the desperation that lashes out to cease power back from the Christian upstarts. The lore of the druids clashing with the christians is a constant theme and one of the main drivers of plot throughout the series. It is incredibly engaging and weirdly relevant to the politics of today. The land of Britain is a character itself. It is in a constant identity crisis with not only the pagans and christian but the constant threat of the Saxons. And despite the constant culture war between the two religions, it’s clear by the end of the third book that Arthur was right all along: it’s trust in one another that succeeds. The battle scenes are unbelievable. With both horror and pity, Derfel brings war into the mind of the reader. Everything about the battles is epic; Derfel is a warrior and a poet as he describes the numerous battles throughout these pages.I could really go on but I'm not going to do this book justice. This is hands down one of my favorite series I've ever read. I cannot recommend it enough.

Bruno

June 12, 2020

4.5*

Daniel

November 14, 2015

I read this series years ago, but started it again to study Cornwell, line-by-line. This book just gets so profoundly sad as you move deeper through it. There are so many things I would love to change about our history. This book makes me want to step back in time 15 centuries to stop Christianity from infecting the world, and to burn all of the Saxon ships before they sailed to Britain. Cornwell is truly a masterful writer. I aspire to his level of skill for my own life as a writer.

North

June 13, 2022

Another 10/10. Three 10/10s. The best trilogy I've read. Thats it - now go read it.If you're still here, here are some of my brief thoughts. I'll try and not cuss this time. The plot isn't anything crazy, but you get invested in the tale because of Cornwell's character work. Each person - Derfel, Arthur, Guinevere, Ceinwyn, Culuwch, Galahad, Lancelot, Sagramor, Meurig, Merlin, Nimue, and so many others - just absolutely bounces off the page. You hate them and you love them, not a single character I can describe with the word 'meh'. Keeble's narration and his voices for all these characters made the experience so much more enjoyable.Also, nobody writes action this good. I was almost enjoying the maddening slaughter that occurs when a shield wall shatters and break, and men slice down spilling blood and guts. You're really in Derfel's head 100% of the time. Extremely immersive experience, will definitely be re-reading this one after a couple of years.Looking forward to reading more Bernard Cornwell later this year, but I will be surprised if any books/series can top The Warlord Chronicles for me this year.

Scott

November 11, 2017

Book 1: 3*'sBook 2: 3.5*'sBook 3: 4*'s If you like the tales of Arthur this series is a must and each book gets better. It is probably the darkest and least romanticized version I've read. The endings for a lot of our characters of myth are much less glorious as well then other versions of the tale. This makes them no less compelling and even more so in the more realistic gloom of 6th century what would become England. It's somewhat amazing with all the hatred across kingdoms they ever did manage to unify.

Ben

October 27, 2022

What a great finale to the trilogy, and I was pretty sad when it ended and I didn't have any more pages and time to spend with Derfal's story. This one had some fantastic battle scenes, many heartfelt character moments, and unpredictable plotting that kept me in suspense throughout. The ending was just absolutely perfect for the series too.The combination of fully lovable protagonists and utterly loathsome villains, mixed with some complicated characters who I both liked and wanted to bonk over the head, provided a great range of people to get invested in. The frame narrative was a real delight as well even though we spent very few pages with it, and the bard character in this book added a lyrical dimension that I loved as well.Cornwell wrote an absolutely gripping trilogy that is going to stay with me and I fear springboard me to many more medieval-set books!

Kate

May 14, 2010

Bernard Cornwell is one of the best writers of historical fiction out there, and the Arthur trilogy is his best work. He strips a good deal of the gloss off the Arthur legends, and what is left is a fascinating picture of the squalor, mystery, brutality, and courage of sixth-century Britain. The third and final novel, "Excalibur," brings the curtain crashing down on a scene we think we know. The baby king Mordred is now a grown man, stepping into his birthright as Arthur bows out, and horror ensues as Mordred's character unfolds. But we all know the story of Arthur ends on a battlefield with his fight against Mordred, so why bother discussing it? The characters are what carry this story along so compellingly. Derfel, the lord of war and loyal friend who outshines even Arthur as a hero. Nimue, Derfel's childhood love, gone from fierce child to mad sorceress. Guinevere, the ambitious adulteress who finally redeems herself on a blood-soaked battlefield. Sansum, bishop and fanatic, the sorriest excuse for a Christian ever born. There is even time for minor characters: Derfel's unexpected father, Arthur's loathesome bastard sons, the sad story of Arthur's friend Tristan and his doomed Iseult. The final battle is a thing of hair-raising terror and breathtaking beauty. I do not cry easily at books, but the last fifty pages of this one have me weeping every time.

Sean Barrs

November 07, 2016

“So now I shall write the tale’s ending with my sword beside me and I shall hope that I am given time to finish this tale of Arthur, my Lord, who was betrayed, reviled and, after his departure, missed like no other man was ever missed in all of Britain’s history.”Wow! What a great book. The ending is marvellous and keeps with the legend but yet raises the question of, “did he live?” This is not a book the reader will soon forget. The author converged history with myth, bringing new life into the old tale with a fresh take upon Arthur. We finally get to see how Derfel became a monk, which seems outlandish at first but then when the explanation is given, the reasoning is clear. This is a MUST read with lots of emphasis on the MUST!

Andrews

November 11, 2022

Amazing… a truly flawless trilogy

Lucia

December 31, 2017

Another great book by Bernard Cornwell!

Whitney

February 15, 2023

Forever in my heart this will be the definitive story of Arthur.With every book in this series there was a lull point where we were getting a lot of names/places/battles with little action so that is why I couldn't give any of the books the full five stars but this series was a ton of fun. Cornwell did a really good job of creating characters that felt like true living, breathing people hence why I am now saying this is the definitive way everything went down all those centuries ago. Cornwell breathed so much life into the Arthurian Legend it really was quite magical. I was sad to see this series end because my love for these people. As I said before this is more of a historical fiction series but it will scratch the itch for fantasy lovers with the emphasis on Merlin and Nimue who are wizards and who use magic. I loved how there was that constant play on the is it or isn't it real as I imagine, especially in that time, that really was how magic was treated.

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