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The Empty Throne
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-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 750
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 683
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Uther, the High King of Britain, has died, leaving the infant Mordred as his only heir. His uncle, the loyal and gifted warlord Arthur, now rules as caretaker for a country which has fallen into chaos - threats emerge from within the British kingdoms while vicious Saxon armies stand ready to invade. Uther, the High King of Britain, has died, leaving the infant Mordred as his only heir. His uncle, the loyal and gifted warlord Arthur, now rules as caretaker for a country which has fallen into chaos - threats emerge from within the British kingdoms while vicious Saxon armies stand ready to invade.
-
5 out of 5 stars
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- By Matt on 29-08-14
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Harlequin
- The Grail Quest, Book 1
- By: Bernard Cornwell
- Narrated by: Andrew Cullum
- Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 490
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 446
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 447
The year is 1342. The English, led by Edward III, are laying waste to the French countryside. The army may be led by the King, but it is the archers, the common men, who are England's secret weapon. The French know them as Harlequins. Thomas of Hookton is one of these archers. But he is also on a personal mission: To avenge his father's death and retrieve a stolen relic.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A great story.
- By Audible customer on 16-02-15
-
Agincourt
- By: Bernard Cornwell
- Narrated by: Charles Keating
- Length: 16 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 122
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 114
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 113
Young Nicholas Hook is dogged by a curse, 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.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Get rid of that music!!!!
- By Dave & Jenny on 26-06-19
-
Stonehenge
- By: Bernard Cornwell
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 17 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 235
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 210
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 210
Bernard Cornwell's brilliant novel, reissued for fans to find out the story behind the stones. This is the tale of three brothers and of their rivalry that created this great temple. One summer's day, a dying stranger carrying great wealth in gold comes to the settlement of Ratharryn. The three sons of Ratharryn's chief each perceive the great gift in a different way. The eldest, Lengar, the warrior, harnesses his murderous ambition to be a ruler and take great power for his tribe.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Lost in time
- By B Gillingham on 12-08-17
-
God of Vengeance
- The Rise of Sigurd 1
- By: Giles Kristian
- Narrated by: Philip Stevens
- Length: 15 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 384
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 350
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 351
Norway, AD 785. It began with the betrayal of a lord by a king.... King Gorm puts Jarl Harald's family to the sword but makes one fatal mistake - he fails to kill Harald's youngest son, Sigurd. His kin slain, his village seized and its people taken as slaves, Sigurd wonders if the gods have forsaken him. Hunted by powerful men, he is unsure who to trust, and yet he has a small band of loyal followers at his side.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Blood, Betrayal, and Violent Vengeance
- By Simon on 13-03-16
-
Enemy of God
- By: Bernard Cornwell
- Narrated by: Tim Pigott-Smith
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 78
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 44
The continuing story of Arthur, the second in a trilogy that began with The Winter King. The novels bring Arthur and his world to vivid life.
Arthur is a man battling for his vision of the future in a brutal age, dragged down by suspicions and magics of the past, surrounded by intrigue, dependent on his skill at war and genius for leadership.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Arthurian legend given substance
- By Mr on 27-01-12
Summary
The new novel in Bernard Cornwell's number-one best-selling series "The Warrior Chronicles", on the making of England and the fate of his great hero, Uhtred of Bebbanburg.
In the battle for power, there can be only one ruler.
England is fractured, torn apart more by internal fighting than the threat of Viking invasion. The ruler of Mercia is dying, leaving no legitimate heir. His wife is a formidable fighter and great leader, but no woman has ever ruled over an English kingdom. And she is without her strongest warrior and champion, Uhtred of Bebbanburg.
So the scene is set for an explosive battle between elders and warriors for an empty throne. The vacant throne leaves a dangerous opportunity for the rival West Saxons to seize Mercia. But Edward of Wessex is distracted by the succession of his own throne, with two heirs claiming the right to be West Saxon king. And while the kingdoms are in disarray, the Vikings, this time coming from the west, will go on the rampage once more.
The very future of England hangs in the balance. A hero is needed, a hero who can destroy the threat to Mercia, a hero who will ultimately decide the fate of a nation…
Critic reviews
Praise for Bernard Cornwell:
"The best battle scenes of any writer I've ever read, past or present. Cornwell really makes history come alive" (George R.R. Martin)
"Cornwell is always in full command of his material" (Sunday Times)
"Like GAME OF THRONES, but real" (Observer)
"Tense, powerful, compulsive" (The Times)
"He's called a master storyteller. Really he's cleverer than that" (Telegraph)
"Nobody in the world does this better than Cornwell" (Lee Child)
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What members say
Average customer ratings
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars581
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4 Stars144
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Dr Zube
- Ross on Wye, United Kingdom
- 09-01-15
Good but nothing new
I have listened to all the others so I guess I will keep going, although I have to say it is getting quite difficult to differentiate between the titles. Its more slashing, burning and colourful insults (amusing and entertaining but not challenging or particularly surprising). It does exactly what you would expect, good fun, but in many ways a bit dull. This series needs to go out with a bang. ASAP.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Adam
- 02-02-15
Good book - another enjoyable story.
Well written, well read but at times the readers accents and voices seem to blur into one which made it tricky to follow in parts where all the characters had similar names! I enjoyed it and looking forward to the next instalment.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David
- 05-01-15
Another easy listen from BC
If you like the series you'll like this. An easy listen with our hero remaining a hero. Somewhat predictable but never the less entertaining.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 13-11-19
An adequate replacement for Jonathan Keeble
I found it really hard to get through the books between Sword Song and this book because of the change from Jonathan Keeble to the others. Matt Bates is great at playing a different voice for each character so it is never confusing for the listener. He lacks the hoarse battle beaten storyteller voice of Keeble but he is certainly second best
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rachael Bird
- 14-09-19
Simply Brilliant
Matt Bates is one of the best narrators I've heard. Another gripping book by Bernard Cornwell.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Real NY Mink Tail
- 30-08-19
Matt Bates brings Bernard Cornwell's story to life
Read with just the right amount of emotion to bring this story, the eighth in the series to wonderful life. I've enjoyed all of them in the series so far, but this one may be my favourite, seeing the pagan raised Saxon Lord as a more mature loveable rogue. Thought provoking with treachery and feel good moments a plenty. Now, I must take my leave to download the next installment from Bernard Cornwell, a true "Weaver of dreams using nothing more than words"
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- brian melchers
- 18-07-19
The Empty Throne
Cornwell just never gets boring, I cant get enough of Uthred's exploits. Besides the blood-curdling battles I enjoy the plots twists. I hope the next episode will have the same narrator, thats what I imagine Uthred would sound like. He even got the norwegian accent down👍
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- woodland living.
- inverness scotland
- 24-06-19
other great book to the collection
I've been out the last Kingdom series for a little while so it took a few chapters to get back into this, the narrator just made me laugh with some of his sayings of places like Cumbria, but it was a nice relax from a serious book.
highly recommend any from the author looking forward to starting the next.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Chris Underhill
- Warwickshire, UK
- 22-12-18
Great story development
The story develops carefully, thoughtfully and with great skill. The same battle trap that we saw in book one is deliberately set in this book. A wonderful "read" well narrated with our hero thinking ever deeper about his destiny.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ian Brown
- Twickenham
- 17-12-18
Bates is a huge improvement on Perring.
Another great instalment but still hankering for Keeble’s narration. Liked the sneaky addition at the start too.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Rui Ribeiro
- 23-08-16
Entertaining
Still a very interesting book, especially for anyone who has listened to the previous books in the series. Not as good as some of the previous books, but keeps on telling the story of saxons and their viking enemies through the remarkable character of Uhtred, in a narrative that is always well built and enthralling.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Erin
- 16-10-15
So very very good
Fantastic series and truly excellent narrator - listened to the whole series and now beginning again with the first book
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- luke
- 01-03-15
Eight books in and still well worth a credit.
Where does The Empty Throne (The Warrior Chronicles, Book 8) rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Among the chronicles it is in the top half
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Empty Throne (The Warrior Chronicles, Book 8)?
As always, the ending was the best part!
What about Matt Bates’s performance did you like?
Good but not great
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Every book Cornwell has written is a "one-sitter". Stretching it out is always a challenge.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful