The Empty Throne

Executive Summary: This might be my favorite book in the series so far. Or it could just be that after what was probably the weakest book, this one was just another solid entry. It's hard to say, as I'm now about a year removed from reading the first few books. Either way, this series continues to be a lot of fun.

Full Review
Uhtred is getting older, and perhaps a bit wiser, but he's still the same old Uthred. After the end of the previous book, I wasn't sure what to expect here. There is definitely a different tone. I think it's helped to rebuild my interest in a series I felt was starting to get a bit formulaic.

The addition of his kids as primary characters add a new element that I quite enjoyed. I particularly liked his daughter. She's far smarter than her father, but no less brave. I can see the series moving to be more about his kids than about him, but I hope I'm wrong about that. That said, I'd likely be interested to read a sequel series that focuses on them.

Overall there is nothing mind blowing here, and the overarching plot is once again taking a backseat to another story where Uthred must save the day with his battle cunning. Yet somehow this one felt fresh.

There were a few times when I laughed incredibly hard, something I don't remember doing as much with the past entries. That might be the magic right there. These books are fun. I'm looking forward to reading the next one, but I'm getting awfully close to being caught up, and I hope he's gotten much closer to wrapping up Uthred's story by then.