Lords of the North, by Bernard Cornwell

This audiobook was obtained from the Alachua County Public Library, was 13 hours and 8 minutes long, and was narrated by Tom Sellman.

This is the third in the series about the times of King Alfred the Great, as told through Uhtred, a dethroned Lord who was captured and raised by Vikings as a youth. This latest installment introduces us to Guthred, a slave who becomes king of his own small realm. He want to be a good king, and is always wondering, "What would Alfred do?" Guthred is a good man, but a ruler of questionable judgment. He is single-minded enough to be dedicated to preserving his kingdom, but weak-willed enough to let powerful men into his confidence only to betray him later.

This is still very much Uhtred's story, however. He is a pagan who detests the Christians, is endlessly critical of the duplicitous priests, and amazed at the way they all revere the bones and teeth and hair of saints and near-saints. Uhtred reminds me of King David's warrior, Joab, who was always looking out for the King's interest, but did not seek the Lord. Uhtred is effective as a warrior, intuitive as a politician, and not afraid to frame someone with a throw-down piece if he needs to.

The first two books have been relentless in their attack on the Medieval church, but there are some Christians who actually distinguish themselves heroically in this story. Just like today, there are some blithering idiots in th spotlight, but the poor are still made rich in faith. (James 2:5)

In the author's epilogue, he reveals that he is actually descended from a man named Uhtred who lived in those times. And he further reveals that this saga is not over yet. I am glad and look forward to it. This one got 4 stars.

The Pale Horseman, by Bernard Cornwell

This book was obtained from the Alachua County Public Library, is on CD, and is 14 hours and 35 minutes long. It is ably narrated by Tom Sellwood.

Uhtred returns, and he is nastier than ever. Perhaps it only seems that way because he is no longer the youth we made excuses for. He is also much more focussed on regaining the lands of his noble heritage, and he has the best chance of gaining them back under Alfred, who is trying to get England free of the Danes.

Alfred (one day to be referred to as "the Great") has tried negotiating his way to peace with the savage invaders, and each time he is betrayed. Lives and lands are lost, but Alfred, who is portrayed here as a bit of a religious nincompoop, keeps trying to use peaceful means while trying to save his enemies' souls. Uhtred finds this insufferable. Even though he likes the Danes, he is willing to kill all that he must to regain his own security. As you recall, Uhtred was raised a Dane after being captured as a boy, looks and dresses like a Dane, speaks the language, and is a very capable warrior and spy.

In spite of Alfred's well-meaning incompetence as a military leader, enough things break his way to keep him in the hunt for a unified English nation. So far, the Angles, the Saxons, the Britons, and the Northumberlands have warred on each other from time to time, and it is only now that a common enemy is making them work together. Although Alfred is pretty hard to take by the warriors, it is his vision that eventually saves England and its future.

Uhtred and the other bloodthirsty Saxons are indispensable, lethal tools in the service of Alfred. Neither could have prospered without the other. In this book, Alfred is a much better character than he was in the last. And he seems somewhat vindicated in his steadfast faith that God is for him, even when Alfred keeps screwing things up.

There are historical notes at the end. This one only gets 3 stars because it was not quite as interesting as the first one. I am going to take a break from Uhtred for about a week. Then I will take up the latest installment, Lords of the North.

The Last Kingdom, by Bernard Cornwell

This book came from the library. It is 12 hours and 58 minutes long, was on 11 CDs, and was narrated by Tom Sellwood.

Be warned: I am on a Bernard Cornwell bender. I saw an add for his latest novel and decided to check with the library to see if they had added any of his titles lately. I struck gold. They had all 3 novels in this new series, begun in 2005. When I put them on reserve, I had no idea that all 3 would be available in just a few days. I must take this opportunity!

This is not one of those smutty romance novels disguised as historical fiction. This is more like "Braveheart", only without the romance and idealism.

Cornwell uses some real persons from history, but his protagonist is almost always some nobody who is on the scene and taking an active part. Uhtred is the son of a minor nobleman in the late 9th century. At 10 years old, while his father's army is repelling Danish invaders, Uhtred is captured, enslaved, and eventually adopted by a danish warlord named Ragnar.

Uhtred's brother had been killed while spying on the Danes before the conflict began which killed his father. Now Uhtred is being raised by Ragnar as a Dane, unencumbered by any rules or priests, and he begins to prefer it. Nonetheless, Uhtred grows up wanting his former estate more and more, which frequently leaves him swinging between the 2 sides when it serves his own interests.

Eventually, Uhtred ends up serving Alfred the Great, Lord of the last Kingdom in England. He is all that has stood between the Danes and a complete conquest of England. This is very much a religious war as well as a war for land, which is what motivates the Danish raiders in search of better lands than their own. The church, portrayed as a hobbling factor to devout English monarchs, wants peace at any price and is always pressuring its secular rulers to let God do their fighting for them. This only encourages the pagan Danes, who see the English as weakened by their Christians. After a bad storm takes out half the Danish fleet, the church and Alfred feel vindicated, but Uhtred is still unconvinced. He still wears Thor's Hammer charm around his neck, and believes more in fate than in any personal god.

Uhtred is 20 at the end of this book, and you can tell there will be more. There is an epilogue in which the author tells about his approach to using the history, and embellishing it, in the service of telling a fictional tale. It is good to know these things if you are a stickler for detail. This is a 4 star book, well-read by the narrator.