The Pale Horseman: A Novel
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The second installment of Bernard Cornwell’s bestselling series chronicling the epic saga of the making of England, “like Game of Thrones, but real” (The Observer, London)—the basis for The Last Kingdom, the hit BBC America television series.
This 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 grandson 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 the 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 new-found loyalty and love for his native country and ruler.
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Published Reviews
Booklist Review
At the conclusion of Cornwell's best-selling The Last Kingdom 0 (2005), Uhtred, the dispossessed son of a slain Saxon nobleman raised by Danish warriors, had reluctantly rejoined King Alfred's beleaguered forces in the rapidly dwindling kingdom of Wessex. Although the Danes had already conquered the kingdoms of East Anglia, Northumbria, and Mercia, Alfred, with an able assist from Uhtred, had stalwartly fended off the Viking invasion. Uneasily allied to the cerebral Alfred, the more vigorous Uhtred is plagued by divided loyalties as the Saxons struggle to maintain a toehold against the mighty Viking war machine. Taking refuge in a boggy marshland, the ragtag remnants of the Saxon army desperately attempt to regroup. Two vastly different heroes--Alfred and Uhtred--stand between the Danes and total annihilation of the Saxon culture. Further complicating the matter is the fact that Uhtred faces a moral dilemma when he realizes he must choose between allegiance to the king he has grown to admire and loyalty to Ragnar, his much-loved foster brother. Cornwell, the author of the excellent Sharpe 0 series ,0 displays his usual flair for providing action-packed martial history populated by a diverse array of realistically drawn characters. A crackerjack adventure tale from a master of the craft. --Margaret Flanagan Copyright 2005 Booklist
Publisher's Weekly Review
Outnumbered Saxon forces continue battling Danish invaders in this rousing sequel to the bestselling The Last Kingdom. It's A.D. 877, and the dispossessed Northumbrian noble Uhtred has just routed the Danes in a battle at Cynuit in southern England. Logically, Uhtred should now ally himself with Alfred, whose Wessex kingdom alone has successfully resisted Danish control. But Uhtred sees a better chance of recovering his lost estate if he finds a way to join the Danes, who raised him and whose simple life of "ale, women, sword, and reputation" he finds more congenial than Alfred's Christian piety and military caution. But when the Danes invade Wessex, Uhtred's loyalties are further divided. His Celtic mistress foretells victory for Alfred, but Uhtred can scarcely believe that the bedraggled king, camped in isolated marshes with a handful of supporters, can repel the invaders and unite England. Yet pride grows in Uhtred: "I understood that among the Danes I was as important as my friends, and without friends I was just another landless, masterless warrior. But among the Saxons I was another Saxon, and among the Saxons I did not need another man's generosity." Uhtred demonstrates his newfound patriotism in the book's climactic battle at Edington. Filled with bawdy humor, bloodlust, treachery and valor, this stirring tale will leave readers eager for the next volume in this Alfred the Great series. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Library Journal Review
In this sequel to the author's blockbuster The Last Kingdom, the Vikings have taken over most of England, and the isolated English may be betrayed by a dispossessed nobleman raised by Danes. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Book Review
Cornwell's tough medieval saga continues after King Alfred's realm is reduced to one swamp and a handful of believers. Uhtred of Begganburg, Northumbrian narrator of Cornwell's series opener, The Last Kingdom (2005), returns to court from his triumph at the battle of Cynuit to find that his rightful glory has been usurped by his weasely nemesis, Odda the Younger. Pious King Alfred is always ready to believe the worst of the pagan Uhtred, who should have skipped rest and recovery at home with beautiful wife Mildrith--now a serious whiner--and gone straight to His Majesty to take credit for the death of the Danish warrior Ubba. Too late. The bad career move puts Uhtred way outside the sanctimonious Saxon power circle, to the disappointment of the increasingly religious Mildrith. Just as he is about to perish from boredom on his farm, Uhtred's old pal Leofric reappears, and the two chums hatch a plan to go plundering in the West, disguised as Vikings. On their excellent adventure, the two score copious loot and Uhtred rescues beautiful Celtic queen Iseult, who is also a bit of a witch. The loot comes in handy when Uhtred wants to settle Mildrith's family debt to the rapacious church, but the only way he can square things with Alfred is by winning a battle with Steapa, a stupendously strong, extra-large warrior. In the middle of the contest, Vikings spring a surprise attack and the Saxons are badly beaten. The king and his family flee, taking refuge in a bog inhabited by gloomy fishermen loyal to no one. A little magic and a formidable battle begin to reverse the bad fortune. Swords, shields, mud and blood. Great stuff, as always, from the master. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Reviews
At the conclusion of Cornwell's best-selling The Last Kingdom (2005), Uhtred, the dispossessed son of a slain Saxon nobleman raised by Danish warriors, had reluctantly rejoined King Alfred's beleaguered forces in the rapidly dwindling kingdom of Wessex. Although the Danes had already conquered the kingdoms of East Anglia, Northumbria, and Mercia, Alfred, with an able assist from Uhtred, had stalwartly fended off the Viking invasion. Uneasily allied to the cerebral Alfred, the more vigorous Uhtred is plagued by divided loyalties as the Saxons struggle to maintain a toehold against the mighty Viking war machine. Taking refuge in a boggy marshland, the ragtag remnants of the Saxon army desperately attempt to regroup. Two vastly different heroes--Alfred and Uhtred--stand between the Danes and total annihilation of the Saxon culture. Further complicating the matter is the fact that Uhtred faces a moral dilemma when he realizes he must choose between allegiance to the king he has grown to admire and loyalty to Ragnar, his much-loved foster brother. Cornwell, the author of the excellent Sharpe series, displays his usual flair for providing action-packed martial history populated by a diverse array of realistically drawn characters. A crackerjack adventure tale from a master of the craft. ((Reviewed November 1, 2005)) Copyright 2005 Booklist Reviews.
Library Journal Reviews
In this sequel to the author's blockbuster The Last Kingdom, the Vikings have taken over most of England, and the isolated English may be betrayed by a dispossessed nobleman raised by Danes. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal Reviews
In this successful sequel to The Last Kingdom , Uhtred--the dispossessed Northumbrian nobleman who had been raised by Danish captors--struggles with his choice to join the Saxons in their attempts to cast the savage Danish invaders out of England. On one hand, he admires the bloodthirstiness of the Danes and dislikes the sickly, priestlike King Alfred of Wessex, whose hold is tenuous at best. On the other, Uhtred is Saxon, and he and Alfred are the only forces protecting their culture. As the novel's end finds the Danes still in control of large stretches of England and a prophecy concerning the fate of Uhtred unfulfilled, Cornwell fans may reasonably expect a follow-up to this ripping good tale of a man fighting to overcome his past and establish himself as a trusted warrior and protector of his country and people. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/05.]--Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Municipal Libs., AK
[Page 94]. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.Publishers Weekly Reviews
Outnumbered Saxon forces continue battling Danish invaders in this rousing sequel to the bestselling The Last Kingdom . It's A.D. 877, and the dispossessed Northumbrian noble Uhtred has just routed the Danes in a battle at Cynuit in southern England. Logically, Uhtred should now ally himself with Alfred, whose Wessex kingdom alone has successfully resisted Danish control. But Uhtred sees a better chance of recovering his lost estate if he finds a way to join the Danes, who raised him and whose simple life of "ale, women, sword, and reputation" he finds more congenial than Alfred's Christian piety and military caution. But when the Danes invade Wessex, Uhtred's loyalties are further divided. His Celtic mistress foretells victory for Alfred, but Uhtred can scarcely believe that the bedraggled king, camped in isolated marshes with a handful of supporters, can repel the invaders and unite England. Yet pride grows in Uhtred: "I understood that among the Danes I was as important as my friends, and without friends I was just another landless, masterless warrior. But among the Saxons I was another Saxon, and among the Saxons I did not need another man's generosity." Uhtred demonstrates his newfound patriotism in the book's climactic battle at Edington. Filled with bawdy humor, bloodlust, treachery and valor, this stirring tale will leave readers eager for the next volume in this Alfred the Great series. (Jan.)
[Page 42]. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.Reviews from GoodReads
Citations
Cornwell, B. (2009). The Pale Horseman: A Novel . HarperCollins.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Cornwell, Bernard. 2009. The Pale Horseman: A Novel. HarperCollins.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Cornwell, Bernard. The Pale Horseman: A Novel HarperCollins, 2009.
Harvard Citation (style guide)Cornwell, B. (2009). The pale horseman: a novel. HarperCollins.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Cornwell, Bernard. The Pale Horseman: A Novel HarperCollins, 2009.
Copy Details
Collection | Owned | Available | Number of Holds |
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Libby | 2 | 1 | 0 |