The Last Kingdom, The Pale Horseman, The Lords of the North, Sword Song.
The (currently) four books of this epic of Cornwell's tell the story of Alfred the Great through the eyes of Uthred, a half Saxon, half Dane, of Bebbanburg (Bamburgh). Each book is well crafted and an easy read. The story, in usual Cornwell style, flows well and his battle descriptions (a key strength of his Sharpe novels) make the stories. However, due to the nature of the time the descriptions are particularly brutal - so be warned. What I always like about his writing is the amount of historical research that goes into each book, he gets the flavour just right but doesn't bog himself down with it, thus lets the story flow. One historical aspect that he has systematically used has been the naming of towns - he has used the Saxon names and this adds to the feel of the story (as well as having fun guessing where he is referring to!) [Seriously there is a glossary if you can't be bothered!] He also emphasises the battle between the old Gods and Christianity which is fundamental to this period of history, as well as the clash of ideals between Alfred's Wessex and the Danish lands.
Would seriously recommend these if you love Sharpe or are interested in Medieval History!
1 comment:
I thought these books were excellent, especially the first one. As a snapshot of a period of history that never gets a lot of screentime married with a naturally compelling story they were - as with most of Cornwell's books - exceptionally readable.
And perfect Great Pendragon Campaign primers!
neil
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