Sword Song (The Saxon Stories #4) by Bernard Cornwell
Sword Song (The Saxon Stories #4)
by Bernard Cornwell
BLURB:
The year is 885, and England is at peace, divided between the Danish kingdom to the north and the Saxon kingdom of Wessex in the south. Uhtred, the dispossessed son of a Northumbrian lord—warrior by instinct, Viking by nature—has finally settled down. He has land, a wife, and two children, and a duty given to him by King Alfred to hold the frontier on the Thames. But then trouble stirs: a dead man has risen, and new Vikings have arrived to occupy the decayed Roman city of London.
Their dream is to conquer Wessex, and to do it they need Uhtred's help.
Alfred has other ideas. He wants Uhtred to expel the Viking raiders from London. Uhtred must weigh his oath to the king against the dangerous turning tide of shifting allegiances and deadly power struggles. And other storm clouds are gathering: Ætheleflæd—Alfred's daughter—is newly married, but by a cruel twist of fate, her very existence now threatens Alfred's kingdom. It is Uhtred—half Saxon, half Dane—whose uncertain loyalties must now decide England's future.
A gripping story of love, deceit, and violence, Sword Song is set in an England of tremendous turmoil and strife—yet one galvanized by the hope that Alfred may prove an enduring force. Uhtred, his lord of war and greatest warrior, has become his sword—a man feared and respected the length and breadth of Britain.
MY REVIEW:
The sound of Serpents Breath swing is music to my ears!
There are so many great things to say about this book, actually the whole series so far and just to think I’m only into the 4th book. First let me say though, this author knows how to capture his readers. Every sentence is a cling on to the next great action. The drama and war action just constantly unfolds throughout the whole book.
Here are a few of my notes and thoughts on different things I found interesting.
Alfred has Uhtred’s oath of loyalty and obedience which drives me insane because Alfred though he is king is in my opinion not worthy of Uhtred’s loyalty. I really don’t like Alfred the Great in this novel, no I believe He owes everything to Uhtred, as without him he would have lost his kingdom long ago, yet time and time again he rewards him with punishment. I cannot comprehend why Uhtred still fights for this man.
Aethelflaed, Alfred’s daughter – beautiful daughter but I can see she will be used as a tool for Alfred. Her story is beyond interesting already as he marries her off only for a gain and then the idiot she is married to is an abusive pig. Yet she is the Kings daughter and the King accepts this action and does nothing – Using the reasoning from the book that Uhtred explained -
“The message certainly matched Alfred’s philosophy, for he believed that a kingdom could only thrive if it was ruled by law, was ordered by government, and was obedient to the will of God and the king. Yet he could look at his daughter, see her bruises and approve? He had always loved his children. I had watched them grow, and I had seen Alfred play with them, yet his religion could allow him to humiliate a daughter he loved?”
Onto more cheerful things, I really like Uhtred’s beloved friend Ragnar Ragnarson, he’s the type of guy who is strong and fierce when he wants to be.
My favorite part of the book is the battles and the understanding of the battles by Uhtred. Here are just a few of his philosophy if you will or planning techniques that I really admired.
“the joy of battle was the delight of tricking the other side. Of knowing what they will do before they do it, and having the response ready so that, when they make the move that is supposed to kill you, they die instead.”
“In battle a man risks all to gain reputation. In bed he risks nothing. The joy is comparable, but the joy of a woman is fleeting, while reputation is forever. Men die, women die, all die, but reputation lives after a man”
Here is one scene I really liked:
“Lord”
“You told us it was death to leave the shield wall.” “You left the shield wall, lord,” Osferth said, almost reprovingly. I straightened and touched my arm rings. “You live,” I told him harshly, “by obeying the rules. You make a reputation, boy, by breaking them. But you do not make a reputation by killing cripples.”
I liked his take on Lust & Love:
“Lust is the deceiver. Lust wrenches our lives until nothing matters except the one we think we love, and under that deceptive spell we kill for them, give all for them, and then, when we have what we have wanted, we discover that it is all an illusion and nothing is there. Lust is a voyage to nowhere, to an empty land, but some men just love such voyages and never care about the destination. Love is a voyage too, a voyage with no destination except death, but a voyage of bliss.”
“perhaps love is friendship more than it is lust, though the gods know the lust is always there.”
LETS NOT FORGET THE LOVE WITHIN THE BOOK
I am so glad Uhtred and Gisela are together and I think I like her better than the women he has been with so far. I loved the fact that he has 2 children. Here is the description from the book.
“My son. He was four years old with hair as golden-colored as mine and a strong little face with a pug nose, blue eyes, and a stubborn chin. I loved him then. My daughter Stiorra was two years old. She had a strange name and at first I had not liked it, but Gisela had pleaded with me and I could refuse her almost nothing, and certainly not the naming of a daughter. Stiorra simply meant “star,” and Gisela”
The thing I enjoy most about this series is the way it is narrated by an Uhtred who is looking back on his life.
EXCELLENT READ! I highly recommend reading the series in order so you can follow the war and growth of each character.
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