Cornwell writes in his endnote to this novel that "it is surely obvious that every character and deity in the novel is fictitious." But he did use archaeological records as a basis for much of the novel. This includes where the massive stones from Stonehenge originated (some came from over 150 miles away in Wales), the various stages of building the monument, artifacts and burials found at the site, and the lifestyles of the people of Britain's Bronze Age over 5,000 years ago.
But then Cornwell spins a very interesting and compelling story of a family who were instrumental in the eventual construction of the monument. The main protagonist is Saban who had two brothers, Lengar and Camaban. Lengar it a traitorous warlord who rises to power by killing his father. Camaban was born with a club foot and was considered mentally deficient but later rises to become high priest of Ratharryn, the city responsible for building Stonehenge. The novel is full of pagan ritual, sacrifice, sorcery, love and death, greed and intrigue. Cornwell paints a vivid picture of a religion that embodied the sun and the moon as gods and made the construction of the monument coincide to these religious beliefs. He also makes a believable case for how the monument was constructed and why.
Again, this is a work of total fiction but it is also a very compelling adventure packed with drama and betrayal. Overall, I did enjoy this one. It's the first novel I have read by Cornwell and at some point I hope to read more by him.
But then Cornwell spins a very interesting and compelling story of a family who were instrumental in the eventual construction of the monument. The main protagonist is Saban who had two brothers, Lengar and Camaban. Lengar it a traitorous warlord who rises to power by killing his father. Camaban was born with a club foot and was considered mentally deficient but later rises to become high priest of Ratharryn, the city responsible for building Stonehenge. The novel is full of pagan ritual, sacrifice, sorcery, love and death, greed and intrigue. Cornwell paints a vivid picture of a religion that embodied the sun and the moon as gods and made the construction of the monument coincide to these religious beliefs. He also makes a believable case for how the monument was constructed and why.
Again, this is a work of total fiction but it is also a very compelling adventure packed with drama and betrayal. Overall, I did enjoy this one. It's the first novel I have read by Cornwell and at some point I hope to read more by him.
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