Spoiler-free
Enemy of God is book 2 in The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell. Book 1, The Winter King, captivated me and I felt completely immersed in this Arthurian retelling that’s so brutally grounded in the historical context of 5th century Britain. I gave The Winter King a glowing review and expect much more of the same for the sequel - Enemy of God. I think I even preferred it. There’s just so much going on with the political intrigue between the familiar Arthurian characters we all know and love, clashed with the invading Saxon armies, not to mention the inner religious warfare. Christianity has come to Britain and along with it, a whole lot of drama. It’s bloody fantastic!
Enemy of God is much darker than the first book and expands upon the more graphic themes of brutality and even folk horror. If you read my review for The Winter King, you will know that I love this kind of magic! The kind that’s so firmly rooted in the earthy stench of nature. We don’t know if it’s actually real or not, but the way that magic is wielded is so primal and raw that it's hard not to believe all the harrowing effects it may cause. There’s a lot of graphic violence but also (somewhat surprisingly) eerily gothic moments that truly encapsulate the horrors of living in the dark ages. The atmosphere is impeccable!
As is becoming traditional for this series, I would like to interrupt this review with yet another interlude of excessive spitting.
‘Quick, girl! Piss!’ He coughed horribly, then turned his head to spit the sputum towards the ditch.
The priest stared at the three of us and recognized Culhwch. He spat into Culhwch’s face. ‘Pagan!’ he shrieked.
He touched a finger to that blood, then spat a gob of half-chewed beef and bread into my face.
Britain isn’t so big that decent men can start spitting at each other. (I beg to differ…)
Thank you for your attention.
The brotherhood between our main character Derfel and the legendary Arthur remains to be an absolute highlight of this series. It’s been a hot sec since I’ve read a friendship with a bond so human and strong as between these two characters. They don’t always agree, or even get on, but their love for each other remains unmatched. There are some truly touching moments between these two that have impacted me much more than any of the romantic partnerships in the series.
I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel and was gripped from start to finish. Despite not having any real complaints, I am hesitant to give it 5 stars as for whatever reason I don’t think I got that 5 star feeling. My ratings are entirely vibes based but I do like to be certain that my 5 star reads are all-time favourites. Honestly, I think The Greenbone Saga by Fonda Lee has really raised the bar on what makes a 5 star book and I just need time to sit with this one a bit. There is a high chance that I will go back and edit my rating to 5 stars. I have the same sort of feeling that I had after finishing The Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie, which is the only other book I have given 4.75, so I am comfortable with this rating. Are these 2 books actually 5 stars and I am just being needlessly picky? Probably... Who knows? Maybe Excalibur, the next and final book in The Warlord Chronicles will cement itself as that 5 star read!
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌖- 4.75 stars.
Spoiler Chat
The whole of Part 1 - The Dark Road was INCREDIBLE! I was so invested in this conundrum of whether Derfel should snap the bone and break up the betrothal between Lancelot and Ceinwyn. Obviously, I wanted him to snap the bone and ultimately knew that he would, but I thought the way that the tension was built up was fantastic! I also loved how the rivalry between Ceinwyn and Guinevere was presented. It just felt really fun, as if they had their own unspoken war between each other with the fashion they wore.
She smiled at the lust she knew she had provoked, and that she wanted to provoke, for this night Guinevere was determined to outshine whatever Ceinwyn wore.
The quest for retrieving the cauldron was something I particularly wanted to see after finishing the first book and it didn’t disappoint. This whole section felt very much like a classic Arthurian tale and it was fun to have a bit more of that sword and sorcery feeling injected into this gritty world.
Diwrnach was gross! All the human parts and flayed skin coating his armour was disgusting. He even had whole fingers and hands hanging from his armour. And not just any human parts, but his own niece. That was nasty! I would be lying if I said I didn’t love it though. This is what I mean by saying this book feels much darker. I don’t mean emotionally, but rather physically horrific and grotesque. If I saw this fucker in a dark alleyway I’d accept my fate of my body becoming a fierce new fashion accessory and give up. Terrifying!
Lancelot continues to be an absolute twat. It’s actually frustrating how much seems to go his way. Despite his cowardice and inability to fight, he still remains a true threat, due to his Christianity and cunningness. Derfel sums it up perfectly.
She smiled. ‘You, Derfel Cadarn, are a great warrior and he is Lancelot. Does the wolf fear the hare?’
‘It fears the serpent,’ I said gloomily.
Ooooof! Derfel really got him good with this one!
I need to talk about Lancelot’s whole corpse bride moment because what the actual hell!
Lancelot was the groom and he now stood beside his bride who was roped to the stake. She was a Queen, the one-time Princess of Powys who had become a Princess of Dumnonia and then the Queen of Siluria. She was Norwenna,a daughter-in-law of High King Uther, the mother of Mordred, and she had been dead these fourteen years. She had lain in her grave for all those years, but now she had been disinterred and her remains were lashed to the post beside the votive-hung Holy Thorn.
What do you mean he dug up Ulther’s daughter's remains, tied her up, and married her dead corpse? This is insanity! Again, this is what I mean about this book being much darker. This is some Mary Shelley type shit right here and everyone is just… okay with it? This whole scene played out like a Robert Eggers film in my mind and it was exceptional! I genuinely couldn’t believe what was happening and that Lancelot would even stoop that low. Glad that he did though because this scene was iconic and will for sure stick with me for a long time.
I would like to contrast this grim gothic macabre with a touching moment between our two lovers, I mean friends, Derfel and Arthur.
I did not turn round. ‘Yes, Lord.’
‘I am no longer your lord, Derfel,’ he said.
‘Our oath to Uther is done, it’s finished. I am not your lord, but I would be your friend.’ He hesitated. ‘And for what happened,’ he went on, ‘I am sorry.’ I still did not turn round. Not out of pride, but because there were tears in my eyes.
‘I am sorry too,’ I said.
‘Will you forgive me?’ he asked humbly. ‘Will we be friends?
These two! This scene got to me, I can’t lie. No matter what happens or comes between them, they always find a way to still be on good terms with each other. I spoke about their relationship already in the spoiler-free section, but I just wanted to highlight this moment as it felt special. I am becoming increasingly worried that things are going to go drastically wrong for our boys in Excalibur… But that’s an issue for another day.
At the end of each part, or sometimes even chapter, Bernard Cornwell likes to do a little snappy summary and I really appreciate it.
The Cauldron had at last been used, the Christians had flocked to Lancelot’s banner, horror was spilling across the land and all Arthur’s work was under siege.
It not only helped with clarification but it was also an effective way to make a big impact at the end of a part. These chapters are long and having this punchy line at the end, really makes it feel like a good place to stop and lets you think about what has transpired. I don’t know, I just enjoyed this style.
The influx of Christianity remains to be a prevalent theme throughout the book and continues to fascinate me. I am fully on the pagan’s side, I can’t lie, and it was pretty heart-breaking to see Morgan go over to the dark side of Christianity. I really don’t know what’s got into her to be honest. Has she really converted her faith or is this part of some bigger ploy? I mean, marrying Sansum is wild! Come one girl…
We can only hope that this is part of a bigger ploy. If not, I guess it just goes to show how influential Christianity was at this time, to make the most pagan of pagan marry the most Christian of Christians. Yikes.
Okay, I need to talk about Guinevere and the whole Mithras Iris sex magic orgy ritual cult. What the Fuck! That was crazy and was some full on folk-horror-ending-type shit! Again, this made me think of a Robert Eggers film, Incredible! Reading this series, we all know that Guinevere and Lancelot are getting it on and I also knew that Guinevere was becoming increasingly obsessed with this Mithras religion. Never, did I think it was to this extent. It also reminded me of disenchantment with the secret castle orgies.
The way this whole scene played out in such a brutally graphic way was exceptional, and to have Arthur witness the whole thing? Heart-breaking! And with Lancelot of all people! To be honest, this is kind of Arthur’s fault, as he should have NEVER considered Lancelot as a friend. I get why he did, due to political reasons, but he really should have listened to his boy Derfel on this one…
Now that I have gone into it more with this spoiler chat, I do think that this book is shaping up to be a 5 star read for me! I am a big horror fan, and having these folk horror elements woven into this classic Arthurian tale is exceptional. Guinevere's weird sex cult, Lancelot’s corpse bride moment, Nimue’s dark magic and Diwrnach’s body mutilation are all moments that elevate this series to becoming much more than just another Arthurian retelling, in a way that particularly appeals to my reading tastes. I will be diving into book 3 immediately! I simply can not wait.
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