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Title details for Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell - Available

Stonehenge

2000 B. C.

by Bernard Cornwell
Frederick Davidson
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

Four thousand years ago, a stranger's ominous gift and his death at the Old Temple of Ratharryn would precipitate the building of one of mankind's most remarkable achievements. Cornwell's epic novel, Stonehenge, catapults us into a powerful world of ritual, betrayal, and the never-ending pursuit of power, wealth, and spiritual fulfillment.

Three brothers, deadly rivals, are precariously united by a shared vision to create a temple to their gods. Lengar, the eldest, is a ruthless warrior intent on replacing his father as chief of the tribe. Camaban, his bastard brother, is a sorcerer whose religious fervor inspires the plan for Stonehenge. Caught between the zealousness of his ambitious brothers, it is the youngest, the peaceful Saban, who will become the true leader of his people and live to see the temple built in the name of salvation and regeneration.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 21, 2005

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781483069814
      • File size: 504154 KB
      • Duration: 17:30:19

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Text Difficulty: 9-12

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      May 29, 2000
      Prolific British author Cornwell is best known for his Napoleonic warfare adventure series with Captain Richard Sharpe, and for the Starbuck Chronicles, about the American Civil War. Now he imaginatively unlocks the mystery of Stonehenge's creation in 2000 B.C., at the beginning of Britain's Bronze Age. This wild tale, rich with sorcery, pagan ritual, greed and intrigue, is Cornwell's most ambitious fiction yet. It features three brothers linked by blood but divided by madness, jealousy and lust for power. Lengar, the eldest, murders his own father to become the chief of his tribe. As a warrior and tyrant, his brutality is second only to that of his crippled brother, Camaban, a sorcerer ruthlessly determined to have a massive stone temple erected to honor his authority. The youngest sibling, Saban, will ultimately construct the temple, but not until he has endured torture, slavery and betrayal. The story covers nearly 20 years as the brothers and the people of Ratharryn struggle to survive as a tribe, fighting harsh weather and starvation, warring with other tribes and trying to appease their angry gods. It is Camaban's idea to build Stonehenge as a temple to create balance between the moon god and the sun god, to eliminate winter and force a change in the circle of life. Murder, magic and misery prevail, and there is no shortage of victims or bloodshed. Cornwell's portrayal of life and death in ancient Britain is graphic, gritty and riveting. However, his detailed descriptions of how Stonehenge was constructed utilizing primitive engineering are the real strength of this book. Although its length may daunt some readers, this ambitious and intriguing saga will be a hit with lovers of ancient history who want to decipher the mysteries of a vanished world.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Cornwell takes us back to the days before recorded history in a historical tale of three brothers who pursue power, one physically, one spiritually, and one in the creation of Stonehenge. Between battles for survival and for the favor of the gods, the listener learns how the gigantic stones were moved, shaped, and erected into the astounding stone circles that stand in Great Britain to this day. George Guidall's performance is wonderful as he becomes the inspired priestesses and enraptured priests or tells of the travails of moving tons of stone with leather ropes and stone sledges. As the tale progresses and Guidall's voice embeds itself in the listener's ears, both become more involved in the past and the unfolding tale of engineering marvels and the fates of the peoples of Stonehenge. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Three brothers, Lengar, warrior-chief; Camaban, crippled sorcerer; and Saban, peace-loving artisan, are the mighty pillars around which this epic novel is constructed. Bernard Cornwell transports the reader back to a time four thousand years ago, as he creates a landscape, a civilization, a reason, and the method to explain Stonehenge, the sun's great stone temple, and how it was made. Sean Barrett reads quickly, but such is the delicate enunciation of his words that there is never a sense of hurry. Barrett paints portraits with his voice, showing in sound the intelligence and nobility of Saban, the growing madness of Camaban, and the lascivious brutality of Lengar, and the distinctive qualities of numerous other characters. There are few things as satisfying as a good epic novel. STONEHENGE is such a book. It is gratifying that it is being released in both print and audio formats simultaneously. L.R.S. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Although, as the author admits, we'll probably never know the real story behind the ancient temple's construction, Bernard Cornwell's fictionalized account enables us to visualize a likely scenario. As with any monumental human endeavor, there were probably disputes, moments of great joy, and endless hours of backbreaking labor, and Cornwell's characters capture them all. Geoffrey Howard presents the work in a formal, somber style, even in the story's lighthearted moments. His minimal characterizations do little to distinguish Cornwell's signature strong personalities, instead offering all as single-minded prehistoric men. Taken as a whole, however, Howard's choices in dialogue and narrative capture the harshness of the period and the overwhelming task of building an imposing temple without modern construction techniques. R.P.L. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Text Difficulty:9-12

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