War of the Wolf (Saxon Tales)

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Uhtred is told that the plague has broken out in the north; his wife, son-in-law and grandchildren are dead. But Uhtred has grown weary of coming to the aid of the ungrateful Wessex Saxon rulers, despite his oath to protect them. A pagan, he worships the old gods and has nothing but contempt for the Christian priests and their nailed god who would make all the world’s pleasurable pursuits sinful. Besides, he has finally retaken his ancestral home of Bebbanburg from his usurping cousin and wishes for nothing more than to remain on his lands to enjoy life.

That got no reaction except from Mus, who laughed when I told her. “Oh, I couldn’t marry Lord Osferth,” she said, “it would be like marrying a priest!” I've enjoyed the Uhtred series and was eagerly awaiting this new volume. it was enjoyable but was not as engrossing as previous ones. I think Uhtred, now in his sixties, is running out of steam or perhaps Cornwell is. First of all, the new villainous Norseman is much like previous villainous Norsemen, the Christian priests are still lying manipulators and the Saxons are still underhanded. Not much new there. Secondly, some of the fascinating characters are no longer around. Aethelflaeda has died, Edward is dying, and Skiorra.....better left unsaid. Aethelstan is coming into his own and we know he will be the new king as soon as Edward shakes off his mortal coil but he is becoming something of a sanctimonious prig. Third, the plots are too similar...one grasping invader after another in the North and political maneuvering in the South. Of course, Cornell is only being true to history. Now, for the positives. The action is fast paced and Uhtred is still a fascinating character, cynical, determined but sadder and older. Descriptions are vivid although I tend to skim over the bloody battles. It was a violent age and Cornwell is true in depicting this reality. Uhtred learns that Edward has called a Witan at Tamweorthin, summoning Sigtryggr, but not him. He goes anyway. He sees Æthelhelm there too. Eadgifu, Edward's wife, tries subtly enlisting his support against their mutual enemy, Æthelhelm; later Æthelhelm tries to have him killed, but fails. Sigtryggr agrees to a treaty with Edward so that he can turn his full attention to avenging his wife. Then, Æthelstan swears an oath to never fight against Uhtred or invade Northumbria (if he becomes king of Wessex) while Uhtred lives; in exchange, he gets Uhtred to swear to try to kill Æthelhelm. Yet he still feels bound by an oath he took to protect Æthelstan, his friend, protege and Edward's oldest son. So when there is a Mercian revolt against Edward, he rides with Finan and about 90 veteran warriors to relieve the Siege of Ceaster. When he gets there, he realises he has been lied to; the besieged, led by Æthelstan, were in no real danger, and the enemy are soon defeated. To Master Alexander le Convers, for money paid by him to the carpenters making the engine called ‘War Wolf’, and other workers working (also on the engine), in May and June 1304, 10 shillings on 7 June 1304.Astonishing storytelling skills. Bernard Cornwell brought 9th and 10th century England alive for me. Lest you think that this novel is simply plot-driven, Cornwell takes time to give us a full sense of daily life whether in town or in a steading. You will learn: what foods are available; how things are stored; the way one traveled; the elements of clothing and battle armor; etc. There are plenty of familiar characters including Uhtred’s “right hand,” Finan (who can tell Uhtred the truths he doesn’t want to hear) and Prince Aethelstan (who as a youngster was saved and protected by Uhtred). Those who have read the series will delight in the fact that Mus and Osferth reappear. Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!

The themes of War of the Wolf are in many ways beautiful. Here is an old and weathered warrior whose family and friends are mostly all gone with the wind. His old enemies, once legends of the sword threatening the very existence of the places and people we readers have come to know and love, are distant memories from days of yonder. When Uhtred's internal monologue considers his father, his brother, his wife, his children, his mentor, the kings who made him and who he made, his brothers-in-arms from countless battles, and now even the lost keeper of the oath who shaped him, the thoughts are simply glimpses of something that once was, and is no more. When disassembled, the weapon would fill 30 wagons in parts. [ citation needed] It reportedly took five master carpenters and forty-nine other labourers at least three months to complete. [3]

stars for another rousing historical fiction book by Bernard Cornwell. This is the 51st book that I have read by Cornwell and I enjoyed all of them. I recommend that you start this series with book 1, The Last Kingdom. It is the story of Uhtred of Bebbanburg. In this book, Uhtred faces a new enemy, Skoll, a Norseman, defeated by Celtic warriors in Ireland and now living in Northumbria. He kills one of Uhtred's family and Uhtred swears revenge. I think that Cornwell writes the best battle scenes of this period--about 9th to 10th century. They are so vivid that you can imagine yourself watching the battle in real life. However, and firstly let me declare that Mr Cornwell's work (not exclusively but particularly Uhtred) has given me years of enjoyment and mirth...

Generally speaking, one easy way to tell if your narrator is more-or-less reliable is if he or she puts himself or herself in the best possible light throughout. Uhtred, I think, has taken pains to point out his mistakes over time, and he does so here, so that’s a point in his favor. He goes out of his way to debunk the heroic tales that the bards sing about him, and that’s another reason to take him seriously. But I think the best reason to believe in Uhtred’s reliability is that the things he remembers, particularly the battles he fights, are just so vividly rendered that it is difficult to believe that what happens in the books is anything other than true.

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Cornwell has his protagonist observe: "The gods are not kind to us, any more than children are kind to their toys. We are here to amuse the gods, and at times it amuses them to be unkind....Perhaps my conviction that I was cursed was false, but there were not birds in the winter sky, and that omen told me I was the plaything of cruel gods." War is bitter. The poets give battle a splendor, extolling the brave and exulting in victory, and bravery is worth their praise. Victory too, I suppose, but the poems, chanted in mead halls at night, give boys and young men their ambition to be warriors. Reputation! It is the one thing that outlives us. Men die, women die, all die, but reputation lives on like the echo of a song, and men crave reputation”

War of the Wolf is the 11th book in Bernard Cornwell’s series about Uhtred of Bebbanburg and the founding of Anglo-Saxon England. Orphaned as a young boy, Uhtred is taken as a slave by the great Danish warrior Ragnar, who eventually comes to love him as a son. That guy who wrote Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin, says: “Bernard Cornwell does the best battle scenes of any writer I’ve ever read, past or present.” I can’t quarrel with that, but I will add that Cornwell does not write fantasy; he writes historical fiction. He helps dry historical names and dates become real for us. History is people making choices and doing things. There are few authors that have been able to convey the feeling of that better than he does. This was a pleasure to read but it presented a dilemma for me. Should I read it slowly and savor it or should I read it at the fast speed the writing demanded? Of course, I read it rapidly. I can't get enough. This can be read as a stand alone but why deprive yourself that way? You will miss so much if you don't start at the beginning and watch Uhtred evolve. The best battle scenes of any writer I’ve ever read, past or present. Cornwell really makes history come alive’ George R.R. Martin Uhtred, after years of fighting and planning revenge on his hated uncle is once again lord of his ancestral home, Bebbanberg.

Bernard Cornwell

There is a very sad death in this book and I appreciated in the author's notes on how he lamented the death but had to do it to make it match history. Darn, I hate it when facts get in the way of what I want to happen. I love how well researched these books are and how much I have learned just from reading them. Frankly I knew next to nothing about King Alfred until I read this series. Ciò non toglie che per gli amanti del genere, come me, queste avventure siano abbastanza avvincenti e credibili e se ogni tanto i dialoghi hanno la supremazia sull’azione e il racconto tende a stagnare, ecco una scaramuccia, un inseguimento palpitante, l’ombra di un complotto a ricreare le premesse per una lettura entusiasmante. Cornwell was born in London in 1944. His father was a Canadian airman, and his mother, who was English, a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. He was adopted and brought up in Essex by the Wiggins family, who were members of the Peculiar People, a strict Protestant sect who banned frivolity of all kinds and even medicine. After he left them, he changed his name to his birth mother's maiden name, Cornwell. The battles were epic especially the last one. It was touch and go there for a minute and had me on the edge of my seat wishing I could grab a sword and dive in. Ieremias was a hoot , such a weird and quirky character. My heart also broke at one point … but I’ll just leave it at that. One of the most beautiful women ever to grace the silver screen, Hedy Lamarr also designed a secret weapon against Nazi Germany.