⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 7/10
Sometimes, a series can go on too long. Sometimes, authors are tempted to drag a story out until the reader rather wishes it had ended a few books ago. So I will say right away that, for me, we should never have reached this latest book in Bernard Cornwell’s series detailing the fictional life of Uhtred of Bebbanburg.
Why it’s gone on so long, I’m not sure. But the early books have now been turned into TV drama, which will have greatly increased sales, and may have persuaded author or publisher to prolong the series beyond its natural life.
The series started very promisingly. After all, Cornwell is a great writer of historical fiction, and Uhtred is an interesting and likeable character. However, after the first few books, several successive volumes were really very repetitive. Yes, they meshed with historical figures and events, but effectively each story had basically the same premise. After coming to the rescue at the end of the previous book, Uhtred is sent away again, because he’s a pagan, a problem, an outsider. Then trouble comes, and he’s finally recalled and saves the day. Oh, there are tales in between, mainly around his attempts to recapture his ancestral lands and castle, but sometimes I wondered if I was re-reading a book I’d already read.
This volume has Uhtred nearer to his goal of retaking Bebbanberg, but events intervene, and he has other promises to honour before he can return home. Pleasingly, this story has more of the originality and inventiveness we normally associate with Cornwell. One or two new characters appear who bring some much needed depth and one or two older participants prepare to leave the stage. The action is as real as always, and the politics and religious skulduggery are all there.
As usual, one cannot fault the author’s writing; Cornwell is a master of his art (or he has an exceptional editor). His writing flows, leading you from page to page, from scene to scene, without you being aware of the passage of time. The threads of the story overlap and interweave seamlessly. The problem for me, even in this improved episode, is that I no longer really care about the characters. There is no longer any real suspense.
This is the best of the recent entries in the series. I will probably read the next volume, but I’m certainly not waiting with baited breath, as I was when the series began. I’m not sure how many books are left before poor old Uhtred can rest his tired bones, but I sincerely hope it’s soon. I think Cornwell owes him some peace.
This is a review of the Harper Collins 2016 Kindle edition.
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