The Pale Horseman: A Novel
Written by Bernard Cornwell
Narrated by Jonathan Keeble
4/5
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About this audiobook
The is the exciting—yet little known—story of the making of England in the 9th and 10th centuries, the years in which King Alfred the Great, his son and grandsom defeated the Danish Vikings who had invaded and occupied three of England's four kingdoms.
At the end of The Last Kingdom, The Danes had been defeated at Cynuit, but the triumph of the English is not fated to last long. The Danish Vikings quickly invade and occupy three of England's four kingdoms—and all that remains of the once proud country is a small piece of marshland, where Alfred and his family live with a few soldiers and retainers, including Uhtred, the dispossessed English nobleman who was raised by Danes. Uhtred has always been a Dane at heart, and has always believed that given the chance, he would fight for the men who raised him and taught him the Viking ways. But when Iseult, a powerful sorceress, enters Uhtred's life, he is forced to consider feelings he's never confronted before—and Uhtred discovers, in his moment of greatest peril, a newfound loyalty and love for his native country and ruler.
The is the exciting—yet little known—story of the making of England in the 9th and 10th centuries, the years in which King Alfred the Great, his son and grandsom defeated the Danish Vikings who had invaded and occupied three of England's four kingdoms.
At the end of The Last Kingdom, The Danes had been defeated at Cynuit, but the triumph of the English is not fated to last long. The Danish Vikings quickly invade and occupy three of England's four kingdoms—and all that remains of the once proud country is a small piece of marshland, where Alfred and his family live with a few soldiers and retainers, including Uhtred, the dispossessed English nobleman who was raised by Danes. Uhtred has always been a Dane at heart, and has always believed that given the chance, he would fight for the men who raised him and taught him the Viking ways. But when Iseult, a powerful sorceress, enters Uhtred's life, he is forced to consider feelings he's never confronted before—and Uhtred discovers, in his moment of greatest peril, a newfound loyalty and love for his native country and ruler.
Bernard Cornwell
BERNARD CORNWELL is the author of over fifty novels, including the acclaimed New York Times bestselling Saxon Tales, which serve as the basis for the hit Netflix series The Last Kingdom. He lives with his wife on Cape Cod and in Charleston, South Carolina.
Reviews for The Pale Horseman
912 ratings39 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Cornwell whips up another rousing historical adventure tale with a straightforward warrior protagonist and the usual cast of sniveling, conniving cowards always twisting the truth to make him look bad.
This time the setting is the 9th Century Saxon-Danish wars at the time of Alfred the Great, and the action is more bloody and gruesome than in other Corwell novels I've read. Not for the fastidious. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This book is the second of the Saxon Series. It follows the first very well and ties in many of the characters. I enjoyed the way that Cornwell introduces new characters and scenes. He is very good at descriptive narrative. There are a few times where it becomes repetitive, but all in all, a great book
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This second book of The Saxon Stories sees Uhtred doing some roving before he ends up in the swamp with Alfred, one of the more famous incidents in Alfred's long rule. Uhtred is still more pagan than Christian, much to Alfred's dismay. He gets in trouble, falls in love, and fights the Danes when he isn't allying himself with them.Mr. Cornwall is one of the great historical fiction authors and his abilities are on display in The Pale Horseman. Uhtred has a dry sense of humor that contrasts sharply with Alfred's piety and often makes me laugh. The battle scenes are amazing; the reader can feel the fear and battle lust in the fighting. Another great book in a wonderful series.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bernard Cornwell cements his place as my favorite author. Supremely entertaining novel.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very good book.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A fun trump thru the Saxon age.