Uther, the High King, 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, As he struggles to unite Britain and hold back the enemy at the gates, Arthur is embroiled in a doomed romance with beautiful Guinevere. Will the old-world magic of Merlin be enough to turn the tide of war in his favour?

伯納德·康威爾（Bernard Cornwell）英國曆史小說傢，代錶作包括《理查夏普的冒險》《撒剋遜傳說》。他的作品題材多以各個時期的重大戰爭為背景，以復雜的人性和深邃的故事構架見長。在他筆下，真實與虛構交織，消逝的曆史重新躍然紙上。截止2015年，其全球作品纍積銷量已達3000萬冊以上，《冰與火之歌》作者喬治·R.R.馬丁更公開錶示康威爾是他最喜歡的曆史小說傢。