The Pagan Lord (The Saxon Stories #7) by Bernard Cornwell

The Pagan Lord (The Saxon Stories #7)
Bernard Cornwell 

Blurb:
Bernard Cornwell-who "is at his enthralling best conveying . . . one of the defining periods of English history" (Wall Street Journal)-returns to his epic Saxon Tales saga with this dramatic story of divided loyalties, bloody battles, and the struggle to unite Britain

 At the onset of the tenth century, England is in turmoil. Alfred the Great is dead and Edward his son reigns as king. Wessex survives but peace cannot hold: the Danes in the north, led by Viking Cnut Longsword, stand ready to invade and will never rest until the emerald crown is theirs.

Uhtred, once Alfred's great warrior but now out of favor with the new king, must lead a band of outcasts north to recapture his old family home, that great Northumbrian fortress, Bebbanburg.

Loyalties will be divided and men will fall, as every Saxon kingdom is drawn into the bloodiest battle yet with the Danes; a war which will decide the fate of every king, and the entire English nation.

With The Pagan Lord, New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell-"the reigning king of historical fiction" (USA Today)-continues his magnificent epic of the making of England during the Middle Ages, vividly bringing to life the uneasy alliances, bloody battles, and deadly intrigue that gave birth to the British nation.

MY REVIEW: 

 

Seductive Warriors with Addictive Drama 

I love Uhtred, Once a warrior always a warrior – even at 50 years old Uhtred is still a bad A$$, and if you think about it, that saying still rings true with our real world veterans of today. You never stop being a solider regardless of how old you are.

So many things happen in this great book that it is hard to touch on all the events. But I will tell you that after 10 yrs of peace, Uhtred finally gets some action.

First let me say that Uhtred either finds trouble or it finds him. His ole saying “Wyrd bið ful āræd,” Fate is inexorable – rings true throughout this whole time period.

Uhtred’s trouble starts with trying to reach his eldest son Uhtred and prevent him from becoming a priest, however, nothing goes as plan and in the process, he accidently kills a priest which in return causing him to become a outcast - thrown out of the kingdom. Uhtred’s goal towards his eldest son fails but in Uhtred’s own words:

“He is not my son. He’s not worthy to be my son.” “Then what am I called?” he asked. “Judas”

Osbert, his youngest son, nineteen years old at the time and Æthelstan, bastard eldest son of King Edward of Wessex adventure along with Lord Uthred throughout the story. Osbert becomes Uhtred once Uhtred dis-owns his eldest son.

Æthelflaed is still Uhtred’s lover, but Æthelflaed (the daughter of the dead King Alfred) was still his cousin’s wife and therefore though they lived in separate households, Uhtred had Sigunn (Dane he captured previously) at his estate called Beamfleot and she was the lady of his hall.

The drama begins with the scheming of his enemies. Haesten, a treacherous piece of slime as Uhtred would call him, along with Cnut Ranulfso, and his friend, Sigurd Thorrson, both known as the greatest Danish lords of Northumbria wreaked habit throughout the Saxton and Mercian lands and killed several of uhtred’s loyal servants which causes Uhtred to seek a vengeance not only towards some of the priest who try to rid him from the land, but to put an end to the ruthless actions the Danes bring – besides reputation means everything, and the name Uhtred is to be feared for he is the War Lord for Mercia.

The things Haesten and Cnut do to some of Uhtred’s servants is just mind boggling. One thing that got my goat and kept me glued to the pages is what they did to Father Cuthbert who was Uhtred’s priest. He had married one of the freed slaves by the name of Mehrasa. Anyway, they had gouged his eyes out and left him alive to deliver a message to Uhtred.

To top that off, the priest go after Uhtred with a vengeance of their own, they burn Uhtred’s estate down which just made me hate them more. However, Uhtred gets his revenge in the end with Wulfheard – what a weasel.

I loved Uthred’s opinions of all his enemies and how the Danes always start with insults right before they start fighting – its quite comical. It always amazed me how you can sometimes respect and even like your enemies for their courage and their bravery, but you can also hate their cowardly sneaky cruelness.

The war action is tremendously described and I have to say that the battle in the end between Cnut and Uhtred will have you hanging on the edge of your seat. Here is a taste of the death blowing spittle bantering – you can feel the respect but hatred coming off the page as you read.

        “With him was his close friend, Sigurd Thorrson, and where Cnut was all silver and white, Sigurd was dark. 

         But of the two I feared Cnut more. He was a snake-fast, weasel-cunning, and his sword, Ice-Spite, was famous as a drinker of blood. 

        “Lost your tongue already, you shit-slimed bastard?” Jarl Sigurd snarled. 

“What is it you like to say? Wyrd bið ful āræd?” 

         “Wyrd bið ful āræd,” I repeated. Fate is inexorable. 

         Cnut stood there, legs apart, Ice-Spite in his hand. “Uhtred Worm-shit!” he called. 

         “Uhtred Worm-turd!” Cnut bellowed. “You dare fight? Or have you lost your bravery? Come and die, you piece of shit, you turd, you piece of oozing shit! Come to Ice-Spite! She yearns for you! I’ll let your men live if you die! You hear me?”

*****A little battle happens between Uhtred and Cnut*****

      “Strange to say,” he said, “I like you.” “I like you too,” I said.

       He used his free hand to touch the thick iron buckle of his sword belt. “You dented that,” he said, “and took all the wind from me.

      I lifted Serpent-Breath and Ice-Spite flicked up. “Next time it will be your throat,” I said.

      “You’re quicker than most,” he said, “but not quick enough.”

      “If they see you die,” Cnut said, twitching Ice-Spite’s tip toward the West Saxon and Mercian army, “they’ll lose heart. That’s why I have to kill you, but I’ll make it fast.”

      “It won’t hurt much, I promise, so hold your sword tight, friend, and we’ll meet ...

****An ending leaving you on the edge of your seat***** 

        “like a stab of lightning and the blade struck me, she pierced the mail and broke the leather and she shattered a rib and pierced me, I brought Serpent-Breath back in a last desperate swing, and she crashed into his helmet and stunned him, he went backward, falling, and I was falling on him, my chest a furnace of pain, Ice-Spite inside me, and Serpent-Breath was across his throat, and I remember sawing her …..”

Other memorable things I want to acknowledge is that Uhtred’s warrior buddy, Osferth, the bastard son of King Alfred still remains by his side and loyal. He finally gets some happiness with Cnut’s woman. 

     “make sure the men know that the Lady Ingulfrid is not here for their amusement.”

     “They already know that. Besides, the preacher will kill any man who looks at her.”

     “The preacher” was Osferth’...

     She was just sobbing silently, then Osferth came from the rowers’ benches and put an arm around her shoulders.

     “She’s a married woman,” I said to Osferth.

      “And I am a sinner,” he said, “cursed by God because of my birth. God can do no more harm to me, because my father’s sin has already doomed me.”

Lets not foreget Uhtred’s other loyal warriors Finan, Sihtric, Pyrlig, and Steapa Snotor (Steapa the Clever). These characters always add excitement to the story. Also news of His adoptive brother Ragnar passing is noted.

Uhtred’s wisdom continues to impress me and I totally relate to his thinking:

      “What is an oath? A promise to serve a lord, but to Christians there is always a higher allegiance. My gods demand no oaths, but the nailed god is more jealous than any lover.”

      “The Christians talk of a soul, though I have never seen, smelled, tasted or felt such a thing, but perhaps the soul is a man’s spirit, and in battle that spirit soars like a falcon”

There are so many great things to say about this story or series. I’m totally addicted to these seductive warriors and the drama continues to visually entrance and capture my inner soul. I highly recommend this whole series to everyone who loves a good story behind historical events. 

Excellent Read!