The farther back in history Bernard Cornwell sets his books, the better they are. This, the first in a series about Alfred the Great, is not set in as distant a time as his “Warlord Chronicles“, and it’s not quite as good, but the series promises to be a strong second best.
All the Cornwell touches are there: the strong main character, the occasionally over-dramatic but always vivid writing, and the stirring battle scenes. The book follows a minor noble named Uhtred from his boyhood in Northumbria to his capture by the Danes, his training under them, and his return to Anglo-Saxon culture as a fighter for Alfred’s kingdom of Wessex, the last kingdom (last to remain free from Danish conquest) of the title.