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The fate of a new nation rests in the hands of a reluctant warrior in this thrilling sixth volume in the acclaimed New York Times bestselling Saxon Tales series.
As the ninth century wanes, Alfred the Great lies dying, his dream of a unified England in danger and his kingdom on the brink of chaos. While his son, Edward, has been named his… (more)
The fate of a new nation rests in the hands of a reluctant warrior in this thrilling sixth volume in the acclaimed New York Times bestselling Saxon Tales series.
As the ninth century wanes, Alfred the Great lies dying, his dream of a unified England in danger and his kingdom on the brink of chaos. While his son, Edward, has been named his successor, there are other Saxon claimants to the throneas well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north.
Uhtred, the Saxon-born, Viking-raised warrior, whose life seems to shadow the making of England itself, is torn between his vows to Alfred and his desire to reclaim his long-lost ancestral lands and castle in the north. As the kings warrior, he is duty-bound, but Alfreds reign is nearing its end, and Uhtred has sworn no oath to the crown prince. Despite his long years of service, Uhtred is still loath to commit to the old kings Saxon cause of a united and Christian England. Now he must make a momentous decision, one that will forever transform his life . . . and the course of history: take up armsand Alfreds mantleor lay down his sword and allow the dream of a unified kingdom to fall into oblivion.
A harrowing story of the power of tribal commitment and the dilemma of divided loyalties, Death of Kings is the latest chapter in the epic saga of the making of England, magnificently brought to life by the reigning king of historical fiction (USA Today).
Publisher: HarperCollins (January 17, 2012)
Page count: 336 pages
File size: 1.2 MB
Protection: DRM
Language: English
The novel taps into a particular kind of male fantasy; as such, it works very well. "I am just me, Uhtred of Bebbanburg," says the hero after a brief moment of self-examination in which he ponders the role of Christianity in making people act in a moral way: "I have never tried to be good, though nor do I think I am wicked." The same might be said of Death of Kings
Reading the past : Death of Kings, by Bernard Cornwell (October 03, 2011)The consummate skill with which Cornwell evokes every aspect of Uhtred’s story and character transforms an already exciting book into a truly outstanding one.
