War of the Wolf (Saxon Tales)

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I really did not enjoy the first part & if it was another book in a series I may well have thrown it in...... 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. This was a pleasure to read but it presented a dilemma for me. Should I read it slowly and savor it or should I read it at the fast speed the writing demanded? Of course, I read it rapidly. I can't get enough. This can be read as a stand alone but why deprive yourself that way? You will miss so much if you don't start at the beginning and watch Uhtred evolve.

Then on the other hand, the contents of War of the Wolf are familiar, evocative and unfortunately somewhat stale. Northumbria is under threat. The kings of Wessex struggle to hold together Alfred's dream of England. New Vikings show up to ravage the land. The hero loses something important and requires vengeance. It is more of the same, and of course it's fun reading despite the advanced years of our protagonist, but it does not carry the same thrill as it once did. Nevertheless, Uhtred is bound by his word, so once again, he must strap on Serpent’s Breath — his great killing sword — and fight England’s foes. For the Danes are threatening England again and they want Uhtred dead.Bernard Cornwell’s epic story of the making of England continues in this eleventh installment in the bestselling Saxon Tales series—"like Game of Thrones, but real" ( The Observer)—the basis of the hit Netflix television series The Last Kingdom.

In each of the previous books, Uhtred comes up with a clever plan to overcome his adversaries. In this book, he does not conceive of a good plan, and his adversaries look overwhelmingly strong in a fortified position. So, the book cleverly held me in suspense. Will Uhtred come out of this battle alive? He cannot retreat--that would mean a slaughter. He cannot go forward; the unscalable walls have battle-hardened enemies on the ramparts. The ending--I won't spoil the ending here, I just want to emphasize that Bernard Cornwell really knows how to keep his readers in suspense. The themes of War of the Wolf are in many ways beautiful. Here is an old and weathered warrior whose family and friends are mostly all gone with the wind. His old enemies, once legends of the sword threatening the very existence of the places and people we readers have come to know and love, are distant memories from days of yonder. When Uhtred's internal monologue considers his father, his brother, his wife, his children, his mentor, the kings who made him and who he made, his brothers-in-arms from countless battles, and now even the lost keeper of the oath who shaped him, the thoughts are simply glimpses of something that once was, and is no more.Uhtred, now older, wants nothing more than to enjoy retirement at Bebbanburg, but pressures on Northumbria from Edward to the south and the Scots to the North are stretching their small armies to the max and making for an uneasy peace.

PDF / EPUB File Name: War_of_the_Wolf_-_Bernard_Cornwell.pdf, War_of_the_Wolf_-_Bernard_Cornwell.epub 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.But Leofstan was a gentle and kind man. Lord Osferth is troubled. He doesn’t think God loves him, poor man.” Mus, I thought, was a gentle and kind woman. I gave her the last two of my gold coins.