This novel and its sequels Enemy of God and Excalibur comprise The Warlord Chronicles. The trilogy is set in the fifth/sixth century and is a realistic Dark Age version of the legend of Arthur. No 'Knights in Shining Armour' and jousting tournaments here, the tale is gritty and convincing of that era. Bernard Cornwell has done his research and artfully integrates Arthurian history and legends with the hardships that warriors, kings and commoners faced in that time. Cornwell describes the perils and bloodshed of a shield wall better than any other author.