I loved every moment of this book and once again Bernard Cornwell has not let me down. Stonehenge has always been very mystical and he connects to that mysticism in his writing. Yes, Cornwell had to fill in the gaps but he made it realistic. The fact that Cornwell can connect us to individuals from 4,000 years ago but keeping this historical setting is utterly brilliant. Greed is the cause of this betrayal and even though this is not a modern time period, we who live in more modern times can still relate to this on a daily basis. It pits father against son, brother against brother, husband against wife, and gods against man. While the characters are from the Bronze Age period, we can still recognize the human condition even though 4,000 years separate us. I love how he creates a tale of war and betrayal around these stones and how it almost seemed impossible to complete. So the temple already has a history when this book begins. In this novel, there are the beginnings of the temple and it is mentioned that it has been there longer than the characters could comprehend. We do know that it wasn’t built in one time period and that it was built over a period of various stages in history. Stonehenge is a monument that is recognizable to almost everyone and one of the most puzzling monuments to exist because of the little information we have surrounding its construction. It is rare to find truly believable and immersive ancient historical fiction. Camaban becomes powerful in his own way and is determined to have a temple built for the gods himself–but it is Saban who will actually build it. Lengar refuses to let that gold go to waste and kills his father and sends Saban into slavery. But does the gold belong to the gods? Or to the tribe of the man who died? The gods can be cruel to those who betray them, so the tribes rely on priests to translate the words of the gods. A stranger who dies at the Old Temple carries enough gold to change the course of any tribe. Then the youngest is Saban, their Father’s favorite. Camaban is the middle child but is deformed and therefore thrown out of their society and he becomes a sorcerer. Lengar is the oldest and will do anything to obtain full power. The Tribe of Ratharryn is led by Hengall, who has three sons.

Four thousand years ago, tribes inhabited England.

It does take place in England but during a time where facts are sparse.

I have his Grail Quest Series and Sharpe series on my TBR list as well. You all know how much I loved The Saxon Stories series, (or The Last Kingdom for the Netflix fans) and Agincourt was absolutely brilliant. He has become one of my favorite historical fiction authors. I have developed quite an addiction to Bernard Cornwell’s work. It is the perfect timing to discuss Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell. I was hoping to have posted this review earlier this week.

Stonehenge by bernard cornwell