The Pagan Lord by Bernard Cornwell

The seventh novel in Bernard Cornwell's number one bestselling series The Warrior Chronicles, on the making of England and the fate of his great hero, Uhtred of Bebbanburg. 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 never rest until the emerald crown is theirs. Uhtred, once Alfred's great warrior but now out of favour with the new king, must lead a band of outcasts north to recapture his old family home, that great Northumbrian fortress, Bebbanburg. Loyalties will be divided and men will fall, as every Saxon kingdom is drawn into the bloodiest battle yet with the Danes; a war which will decide the fate of every king, and the entire English nation.

Uhtred, the great pagan warrior, continues his adventures in Saxon England. This wasn't the best in the Saxon series (IMHO), but with almost any book by Bernard Cornwell you get a great story. [b:The Pagan Lord 17853024 The Pagan Lord (The Saxon Stories, #7) Bernard Cornwell https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1370529803s/17853024.jpg 24989806] is no exception.

Executive Summary: This might be the weakest of the series so far, but I still continue to enjoy it. 3.5 Stars.

Full Review
This series is starting to feel a bit formulaic. Uhtred pisses off some people, does something stupid, then redeems himself through battle. I'd like to see some more progress to the overarching story than we got. I'm hoping things start to pick up more in the next book.

In particular, I found the early part a bit slow. Things did pick up as the book went on however and I still flew through the book. I still love to read about Uhtred and his exploits. He's a fun character to read about. The supporting characters, both new and old help to add to his story. He is many things to many people, but at his core he'll do anything for those he cares about.

The blend of fiction and fantasy continues to be top notch. I never know just how much of what I'm reading is “based on a true story” and how much of it comes from the author's imagination.

I will say this had a terrible cliffhanger ending, and I'm glad I was able to jump right into the next book. If I had had to wait for the next book, I'd be pretty annoyed.

It's always a sign of a good book when you're eager to jump right into the next one. If you haven't given this series a look yet, I continue to recommend that you do so.