The third part of the Saxon series and it cost me a whopping 10 to buy a hardback version (the paperback hasn’t been released yet)! I’m still glad I bought it, equal to the previous 2 books (The Last Kingdom and The Pale Horseman) I was so engrossed I read it with the week. I’m not very good at getting to sleep and this book made it harder, I just had to keep turning the page to find out what was happening.
Uhtred, the main character, travels North to his home county on a mission for King Alfred, kills lots of people and is near death several times. The King he is serving sells him into slavery and I had to wonder just how he’d get out of that!
Once again I was spoilt by Bernard Cornwell’s detailed writing. In one chapter he writes of a “red ship”, and later it is explained that the red colouring is a result of the ship being made from pine rather than the normal ship building timbers. The research into the period must have been unbelievably detailed to pick up that observation. I guess today’s comparison would be speaking of hailing a black cab in London. Every now and then one’s a different colour but how often would you comment on it?
Uhtreds goal is still not complete though, so I can’t wait for the next book to be available.