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Tag Archives: King Alfred

Sword Song by Bernard Cornwell

16 Monday Feb 2009

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Books

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3 stars, Bernard Cornwell, Historical Fiction, King Alfred, On Books, Saxons

This is the third Saxon Chronicles book by Cornwell that I’ve read in a row.  The first one, The Last Kingdom, I read last year.  All four of the books have been enjoyable, but let me throw out a few applicable clichés.

“It’s possible to have too much of a good thing.”

“Everything in moderation.”

“The early bird gets the worm.”

The first two apply to reading three of these books in a row.  The third one does not. Frankly, I was just on a roll and didn’t feel like deleting it.

In this installment, Uhtred fights, he swears oaths, he wishes he could break his oath, he fights some more, he contemplates, he does some more fighting, he comes close to dying, and then he fights a bit more.  I surmise that had I read this book a year after reading the previous one, I would have thoroughly enjoyed it. As it was, it was too much of a good thing.  The plot had too many of the same aspects of the previous books.

That’s not to say the book isn’t good. I enjoyed it. It’s a solid installment for the series, and I’ll definitely read the next book as it looks like there is more to come. However, I warn you Dear Reader, everything in moderation.

3 stars – See our rating system here

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Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwell

13 Friday Feb 2009

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Books

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3 stars, Bernard Cornwell, Historical Fiction, King Alfred, On Books, Saxons

Lords of the North 

Bernard Cornwell continues his epic tale with Uhtred of Bebbanburg.  After helping Alfred reclaim Wessex in The Pale Horesman, Uhtred is given a small land holding. Taking offense with the meager reward, Uhtred buries his wealth and heads north to reclaim his ancestral home.

Along the way, he unwittingly frees a slave that has been picked to become the king of Northumbria.  Uhtred sees Guthrum as his means to recapturing his own homeland, so they set off together to reclaim Northumbria from the Danes.

What follows is a rousing tale of revenge, treachery and redemption.  Uhtred comes so close to seeing his dreams realized, only to find himself in worse trouble than he could have imagined. Rescued by Alfred, whom he hates, he once again finds himself sworn to him.

The action in the book doesn’t waver from the previous tale.  Great fight scenes, interesting characters, and changing allegiances kept me intrigued throughout. Cornwell treats us once again with a historical note about the characters, what they really did, and which ones were made up.  He also reveals that he is descended from a family with the name Uhtred who ruled in Bebbanburg.  I thought that was an interesting aside to what continues to be a great series.

3 star – see the book rating explanation here

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The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell

07 Saturday Feb 2009

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Books

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3 stars, Danes, Historical Fiction, King Alfred, On Books, Saxons

If you like historical fiction and haven’t read Bernard Cornwell, then you are doing yourself a disservice.

I picked up my first Cornwell book with the Archers Tale.  And although I wasn’t happy it turned into a Grail quest story (I’ve read enough of those), the action and the historical aspects of the book are great.  I’ve now read eight Cornwell books, and I have four more sitting on my shelf.  

The Pale Horsemen is the second book in the Saxon tales. You’ll want to pick up The Last Kingdom and start with that.  The timeline is in the late ninth century, and the tale centers on a young man who was born a Saxon, raised a Dane, and then fights for the Saxons and King Alfred the Great.  The Pale Horsemen picks up right where the first one leaves off, and follows Uhtred, our young protagonist, as he walks the line between Dane and Saxon.

Alfred thinks he has found peace with the Danes, but they are only gathering their strength. A surprise attacks breaks Alfred’s forces and sends him into hiding in a swamp.  With Uhtred’s help, Alfred begins to fight back, and ultimately win back his kingdom.

The story is well written and has a lot of great action and fighting.  Uhtred is growing in fame, and uses his anger and size to become an even more notorious fighter than he had become in the first book.  

What I enjoy most about Cornwell’s book is his historical notes at the end of the book. He shares what parts of the story are real, and what he created to try and make a better book. He did a remarkable job of sticking to the real story.  Check it out yourself at Wikipedia.

I liked this book enough that when I finished it, I started the next in the series. Lords of the North is going along well, and it should be finished soon. I’m tempted to just keep on going and finish out the whole series!

3 star – see the book rating explanation here

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