The Pagan Lord (The Saxon Stories #7) by Bernard Cornwell
Publisher/Year: Harper, 2015
Format: Paperback
Pages: 299
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Goodreads
Summary
At the onset of the tenth century, England is in turmoil. Alfred the Great is dead and Edward, his son, reigns as king. Wessex survives, but peace cannot hold: the Danes in the north, led by Viking Cnut Longsword, stand ready to invade and will not rest until the emerald crown is theirs.
Uhtred, once Alfred’s great warrior but now out of favor with the new king, must lead a band of outcasts north to recapture his old family home, that great Northumbrian fortress, Bebbanburg.
In The Pagan Lord, loyalties will be divided and men will fall, as every Saxon kingdom is drawn into the bloodiest battle yet with the Danes: a war that will decide the fate of every king, and the entire British nation.
What I thought
I can’t help it–I just love these books. I will never tire of Uhtred’s story. Yes, they might be formulaic, and The Pagan Lord is no different, but to me, it’s comforting. I might go into these books with a general idea of what to expect, but Bernard Cornwell always includes enough twists & surprises to keep the story moving and to keep me coming back for more.
I have loved each book of the series so far, but some of them have been my favorites, and The Pagan Lord is one. I can’t really say why, other than the fact that every time I picked up this book, I just sunk into the story and couldn’t put it down. I loved reading Uhtred’s perspective in this installment particularly. He has become quite the cantankerous “old” man, but he is still the clever and wily we’ve been reading about all along.
All in all, this was another outstanding addition to The Saxon Stories. I will say that I am very glad that I have the next book waiting for me because that ending? That was the biggest, most shocking, and most heartwrenching cliffhanger of the series thus far! On to book #9!
Jessika Reads 