Warriors of the Storm: Book 9 (The Last Kingdom Series)

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Cornwell was born in London in 1944. His father was a Canadian airman, and his mother, who was English, a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. He was adopted and brought up in Essex by the Wiggins family, who were members of the Peculiar People, a strict Protestant sect who banned frivolity of all kinds and even medicine. After he left them, he changed his name to his birth mother's maiden name, Cornwell. Some suggest that Lord Uhtred is getting too old to continue the protagonist role in these novels—too long in the tooth, some reviewers have said. My own feeling is that he is too cantankerous and smart to get too old. Cornwell imbues him with plenty of wit and wits, lots of courage, and enough irascible stubbornness to keep him interesting. Nuestro Uhtred, ya entrado en años, sigue siendo el paladín de los sajones, de Mercia en este caso, y vuelve a enfrentar el nuevo peligro. Sin embargo, hay nuevos factores, que van a dificultar sus acciones: intrigas políticas y religiosas, sus relaciones con las distintas facciones danesas, sus hijos, que también entran a formar parte del tablero bélico y de alianzas.... The book opens as a norse lord (Ragnall Ivarson) who has long been an enemy of Uhtred’s begins an attempt to conquer parts of England. Driven out of his previous territory, this lord and his army sail into the Mersey, which is held by Uhtred, and begin to move inland making a play for invasion and control, holding an ancient hill fort and bridging the river into Northumbria, where a vast supply of potential manpower awaits. Cue a desperate campaign to counter the growing strength of Ivarson, who is related to the English hero through his brother’s marriage to Uhtred’s daughter, so yes, politics is inevitably going to play as much a part here as battle.

Gripping, exciting, and engaging. It is another great read from the masterful author. . . . A Cornwell novel is always full of suspense, and this one is no different. Time after time the suspense is intense. It will have you on the edge of your seat."-- New York Journal of Books Uhtred of Bebbanburg, the kingdoms’ greatest warrior, controls northern Mercia from the strongly fortified city of Chester. But forces are rising up against him. Northmen allied to the Irish, led by the fierce warrior Ragnall Ivarson, are soon joined by the Northumbrians, and their strength could prove overwhelming. Despite the gathering threat, both Edward and Æthelflaed are reluctant to move out of the safety of their fortifications. But with Uhtred’s own daughter married to Ivarson’s brother, who can be trusted?However, Cornwell is such a great writer that, although I feel the story overall isn't as powerful as it could have been in a shorter series, I still read or listen (as here) to each new book as soon as they come out! However, the bulk of this tale is based in an area I know quite well, that being Chester, the Wirral and surroundings, and to rediscover a place with which I am so familiar (I spend quite a bit of time reenacting there now and research a lot into Roman Deva), thjough in a whole different era, is fascinating.

Follows the life and Progress of Lord Uhtred. A dispossessed Saxon lord robbed of his birth right by his uncle. How can Alkea find love in such turbulent times? Can she trust her heart and follow her inclination to get to know Yaal? Unknown to Alkea, Yaal also has confusion and questions. Unexpectedly he has found himself strongly attracted to Yaal. But he has work to do and this primal distraction isn’t a good idea right now. Most men want to follow, and what they demand of their leader is prosperity. We are the ring-givers, the gold-givers. We give land, we give silver, we give slaves, but that alone is not enough. They must be led. Leave men standing or sitting for days at a time and they get bored, and bored men make trouble. They must be surprised and challenged, given tasks they think beyond their abilities. And they must fear. A leader who is not feared will cease to rule, but fear is not enough. They must love too. When a man has been led into the shield wall, when an enemy is roaring defiance, when the blades are clashing on shields, when the soil is about to be soaked in blood, when the ravens circle in wait for the offal of men, then a man who loves his leader will fight better than a man who merely fears him. At that moment we are brothers, we fight for each other, and a man must know that his leader will sacrifice his own life to save any one of his men.A force galaxy battleship from the Trident Alliance has limped onto Earth with severe mechanical failure. The risk is that they could likely be being pursued by the Ataxia Coalition, who would be anxious to take advantage of the their vulnerable situation. Una nueva invasión se gesta, en este caso desde el Oeste, al norte de Gales y el reino de Mercia es el objetivo. La enésima invasión. Pero a los hombres del norte cada vez les cuesta más que sus expediciones tengan éxito, suelen estar muy divididos y se desmoronan al mínimo revés y los sajones ya saben como luchar contra ellos y saben esperarlos bien pertrechados en fortines y fortalezas.

That is why battles of the shield wall are slow to start. Men have to nerve themselves for the horror.” En fin un perfecto mosaico de intriga y batallas, que he disfrutado plenamente y que no te deja bajar la guardia en ningún momento..... In Warriors of the Storm, we find out about more about fan favourite Finan’s past with their being an important Irish presence in this story. These parts made me love Finan even more. He is of a similar age to Uhtred but still possesses unrivalled speed with a blade. Other ageing characters who were first featured at the very start of the series in our narrator’s younger days play important parts here too. I adore stories where we follow a character from youth for their whole lives. Alongside the narrative of FitzChivalry Farseer in The Realm of the Elderlings, the tale of Uhtred is the finest I have ever read where we follow a character for 50+ years. Part of the success of any of Benard's series of books is that the epic story builds throughout the whole series. A villain can wriggle free after dastardly acts for several books but, just as it looks as though justice may be cheated, a come-uppance is delivered. This Warrior Chronicles series has the same hallmarks and I've followed Uhtred as he has grown, changed and been blown by the tide of events through the first eight novels. Now, in this ninth book, some of the threads are coming together. One of the strongest characters, and among the earliest to be met, is Brida and, now, Brida's tale reaches conclusion. And finally, at last, this book ends with Uhtred's hereditary seat, Bebbanburgh Castle, fixed in his sights. This is an extra wriggle of pleasure for me as I live a stone's throw from Bamburgh Castle (the real life Bebbanburgh). Cornwell was sent away to Monkton Combe School, attended the University of London, and after graduating, worked as a teacher. He attempted to enlist in the British armed services at least three times but was rejected on the grounds of myopia.If this world ever contained one worthless, treacherous slime-coated piece of human dung then it was Haesten.”