The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories #2) by Bernard Cornwell

The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories #2)

by Bernard Cornwell

The second 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.

This is the exciting—yet little known—story of the making of England in the 9th and 10th centuries, the years in which King Alfred the Great, his son and grandson defeated the Danish Vikings who had invaded and occupied three of England’s four kingdoms.

At the end of The Last Kingdom, The Danes had been defeated at Cynuit, but the triumph of the English is not fated to last long. The Danish Vikings quickly invade and occupy three of England’s four kingdoms—and all that remains of the once proud country is a small piece of marshland, where Alfred and his family live with a few soldiers and retainers, including Uhtred, the dispossessed English nobleman who was raised by the Danes. Uhtred has always been a Dane at heart, and has always believed that given the chance, he would fight for the men who raised him and taught him the Viking ways. But when Iseult, a powerful sorceress, enters Uhtred’s life, he is forced to consider feelings he’s never confronted before—and Uhtred discovers, in his moment of greatest peril, a new-found loyalty and love for his native country and ruler.

MY REVIEW:

Excellent!!!! 

I'm totally addicted. What an exciting tale of the Vikings and their battles with the Saxons.

I love love love Uhtred of Bebbanburg. What a fierce warrior he is!

I won’t go into great detail of this awesome book but it continues from the first book and I have to say King Alfred almost loses his kingdom. He finally grows some balls I’d say.

I’d also like to note how the Christian religion plays a major roll during this time period. It reminded me of how things were forced upon everyone and were killed if they didn’t convert. I’m so glad our world today isn’t like that, however I think of how close it could be like that again if the Muslims try to force their religion on us by killing all the infidels - but thinking back to that time period, man were those brutal years for every person that lived in that region.

In this book the Saxons win back their land after a brutal battle. The battles are descriptively described and will have you hooked on every word. I really liked the shadow queen and was sad to see her killed. Poor Uhtred! Well his Saxon wife is still alive even though she has become practically a Nun.

I think Uhtred’s battle of loyalty between the Vikings and the Saxons is very interesting. I know I think I would of told Alfred to go take a flying leap and stuck with the Vikings.

The writing is so vivid and is addicting. I could hardly put the book down. In a way, I wish the Vikings would of wiped England off the map just because I hated the way the monks and the way they forced Christianity on everyone.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe in God, I just don’t believe in all these different types of Christianity’s. Those Monks literally made stuff up and or had some tale of a miracle of a heroic Saint to get their point across.

What’s funny about that is that the Vikings thought it humorous as did I when a lord stated the story of a saint depicted from a picture of an arrow piercing him and the lord protected him and he did not die. So the Vikings tested that theory and stated that if they fired arrows upon the Lord and it didn’t kill him then they’d convert to Christianity. Well, that Lord died as they put 6 arrows through him. (I totally laughed out loud at the ignorance of that Lord) Now sorry but that’s funny and made me think how stupid these people were and how their common sense was out the window gone.

Over all this is just an excellent read and I highly recommend it.