The saga begins in Dark Age Britain, a land where Arthur has been banished and Merlin has disappeared, where a child-king sits unprotected on the throne, where religion vies with magic for the souls of the people. Going far beyond the usual tales of romance and chivalry, The Winter King introduces us to an Arthur who is both utterly convincing and a true hero: a man of honor, loyalty, and amazing valor; a man who loves Guinevere more passionately than he should; a man whose life is at once tragic and triumphant. As Arthur fights to keep a flicker of civilization alive in a barbaric world, Bernard Cornwell makes a familiar tale into a legend all over again in this magnificent novel that will forever change the way the story of Arthur is told.