Alfred the Great is dead and his son Edward reigns as king,
but
not everyone believes Edward worthy of the crown. Cnut
Longsword,
a Viking and Dane to the north, stands ready to invade
Wessex and
take the crown. The only person standing in his way is
Uhtred, an
old warrior out of favor with this new king. Uhtred has
nothing
left to lose as his home has been burnt to the ground and
he's
been cursed by the Christians. He'll recapture his old
family
home, the impregnable fortress Bebbanburg, or die trying.
With the
bloodiest battle yet to come, loyalties will be divided and
a
nation will be forged.
THE PAGAN LORD by Bernard Cornwell is an intense, colorful,
and
vivid tale of loyalty, family, and honor during the
turbulent
times of Anglo-Saxon England. Bernard Cornwell is
exceptionally
skilled at pulling the reader into the life and times of his
main
characters by crafting vivid settings, complex characters,
and
amazing action sequences that leave the reader breathless.
The
settings is detailed, historically accurate, and seamlessly
integrated into the storyline. There is no feeling that
you're
reading a history lesson, but instead all the details of the
world
are shown through Uhtred's point of view in a natural way.
I love the difference between Uhtred's inner voice, his
conflicted
thoughts and emotions, and that of his dialog. He is a man
of few
words, gruff and to the point. He is self-contained, but his
actions show the hidden depths of his feelings which aren't
expressed in words. It's very much in keeping with the time
and
this character, but author Bernard Cornwell has created a
character who does feel deeply. Uhtred is a character who is
standing between two worlds and can see the values and code
he
lived by falling to the wayside. He's a pagan in a land of
Christians. A man who is feared and needed because of his
skill in
battle, and he knows his way of life must change, but can
this
warrior ever be anything other than who he is?
THE PAGAN LORD is superbly crafted and immediately draws the
reader into Uhtred's world. I can't wait to read more from
author
Bernard Cornwell. He perfectly captures the turbulent times
with
fast-paced action, vivid settings, and characters who linger
in
the mind long after the last page is finished.
New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell
returns to his epic Saxon Tales saga with The Pagan
Lord, a dramatic story of divided loyalties, bloody
battles, and the struggle to unite Britain.
At the
onset of the tenth century, England is in turmoil. Alfred
the Great is dead and Edward his son reigns as king. Wessex
survives but peace cannot hold: the Danes in the north, led
by Viking Cnut Longsword, stand ready to invade and will
never rest until the emerald crown is theirs.
Uhtred,
once Alfred’s great warrior but now out of favor with the
new king, must lead a band of outcasts north to recapture
his old family home, that great Northumbrian fortress,
Bebbanburg.
In The Pagan Lord, loyalties will
be divided and men will fall, as every Saxon kingdom is
drawn into the bloodiest battle yet with the Danes; a war
which will decide the fate of every king, and the entire
English nation.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy