Review - The Lords of the North (The Last Kingdom Series, Book 3) by Bernard Cornwell

 The Lords of the North 

(The Last Kingdom Series, Book 3) 

By Bernard Cornwell

Uhtred wants revenge. He wants the land and castle that is his. He wants his treacherous uncle to pay for taking them.

Heading north with his lover, former nun Hild, he finds chaos as the Vikings battle among themselves to consolidate their hold on the region. At the heart of it are men from Uhtred’s past – Sven the One-Eyed and Kjartan the Cruel, men of vicious reputation. Still, he has matched such men before.

Then Uhtred suffers a betrayal to rival the treachery that deprived him of his birthright. It will leave him trapped with no hope of escape …

Uhtred of Bebbanburg’s mind is as sharp as his sword. A thorn in the side of the priests and nobles who shape his fate, this Saxon raised by Vikings is torn between the life he loves and the cause he has sworn to serve.

My Review:

These books keep getting better and better. I am shamelessly in love with a fictional /historical character! Uhtred’s portrayal is absolutely brilliant and I fear I may be becoming a little obsessed with him - so obsessed that I even Googled him! 

This novel is a gripping as the previous two, and I could not put it down.  Now on to Book 4.

 

Review - The Pale Horseman (The Last Kingdom Series, Book 2) by Bernard Cornwell

 The Pale Horseman 

(The Last Kingdom Series, Book 2) 

By Bernard Cornwell

When peace is torn apart by bloody Danish steel, Uhtred must fight to save a king who distrusts him.

Skeptical of a treaty between the Vikings and Wessex, Uhtred takes his talent for mayhem to Cornwall, gaining treasure and a mysterious woman on the way. But when he is accused of massacring Christians, he finds lies can be as deadly as steel.

Still, when pious King Alfred flees to a watery refuge, it is the pagan warrior he relies on. Now Uhtred must fight a battle which will shape history – and confront the Viking with the banner of the white horse …

Uhtred of Bebbanburg’s mind is as sharp as his sword. A thorn in the side of the priests and nobles who shape his fate, this Saxon raised by Vikings is torn between the life he loves and those he has sworn to serve.

My Review:

I honestly cannot read these books fast enough. I absolutely love everything about this series thus far. Cornwell really knows how to not only capture his reader’s imagination but hold on to it right until the very end. 

The more I read about Uhtred of Bebbanburg the more I like him. He is conflicted by his Saxon heritage, but his Viking upbringing, but I think that makes his character all the more believable. I really want to stop writing now, as I am desperate to start Book 3! That is how good this book is.

 

Review - The Last Kingdom (Saxon Tales Book 1) by Bernard Cornwell

The Last Kingdom

(Saxon Tales Book 1)

By Bernard Cornwell 

A hero will be forged from this broken land.

In a land torn apart by conflict, an orphan boy has come of age. Raised by the Vikings, deadly enemies of his own Saxon people, Uhtred is a fierce and skilled warrior who kneels to no-one.

Alfred – Saxon, king, man of god – fights to hold the throne of the only land still resisting the pagan northerners.

Uhtred and Alfred’s fates are tangled, soaked in blood and blackened by the flames of war. Together they will change history.

Review:  

I did not just read this book; I experienced it. I know Bernard Cornwell is the historical fiction author to read, but I have never read any of his books, so his style of writing was a first for me. But oh my, this novel was absolutely fabulous.

Cornwell really knows how to hook a reader and to grab their attention. The historical detailing is amazing and the characters scream realism. Uhtred was a character that I really connected with, and his relationship with Alfred is really interesting.

I am really looking forward to reading more books in this series.