Book 8 of the Saxon Stories takes place when Aethelred, Lord of the Mercians, died and his wife, Aethelflaed - daughter of Alfred the Great - became Lady of the Mercians. Of course, that is just the backdrop for action and adventure with the aging and injured Uhtred of Bebbanburg. King Edward of Wessex - son of Alfred the Great - shares his father's desire to unite all the petty kingdoms into one: England. As such, he has dispatched an ealdorman - who happens to be Edward's father-in-law, to pave the way for Edward's ascension to the Mercian throne. There is also a plot to kill Aethelstan, a boy with a strong claim to the throne of Wessex and thus an impediment to the ealdorman's goal of seeing his grandson as king.
In the previous book, Uhtred had been seriously wounded and remains in such pain as to be a virtual invalid. Luckily, he has his son, also named Uhtred, and a band of warriors to do the fighting for him. The elder Uhtred is a cunning strategist and a shrewd judge of character. However, he is a man of his times and believes that to heal himself from his injury, he must find the sword that skewered him. He must go to Wales. While in Wales, he sees a fleet of Viking ships that can only be headed to Mercia!
This is one of the better books in the series. Uhtred is more of a chess master than a warrior. He has always been brilliant and insightful but hobbled with crippling pain forces the story to focus on his wits and not on his combat prowess. This also provided opportunities for his children, Uhtred and Stiorra, to play pivotal roles and perhaps helm the Saxon Stories when Uhtred the elder dies. The history of the early 10th century is sufficiently opaque that Cornwell has wide latitude to shape the story.
Great fun and recommended.
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