Stonehenge - Bernard Cornwell

One of the great mysteries our ancestors have left us is Stonehenge. What was it for? How was it built? There is a lot of speculation by various authorities. It was a calendar. It was a shrine for sacrifice. It is a road sign for galactic travellers. The fact is, no one really knows what purpose it served.

We have a much clearer picture of how it could have been built though. And we have a pretty good idea of when it was built. Cornwell takes us back four thousand years and tells the story of the peoples who inhabited this part of Britain at the time.

We are treated to an introduction of a tribe who live their lives fishing and hunting. A chief whose ambitions are only to make the lives of his people as easy and boring as possible. He is not looking to expand the territory they control. He is not looking to be anymore prosperous than his neighbors. He has 3 sons and wants them to grow up knowing peace.

His sons, however, envision a different future for the tribe. The oldest sees the weakness in everyone around them and in that weakness he sees opportunity. The middle son is devoted to the gods they worship and desires only to please them. The youngest is the most ambitious of the three.

Cornwell does a masterful job of introducing and describing daily life. Although there are not written records of this period, he is careful to make sure that all aspects of the tale are consistent with the archaeological evidence of life at the time. Granted there is plenty of speculation about how Stonehenge was built and why. But the descriptions he provides of the process are supported by the known technologies employed at the time.

Maybe he provides and accurate description of how and why Stonehenge was built and maybe he doesn't. But Stonehenge is not the actual focus of the book. The story of the brothers is what is important. And this story is most compelling. I highly recommend Stonehenge to anyone with an interest in British pre-history or a penchant for Greek tragedy style plots.