That got no reaction except from Mus, who laughed when I told her. “Oh, I couldn’t marry Lord Osferth,” she said, “it would be like marrying a priest!”

Lest you think that this novel is simply plot-driven, Cornwell takes time to give us a full sense of daily life whether in town or in a steading. You will learn: what foods are available; how things are stored; the way one traveled; the elements of clothing and battle armor; etc. There are plenty of familiar characters including Uhtred’s “right hand,” Finan (who can tell Uhtred the truths he doesn’t want to hear) and Prince Aethelstan (who as a youngster was saved and protected by Uhtred). Those who have read the series will delight in the fact that Mus and Osferth reappear. Generally speaking, one easy way to tell if your narrator is more-or-less reliable is if he or she puts himself or herself in the best possible light throughout. Uhtred, I think, has taken pains to point out his mistakes over time, and he does so here, so that’s a point in his favor. He goes out of his way to debunk the heroic tales that the bards sing about him, and that’s another reason to take him seriously. But I think the best reason to believe in Uhtred’s reliability is that the things he remembers, particularly the battles he fights, are just so vividly rendered that it is difficult to believe that what happens in the books is anything other than true. There are several surviving references to the War Wolf in some of the original parchment rolls of the accounts of King Edward. Two , in Latin read: I had put off reading this book, scared the Saxon Stories were finally going to be over, but with another book scheduled for release it felt like it was finally time to put my fears aside.I’m not too sure what magic Cornwell used here. I’ve mentioned in my review of The Flame Bearer that Cornwell might be running out of ideas to prolong this series. I’ve even mentioned that the previous book should’ve been the final book of the series. Maybe it’s because we’re so near the end of the series now. Or maybe it’s really because this one was just so enthralling. But War of the Wolf, the eleventh book in The Last Kingdom series by Bernard Cornwell, is a return to form to what made the series great. Uhtred is told that the plague has broken out in the north; his wife, son-in-law and grandchildren are dead.

Uhtred learns that Edward has called a Witan at Tamweorthin, summoning Sigtryggr, but not him. He goes anyway. He sees Æthelhelm there too. Eadgifu, Edward's wife, tries subtly enlisting his support against their mutual enemy, Æthelhelm; later Æthelhelm tries to have him killed, but fails. Sigtryggr agrees to a treaty with Edward so that he can turn his full attention to avenging his wife. Then, Æthelstan swears an oath to never fight against Uhtred or invade Northumbria (if he becomes king of Wessex) while Uhtred lives; in exchange, he gets Uhtred to swear to try to kill Æthelhelm. Eadgifu sends a message to Uhtred, begging for his help. Over the objections of his wife and friends, he heads south, accompanied by Finan and a handful of his men. They rescue Eadgifu from Æthelhelm's men and flee. Then Uhtred receives the news that Edward is dead. Edward's will gives Wessex to Ælfweard and Mercia to Æthelstan; Uhtred realises that this will inevitably result in civil war. Uhtred's on-again, off-again lover and ruler of Mercia, dies. Edward, King of Wessex, seizes the opportunity to take over her kingdom. Uhtred ignores Edward's summons to swear fealty to him, and his Mercian lands are forfeited, but Uhtred is content with his beloved Bebbanburg. War is bitter. The poets give battle a splendor, extolling the brave and exulting in victory, and bravery is worth their praise. Victory too, I suppose, but the poems, chanted in mead halls at night, give boys and young men their ambition to be warriors. Reputation! It is the one thing that outlives us. Men die, women die, all die, but reputation lives on like the echo of a song, and men crave reputation” Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!The epic Uhtred chronicles continue steadily onwards with the characteristics which have made it such a success still in place: That guy who wrote Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin, says: “Bernard Cornwell does the best battle scenes of any writer I’ve ever read, past or present.” I can’t quarrel with that, but I will add that Cornwell does not write fantasy; he writes historical fiction. He helps dry historical names and dates become real for us. History is people making choices and doing things. There are few authors that have been able to convey the feeling of that better than he does. My issue with the way Cornwell kill off his characters aside, War of the Wolf is one of the finest installment in the entire series. Uthred’s dialogues and interactions with other characters were engaging, and Cornwell’s battle scenes remain great as always. War, valor, faith, reputation, family, life, and death are key themes of the entire series, and War of the Wolf has some of the best presentations of it. I have only two books left to read now. I am both sad and happy that I’m so near the end. I hope the next and last two books, Sword of Kings and War Lord, will be even better than this. It isn’t just Uhtred who finds himself in a tight spot. His son-in-law, Sigtryggr, is King of Northumbria. [For those not familiar with this Kingdom, it was one of the four eventually melded into England. At this time, it is the only remaining non-Christian kingdom of any significance on the Island that now contains England, Scotland and Wales.] “If I fight Thurferth and his followers,” Sigtryggr went on, “I’m fighting King Edward. And I’ll get no help from the west, will I?” He meant Cumbraland, which was supposedly a part of Northumbria. battle scenes bettered in their excitement levels only by those of Wilbur Smith, yet generally without the tongue-in-cheek elements meaning Bernard' s work delivers more credibility to the reader.

When disassembled, the weapon would fill 30 wagons in parts. [ citation needed] It reportedly took five master carpenters and forty-nine other labourers at least three months to complete. [3] Yet he still feels bound by an oath he took to protect Æthelstan, his friend, protege and Edward's oldest son. So when there is a Mercian revolt against Edward, he rides with Finan and about 90 veteran warriors to relieve the siege of Ceaster. When he gets there, he realises he has been lied to; the besieged, led by Æthelstan, were in no real danger, and the enemy are soon defeated. The themes of War of the Wolf are in many ways beautiful. Here is an old and weathered warrior whose family and friends are mostly all gone with the wind. His old enemies, once legends of the sword threatening the very existence of the places and people we readers have come to know and love, are distant memories from days of yonder. When Uhtred's internal monologue considers his father, his brother, his wife, his children, his mentor, the kings who made him and who he made, his brothers-in-arms from countless battles, and now even the lost keeper of the oath who shaped him, the thoughts are simply glimpses of something that once was, and is no more. The Flores Historiarum claims that the Warwolf sent a single stone through two of the castle's walls in the course of the siege, "like an arrow flying through cloth". [4] Other sources, however, report that the weapon was only finished after the Scots had surrendered. [3] Edward decided to use it anyway, refusing to let anyone enter or leave the castle until it had been tested. [5] In the original records [ edit ] Uhtred, after years of fighting and planning revenge on his hated uncle is once again lord of his ancestral home, Bebbanberg.

By Stephanie Kuehn

War and fight scenes are chillingly realistic. I really felt like I was there with Uhtred, fighting every new enemy or being part of countless shield wars. Eleven books into the trials and tribulations of Uhtred of Bebbanburg and its still as fresh and exciting as book one. But Leofstan was a gentle and kind man. Lord Osferth is troubled. He doesn’t think God loves him, poor man.” Mus, I thought, was a gentle and kind woman. I gave her the last two of my gold coins. It has been no easy road to for Uhtred to achieve his life’s ambition and I have fought by his side from day one. One of the most beautiful women ever to grace the silver screen, Hedy Lamarr also designed a secret weapon against Nazi Germany.

At the opening of War of the Wolf, Uhtred has grown old — he’s now over 60 — but is still a formidable warrior. King Alfred is dead, as is his daughter, Æthelflaed, ruler of Mercia, as well as Uhtred’s lover and best friend. Alfred’s son, King Edward, rules England and pursues his father’s dream of bringing Northumbria under his rule. But first he must confront the Danes, who roam the untamed lands of northern England.Let me share with you at least some major points to explain my reasons for loving this series so much: