Stonehenge

Bernard Cornwell is a master of the historical novel, regardless of the era he tells of. "Stonehenge," not unsurprisngly, refers to the building of Stonehence, circa 2000 B.C. The story is a wonderful blend of archaeology and invention. Mostly invention, but wonderfully done. Cornwell invents a tribal society and believable customs to go with it. He molds some interesting characters as well. Stonehenge is a marvelous blend of a speechless monument and the story it might have told if it could. Cornwell's "Stonehenge" is an exquisite read for history buffs and anyone who enjoys a good story, well told. Jerry

Over 20 years ago I fulfilled a long-time dream by standing before the giant and ancient monument known as Stonehenge. Like everyone else who stood there, I marveled at the minds and determination of the men and women who must have struggled against the elements as they overcame the limitations of their ancient times to build this structure. Like anyone else, I wondered how they were able to do it and why they took on this task."Stonehenge" is a novel and does not pretend to be fact. In his historical notes, Cornwell makes it clear that no one really knows who or why it was built, and there are only clues as to how. He points out that future scientists may very well look at our cathedrals and draw conclusions about our own culture and beliefs that are as likely to be wrong as right. However, that is not important here.Cornwell has constructed a tight and fascinating story that tells maybe why and maybe how Stonehenge came to be. The story centers on three half-brothers, two of them doomed to death at the hands of their siblings, the women who loved and hated them, warriors, priests, and a pantheon of gods and goddesses, not physically part of the story, but whose presence, real or imagined, drives the characters on. I cannot think of one character that wasn't well drawn or who acted against their nature in this story. Even though so many of the events in the story deal with the reaction to the mythology (a term meaning someone else's religion) of the characters, I never once felt that their actions or beliefs were too farfetched. They were each people of their times, not modernized versions of ancient people.Stonehenge is exceptional. Anyone who likes historical fiction, especially as it deals with the ancient world, will love it. Also, anyone who likes action packed adventure stories, tales of heroes, tales that delve into the behavior of characters, or just want to pass the time on the plane, train, or bus, should move this to the top of their must read list.

I adore Bernard Cornwell's writing, and I believe that this is his best novel yet. The story was extremely well researched. I could not put this book down, and after I read it, I wanted to go back and read it again for the first time. The characters were well developed, and his idea about the mystery of Stonehenge was very interesting. This book provides everything- action, suspence, mystery, romance- and all in a wonderful historical novel. I would recommend this book to anyone, even if they are not too interested in Stonehenge.

Stonehenge [2000 B.C.] by Bernard CornwellBernard Cornwell's particular literary talent lies in his marvelously rich imagination and ability to extrapolate relevant, intelligent, and highly entertaining stories from the merest and scantest of archeological and historical data. In this novel, he vividly imagines the people who built Stonehenge well before the time of Christ. His characters are always very realistic and well relatable to 21st Century readers. Whether writing of the sea in his Sharpe series or dealing with Arthurian material in his Warlord Chronicles, all with grand stage settings and unforgettable background events, the lives of ordinary people become as true and relevant as the latest breaking news. This present book deals with three brothers as different as brothers can be, but united in their vision of what the great temple we know as Stonehenge should be. Cornwell includes a lot of creative pagan mythology here and the influence of such scholars as Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung can readily be discerned. But don't be misled; this is still an action-packed page-turner as are all of Cornwell's books. Great for those exhausting dog days of August.