Desecration is the story of the Storming of Winchester in 1642. It is a short story by Charles Cordell in the English Civil War fiction series Divided Kingdom.
DESECRATION
Winchester, England, December 1642.
A desperate ride, a city stormed, a final stand, a forlorn hope. Humiliation, torture, desecration, cleansing fire and bitter wind sweep through Winchester’s streets, castle, close and sacred aisles. England, December 1642.
Praise for the Divided Kingdom series:
'Once more Charles Cordell evokes the experience of the Civil War soldier, in every branch of arms, more vividly than ever before, and gives us characters whom we are eager to follow through the story.'
Professor Ronald Hutton CBE FRHistS FSA FLSW FBA
'I have been waiting for this second novel in Charles Cordell's series, and am not disappointed.'
Professor Ronald Hutton CBE FRHistS FSA FLSW FBA
'Charles Cordell brilliantly captures the plight of soldiers in realistic detail in and around battle.'
General Richard Nugee CB CVO CBE
'Heart-pounding action, heartbreaking loss as a nation tears itself apart.'
David Gilman, award-winning author of the Master of War series, The Last Horseman and The Englishman
'A remarkable and unique talent. Charles Cordell holds his reader transfixed in a book that simply cannot be put down.'
Jeremy Fowler, Adjutant General of The Sealed Knot
'You can smell the sweat and fear.'
David Gilman, award-winning author of the Master of War series, The Last Horseman and The Englishman
'From page 1 Cordell plunges you into the fast-flowing battlefields of 1643, full of fear, tension and the relief of surviving.'
General Richard Nugee CB CVO CBE
'Day by agonising day. Yard by bloody yard. Men stand shoulder to shoulder to fight and die for their cause. Charles Cordell takes the reader every step of the way.'
David Gilman, award-winning author of the Master of War series, The Last Horseman and The Englishman
'Charles Cordell's second book maintains the same level of well-researched detail that we've come to expect.'
Jeremy Fowler, Adjutant General of The Sealed Knot
'The characters are believable, and the fast-paced and brutal nature of the conflict immerse you in the smoke, blood, and smell of burnt powder and death. The author seamlessly transitions between both sides almost in real-time.'
Jeremy Fowler, Adjutant General of The Sealed Knot
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:
Preview – Read Sample – FREE
If you are not sure you are ready for Desecration, please click to read the first chapter online for FREE.
Praise for the Divided Kingdom Books
‘Charles Cordell, a former soldier, writes with bravura confidence.’ Antonia Senior, The 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 God’s Vindictive Wrath on the book pages at Goodreads and at Amazon, including:
‘Brutally realistic’
‘Visceral and exciting’
‘New, different and good’
‘A fantastic read, gripping and thought provoking’
‘Original and insightful … easily the most enjoyable book I have read this year.’
‘Read it and you will never again be able to pass through an unassuming English town without wondering about violent secrets in the past.’
‘For years, my favourite novelisation of battle was Michael Shaara’s Pulitzer Prize winning account of Gettysburg – Killer Angels. But this is better.’
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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