Автор - Bernard Cornwell
Agincourt
Автор: Bernard CornwellЖанр: Иностранная литература
“The greatest writer of historical adventures today” (Washington Post) tackles his richest, most thrilling subject yet—the heroic tale of Agincourt. Young Nicholas Hook is dogged by a cursed past—haunted by what he has failed to do and banished for what he has done. A wanted man in England, he is driven to fight as a mercenary archer in France, where he finds two things he can love: his instincts as a fighting man, and a girl in trouble. Together they survive the notorious massacre at Soissons, an event that shocks all Christendom. With no options left, Hook heads home to England, where his capture means certain death. Instead he is discovered by the young King of England—Henry V himself—and by royal command he takes up the longbow again and dons the cross of Saint George. Hook returns to France as part of the superb army Henry leads in his quest to claim the French crown. But after the English campaign suffers devastating early losses, it becomes clear that Hook and his fellow archers are their king’s last resort in a desperate fight against an enemy more daunting than they could ever have imagined. One of the most dramatic victories in British history, the battle of Agincourt—immortalized by Shakespeare in Henry V—pitted undermanned and overwhelmed English forces against a French army determined to keep their crown out of Henry’s hands. Here Bernard Cornwell resurrects the legend of the battle and the “band of brothers” who fought it on October 25, 1415. An epic of redemption, Agincourt follows a commoner, a king, and a nation’s entire army on an improbable mission to test the will of God and reclaim what is rightfully theirs. From the disasters at the siege of Harfleur to the horrors of the field of Agincourt, this exhilarating story of survival and slaughter is at once a brilliant work of history and a triumph of imagination—Bernard Cornwell at his best.
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Crackdown
Автор: Bernard CornwellЖанр: Иностранная литература
Paradise is the perfect escape for ex-Marine Nick Breakspear, captain of a charter yacht operation in the Bahamas, until he agrees to pilot a "detox cruise" for the drug-addled grown son and daughter of a powerful U.S. senator. Ambushed far from port, he is helpless to prevent the murder of a crew member by modern-day pirates who sink Nick's yacht before vanishing with the senator's kids. Having barely eluded death, Nick must immediately set sail for disaster once again. For there's a death to be avenged on the dark side of Eden, the senator is demanding that his lost children be found . . . and the woman Nick loves is being held prisoner by killers somewhere on Murder Cay.
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Death of Kings
Автор: Bernard CornwellЖанр: Иностранная литература
The fate of a young nation rests in the hands of a reluctant warrior in the thrilling sixth volume of the New York Times bestselling Saxon Tales series. Following the intrigue and action of The Burning Land and Sword Song, this latest chapter in Bernard Cornwell’s epic saga of England is a gripping tale of divided loyalties and mounting chaos. At a crucial moment in time, as Alfred the Great lays dying, the fate of all—Angles, Saxons, and Vikings alike—hangs desperately in the balance. For all fans of classic Cornwell adventures, such as Agincourt and Stonehenge, and for readers of William Dietrich’s Hadrian’s Wall or Robert E. Howard’s Bran Mak Morn, the stunning Death of Kings will prove once again why the Wall Street Journal calls Bernard Cornwell “the most prolific and successful historical novelist in the world today.”
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Die Galgenfrist
Автор: Bernard CornwellЖанр: Иностранная литература
London im Jahre 1817: Mit harter Hand bemüht sich die Obrigkeit, Unruhen und Kriminalität einzudämmen. Hinrichtungen sind an der Tagesordnung, Tausende sterben am Galgen. Captain Rider Sandman, ein unverschuldet in finanzielle Not geratener Gentleman, erhält vom Innenministerium den Auftrag, das Gnadengesuch von Charles Corday zu prüfen, der wegen Mordes an einer Gräfin zum Tod durch den Strang verurteilt wurde. Niemand zweifelt an der Schuld des Malers, auch Sandman hält seinen Auftrag für eine reine Formsache – bis ihm erhebliche Zweifel kommen. Es beginnt ein Wettlauf mit der Zeit, denn die Hinrichtung soll schon in sieben Tagen erfolgen. Doch die neuerlichen Ermittlungen werden nicht von allen Befragten gerne gesehen, und als der mysteriöse Seraphim Club Sandman eine hohe Bestechungssumme anbietet, die all seine Probleme auf einen Schlag lösen könnte, ist er sich sicher, auf der richtigen Spur zu sein … Der Autor Bernard Cornwell wurde 1944 in London geboren. Nach seinem Geschichtsstudium arbeitete er als Reporter für die BBC. 1980 folgte er seiner Frau in die USA, und weil er keine Arbeitserlaubnis erhielt, begann er historische Romane zu schreiben. Bernard Cornwell lebt auf Cape Cod, USA. © 2001 by Bernard Cornwell Titel der englischen Originalausgabe: Gallows Thief (HarperCollins Publishers, London)
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Enemy of God
Автор: Bernard CornwellЖанр: Иностранная литература
Enemy of God is the second novel of the Warlord series, and immediately follows the events described in The Winter King. In that book the King of Dumnonia and High King of Britain, Uther, dies and is succeeded by his lamed baby grandson, Mordred. Arthur, a bastard son of Uther's, is appointed one of Mordred's guardians and in time becomes the most important of those guardians. Arthur is determined to fulfil the oath he swore to Uther that Mordred, when he comes of age, will occupy Dumnonia's throne. Arthur is also determined to bring peace to the warring British kingdoms. The major conflict is between Dumnonia and Powys, but when Arthur is invited to marry Ceinwyn, a Princess of Powys, it seems that war can be avoided. Instead Arthur elopes with the penniless Princess Guinevere and that insult to Ceinwyn brings on years of war that are ended only when Arthur defeats King Gorfyddyd of Powys at the Battle of Lugg Vale. Powys's throne then passes to Cuneglas, Ceinwyn's brother, who, like Arthur, wants peace between the Britons so that they can concentrate their spears against the common enemy, the Saxons (the Sais). The Winter King, like the present book, was narrated by Derfel (pronounced Dervel), a Saxon slave boy who grew up in Merlin's household and became one of Arthur's warriors. Arthur sent Derfel to Armorica (today's Brittany) where he fought in the doomed campaign to preserve the British kingdom of Benoic against Frankish invaders. Among Benoic's refugees who return to Britain is Lancelot, King of Benoic, whom Arthur now wants to marry to Ceinwyn and place on the throne of Siluria. Derfel has fallen in love with Ceinwyn. Derfel's other love is Nimue, his childhood friend who has become Merlin's helpmate and lover. Merlin is a Druid and the leader of the faction in Britain that wants to restore the island to its old Gods, to which end he is pursuing a Cauldron, one of the Thirteen Treasures of Britain, a quest which for Merlin and Nimue far outranks any battle against other kingdoms or invaders. Opposing Merlin are the Christians of Britain, one of whose leaders is Bishop Sansum who lost much of his power when he defied Guinevere. Sansum is now in disgrace and serving as Abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Thorn at Ynys Wydryn (Glastonbury). The Winter King ended with Arthur winning the great battle at Lugg Vale. Mordred's throne is safe, the southern British kingdoms are allied and Arthur, though not a king himself, is their undisputed leader.
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Excalibur
Автор: Bernard CornwellЖанр: Иностранная литература
From T. H. White's The Once And Future King to Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists Of Avalon, the legend of King Arthur has haunted and inspired generations of writers to reinvent the ancient story. 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 story of Arthur's desperate attempt to triumph over a ruined marriage and the Saxons' determination to destroy him. Set against the backdrop of the Dark Ages, this brilliant saga continues as seen through the eyes of Derfel, an orphan brought up by Merlin and one of Arthur's warriors. In this book, the aging Arthur has been betrayed by, among others, his beloved Guinevere; but although he is alone and deeply saddened, he still embraces his dreams of a world in which civilization triumphs over brute force. Arthur and his warriors must face the dreaded Saxons — now allied with Arthur's betrayer Lancelot — for the throne of Britain. This is the tale not only of a broken love remade but also of enemies more subtle than any Saxon spearman — of forces both earthly and unearthly that threaten everything Arthur stands for. When Merlin and Nimue embark on a dangerous quest to summon the Gods back to Britain, they unleash forces that will lead to a last desperate battle on the sands of Camlann, where it seems that Arthur must fail unless Merlin's final enchantment can avert the horror. Peopled by princesses and bards, warriors and magicians, Excalibur is a story of love, war, loyalty, and betrayal, the unforgettable conclusion to a brilliant retelling of one of the most powerful legends of all time.
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Sharpe's Tiger
Автор: Bernard CornwellЖанр: Иностранная литература
In a battery of events that will make a hero out of an illiterate private, a young Richard Sharpe poses as the enemy to bring down a ruthless Indian dictator backed by fearsome French troops.The year is 1799, and Richard Sharpe is just beginning his military career. An inexperienced young private in His Majesty's service, Sharpe becomes part of an expedition to India to push the ruthless Tippoo of Mysore from his throne and drive out his French allies. To penetrate the Tippoo's city and make contact with a Scottish spy being held prisoner there, Sharpe has to pose as a deserter. Success will make him a sergeant, but failure will turn him over to the Tippoo's brutal executioners — or, worse — his man-eating tigers. Picking his way through an exotic and alien world. Sharpe realizes that one slip will mean disaster. And when the furious British assault on the city finally begins, Sharpe must take up arms against his true comrades to preserve his false identity, risking death at their hands in order to avoid detection and thus to foil the Tippoo's well-set trap.
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Sharpe's Triumph
Автор: Bernard CornwellЖанр: Иностранная литература
In a battery of events that will make a hero out of an illiterate private, a young Richard Sharpe poses as the enemy to bring down a ruthless Indian dictator backed by fearsome French troops.The year is 1799, and Richard Sharpe is just beginning his military career. An inexperienced young private in His Majesty's service, Sharpe becomes part of an expedition to India to push the ruthless Tippoo of Mysore from his throne and drive out his French allies. To penetrate the Tippoo's city and make contact with a Scottish spy being held prisoner there, Sharpe has to pose as a deserter. Success will make him a sergeant, but failure will turn him over to the Tippoo's brutal executioners — or, worse — his man-eating tigers. Picking his way through an exotic and alien world. Sharpe realizes that one slip will mean disaster. And when the furious British assault on the city finally begins, Sharpe must take up arms against his true comrades to preserve his false identity, risking death at their hands in order to avoid detection and thus to foil the Tippoo's well-set trap.
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Stormchild
Автор: Bernard CornwellЖанр: Иностранная литература
Tim Blackburn, a famous round-the-world yachtsman, must discover the fate of his impulsive, brilliant but wayward daughter, Nicole. Nicole disappeared in the company of Caspar von Rellsteb, an environmental activist and leader of the Genesis Community. He and his followers believe that the planet can only be saved by ruthless force. Blackburn's boat, STORMCHILD, will carry him halfway around the world to the harshest land and the fiercest seas on earth. There, in a tumult of weather and emotion, Blackburn the hunter becomes the hunted as he precipitates a terrifying confrontation with the evil he finds; with men and women whose motives have been eroded by exhaustion and perverted by fanaticism; with the daughter he had once known, and now has to find again.
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The Winter King
Автор: Bernard CornwellЖанр: Иностранная литература
These are the tales of the last days before the great darkness descended. These are the tales of the Lost Lands, the country that was once ours but which our enemies now call England. These are the tales of Arthur, the Warlord'; the King that Never Was, the Enemy of God and, may the living Christ forgive me, the best man I ever knew. How I have wept for Arthur… Fifth century Britain lies on the edge of darkness. Memories of Roman civilization are fading; the pagan Gods are retreating before the spread of Christianity; the Saxons are snapping and snarling at the borders. Only fragile bonds unite the unruly kingdoms of Britain against the invaders, bonds cemented by the vigour of the High King, Uther Pendragon. But the Pendragon is failing, and his heir is no strong leader but a child, born on a bitter winter night. Only one man could keep Uther's throne safe,only he could hold the warring kingdoms together to face their true enemy, the Saxons. That man is Arthur: soldier, statesman, Merlin's protege, Uther's illegitimate son. But he has been banished, exiled by his own father to Brittany. Derfel, one of his spearmen, narrates the story of Arthur's return and of his quest for peace: embattled, bloody and, finally, triumphant. The Winter King is a magnificent tale of the Dark Ages and the reality of war and political strife in a land where religion vied with magic for the souls of the people. It portrays Arthur the man rather than the legend, a military genius who, with a small band of warriors bound to him by loyalty and love, struggled to keep alive a flicker of civilization.
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