War of the Wolf (The Last Kingdom Series, Book 11)

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Uhtred is told that the plague has broken out in the north; his wife, son-in-law and grandchildren are dead. Eleven books into the trials and tribulations of Uhtred of Bebbanburg and its still as fresh and exciting as book one. 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. The battles were epic especially the last one. It was touch and go there for a minute and had me on the edge of my seat wishing I could grab a sword and dive in. Ieremias was a hoot , such a weird and quirky character. My heart also broke at one point … but I’ll just leave it at that. Constant philosophical battle between paganism and Christianity that depicts given period precisely.

Osferth was not invited to Tamweorthin. “King Edward,” he had told me stiffly, “would prefer I did not attend.” 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. Then I forgot the dead brothers as we rode south through fields showing the first signs of the new year’s crops, beside pastures where fresh-born lambs bleated, and by woods hazed with new leaves. A fat land, I thought, which is why men fought for it. The Romans had captured it, then we Saxons took it, and after us came the Danes, and now the Norse were strengthening their hold on the wilder lands of Cumbraland and casting greedy eyes on these plump fields. I touched Serpent-Breath’s hilt. “They’ll always need us,” I said to Finan.I’m honestly so impressed. I didn’t have a clue how Cornwell would follow the last book The Flame Bearer but The War of the Wolf was one of the best in the series. But like how?! What sorcery is this?? He did not disappoint. This felt like the beginning almost again in a new way and was very character driven. When tragedy strikes after Uhtred is lured away from Bebbanburg with a false summons, the stage is set for an epic journey of revenge. War of the Wolf is the 11th book in Bernard Cornwell’s series about Uhtred of Bebbanburg and the founding of Anglo-Saxon England. Orphaned as a young boy, Uhtred is taken as a slave by the great Danish warrior Ragnar, who eventually comes to love him as a son. Before the end there will be a lot of pain and suffering on both side in this war of greed and pride. 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.

I really did not enjoy the first part & if it was another book in a series I may well have thrown it in......Lady Æthelflaed, Uhtred's on-again, off-again lover and ruler of Mercia, dies. Edward, King of Wessex, seizes the opportunity to take over the kingdom from his niece Ælfwynn. Uhtred ignores Edward's summons to swear fealty to him, and his Mercian lands are forfeited, but Uhtred is content with his beloved Bebbanburg.

However, and firstly let me declare that Mr Cornwell's work (not exclusively but particularly Uhtred) has given me years of enjoyment and mirth... Uhtred finds himself more than once at the wrong place, and at the wrong time. This is what engenders his thoughts of being cursed by the gods (those being the Norse gods). Cornwell draws a fascinating picture of England as it might have been before anything like England existed’ THE TIMES 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.Uhtred is in his 60s for this book. He's more cautious, superstitious, he's less impulsive, less confident, anger doesn't control him the way it used to. I found myself missing some of his other qualities as a younger man, but his wit is still fully intact and there were several parts of this book that made me laugh out loud. 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!” 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.

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.

Further Reading

Ciò non toglie che per gli amanti del genere, come me, queste avventure siano abbastanza avvincenti e credibili e se ogni tanto i dialoghi hanno la supremazia sull’azione e il racconto tende a stagnare, ecco una scaramuccia, un inseguimento palpitante, l’ombra di un complotto a ricreare le premesse per una lettura entusiasmante. After publishing eight books in his ongoing Sharpe series, Cornwell was approached by a production company interested in adapting them for television. The producers asked him to write a prequel to give them a starting point to the series. They also requested that the story feature a large role for Spanish characters to secure co-funding from Spain. The result was Sharpe’s Rifles, published in 1987, and a series of Sharpe television films staring Sean Bean.