![]() ![]() And Cornwell drops in a slick twist precipitating the climatic battle to wrest control of London for the Saxons, paving the way for the story to continue. The fourth installment of Bernard Cornwell’s New York Times bestselling series chronicling the epic saga of the making of England, like Game of Thrones, but real (The Observer, London)the basis for The Last Kingdom, the hit television series. A deft mix of historical details and customs authenticates the saga. All the major characters are well drawn, and the London battle scenes unfold quickly and vividly. ![]() Plying his swords Serpent-Breath and Wasp-Sting, Uhtred is a stirring, larger-than-life action hero conflicted by ambition, fidelity and thirst for violence. Commanding Uhtred is his vain, abusive cousin Ethelred, who is married to Alfred’s eldest daughter, Ethelflaed. The Christian Alfred directs Uhtred to raise a Wessex army, expel the pagan Thurgilsons and resecure London. Trouble arises when the Norse Viking brothers Sigefrid and Erik Thurgilson capture and occupy London, threatening Alfred’s border and his control of the Thames River port. ![]() Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a 28-year-old pagan Saxon “lord of war,” has pledged to serve Alfred by commanding the defensive frontier forts (“ burhs ) is a rousing romp through the celebrated ninth-century reign of Alfred the Great. Cornwell’s fourth entry in the popular Saxon Tales (following Lords of the North ![]()
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