Desecration

Desecration is an English Civil War short story by Charles Cordell. It is set within the historical fiction series Divided Kingdom.

Desecration: Winchester 1642 - Civil War short story

DESECRATION

Winchester, England, December 1642.

A desperate ride, a city stormed, a final stand, a forlorn hope. Civil war, cleansing fire and bitter wind sweep through Winchester’s streets, cathedral close and sacred aisles. Now brother must kill brother. England, December 1642.

‘Charles Cordell, a former soldier, writes with bravura confidence.’

Antonia Senior, The Times

DESECRATION is available as an eBook short story from Amazon. It can be downloaded and read on a tablet, mobile phone or Kindle eBook Reader. The Amazon Kindle price is $0.99 (£0.79). However, this price may vary with offers. Click to order online for dispatch to USA, CAN, UK, IRL, AUS, NZ, SA, EU and international addresses at:

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Praise for the Divided Kingdom Books

‘Charles Cordell, a former soldier, writes with bravura confidence.’ Antonia SeniorThe Times

‘Stirring. A great read! You can almost hear the cannon roar and the thunder of hooves.’ Ben Kane, Sunday Times bestselling author, The Forgotten Legion, Hannibal, Spartacus and The Lionheart series

‘Heart-pounding action, heartbreaking loss as a nation tears itself apart. You can smell the sweat of fear. … Not to be missed.’ David Gilman, award-winning author of the Master of War series, The Last Horseman and The Englishman

‘Fast-paced and authentic. With characters that are colourful and believable. There are not enough tales like this.’ Michael Arnold, author of the Civil War Chronicles and Highwayman series

‘An exciting minute-by-minute story of the English Civil War … from the soldiers’ point of view … the historical accuracy is fantastic … the storyline and the writing style tremendously exciting.’ Susie Helme, Historical Novel Review

‘I have been waiting for this second novel in Charles Cordell’s series, and am not disappointed. He evokes the experience of the Civil War soldier, … more vividly than ever done before.’ Professor Ronald Hutton CBE FRHistS FSA FLSW FBA

‘From page 1 Cordell plunges you into the fast-flowing battlefields of 1643, full of fear, tension and the relief of surviving. He brilliantly captures the plight of soldiers in realistic detail in and around battle.’ General Richard Nugee CB CVO CBE

‘A remarkable and unique talent, Charles Cordell holds his reader transfixed in a book that simply cannot be put down.’ Jeremy Ravenshaw Fowler, Adjutant General of The Sealed Knot Society

‘Like Game of Thrones without the dragons.’ Julian Humphrys

Readers’ Ratings & Reviews

You can find readers’ reviews of DESECRATION on the book pages at Goodreads and at Amazon, including:

Rating: 0 out of 5.

‘Utterly compelling’

Rating: 5 out of 5.

‘5*! If I could give a sixth I would.’

Rating: 5 out of 5.

‘A must read for enthusiasts of history’

Rating: 5 out of 5.

‘A vivid insight into the English Civil War.’

Rating: 5 out of 5.

‘Has made me more desperate for the next book – The Keys of Hell and Death.’

Rating: 5 out of 5.

‘Everyone who has an interest in the History of Winchester, the Civil War In Hampshire and the 17th Century needs to read this.’

Rating: 5 out of 5.

‘Writing as a Winchester local, the landscape of 17th Century Winchester is down to a tee, the battle narrative spot on.’

If you enjoy reading DESECRATION, please do post your own review. Positive reviews are really important to new authors. Without them there is little chance of being published again. The best place you can do this is via the Amazon or Goodreads book pages for DESECRATION. I really hope you will enjoy and want to read more of the Divided Kingdom series.

Divided Kingdom Characters, Historical Notes & Maps

I hope you will get to know all of the Divided Kingdom characters. This website includes character notes on each of them. You can find historical notes and maps to accompany their story at Notes and Maps. This includes background articles on The General Crisis of the 17th Century, the English Revolution and Great Rebellion, and Pike and Shot Warfare, as well as notes on the Storming of Winchester in 1643 to accompany DESECRATION.

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