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Death of Kings
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Review
Praise for THE BURNING LAND: 'Cornwell draws a fascinating picture of England as it might have been before anything like England existed' The Times Praise for AZINCOURT: 'This is a magnificent and gory work' Daily Mail 'The historical blockbuster of the year' Evening Standard 'If Bernard Cornwell was born to write one book, this is it. No other historical novelist has acquired such a mastery of the minutiae of warfare in centuries past' Daily Telegraph 'A runaway success' Observer Praise for Bernard Cornwell: 'The characterisation, as ever, is excellent!And one can only admire the little touches that bring the period to life. He can also claim to be a true poet of both the horror and the glory of war' Sunday Telegraph This is typical Cornwell, meticulously researched, massive in scope, brilliant in execution' News of the World 'He's called a master story-teller. Really he's cleverer than that' Telegraph
Review
Praise for THE BURNING LAND:
‘Cornwell draws a fascinating picture of England as it might have been before anything like England existed’
The Times
Praise for AZINCOURT:
'This is a magnificent and gory work' Daily Mail
'The historical blockbuster of the year' Evening Standard
‘If Bernard Cornwell was born to write one book, this is it. No other historical novelist has acquired such a mastery of the minutiae of warfare in centuries past’ Daily Telegraph
‘A runaway success’ Observer
Praise for Bernard Cornwell:
‘The characterisation, as ever, is excellent…And one can only admire the little touches that bring the period to life. He can also claim to be a true poet of both the horror and the glory of war’ Sunday Telegraph
This is typical Cornwell, meticulously researched, massive in scope, brilliant in execution’ News of the World
‘He’s called a master story-teller. Really he’s cleverer than that’ Telegraph
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
115 of 120 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
`Wyrd bid ful araed'; as is the annual instalment from Bernard Cornwell. A year has passed, `The Fort' is but a memory and the steadily increasing anticipation surrounding Uhtred's latest adventure has finally been satiated. And what a read it was!
In the `Death of Kings', there are monumental political upheavals. Alfred finally succumbs to death, leaving a power vacuum which several rival claimants seek to fill. The ever uneasy truce between the Danes and Saxons is strained to bursting point; treachery, deceit and subterfuge abound. These combined themes created an atmosphere which was tense from the initial page. When I began the book, Cornwell very cleverly created a sense of suspense in which the political instability and fluidity resulted in a series of events in which Uhtred (and therefore by default, the reader) was immediately suspicious. This was a great writing technique and one which had me attempting to unravel the mysteries alongside Uhtred.
It is fair to say that the main story is monopolised by the demise of Alfred and the aftermath of his death. Yet there are several subthemes and forays throughout the book which are guaranteed to delight. In addition, Uhtred will come into contact with more members of the clergy than ever before - much to his dismay! There are several scenes where Uhtred (with his wicked sense of humour) clashed with the clergy, that had me in complete stitches. Indeed I think that Cornwell's most comical scenes in his entire works to date are to be found within the `Death of Kings'. Uhtred has mastered the art of infuriating the Saxon clergy and the prospective reader will enjoy the fruits of labour on numerous occasions.
At its heart, for all its politicking, espionage and statesmanship; the `Death of Kings' is still a `blood and guts' adventure story. There are several lengthy battle scenes and scrapes at various points and the fourth part of the book is dominated by the inevitable battle between the Saxons and the Danes and the various claimants. The central theme of war which has flowed steadily throughout this series is present as is to be expected in the `Death of Kings'. Ferocious fighting is complemented with Uhtred's canny leadership style and his ability to outfox his opponents. I particularly enjoyed Uhtred's excursion to Snotengaham in which he thoroughly made a nuisance of himself. So, if you require a healthy dose of action to complement the story, this book will not disappoint.
The `Death of Kings' is a transitory book which was necessary, but which could have been rushed. In some ways it is the end of an era. Alfred has gone and Wessex is in danger of being overrun by a Danish horde. Cornwell could have dashed the book off in an attempt to hasten his depiction of the events following Alfred's death. Yet he doesn't do this, he takes his time, creates an atmosphere in which uncertainty and instability abound and lets Alfred slide gently out of the story before focusing fully on his son, Edward. Full credit is due to Cornwell for allotting sufficient time to Alfred's death and the decisions made during that time. I think it gives greater authenticity to the series and allows us to focus fully on Edward without wondering about the final demise of his father.
The `Death of Kings' is a great book and Cornwell fans will not be disappointed, I'm sure. If you love this series then this latest book will be an absolute joy. Uhtred is back, all of the old loveable characters are back and Cornwell demonstrates once again why he is one of our favourite writers. I only wish that I hadn't so long to wait for his next book! Roll on 2012.
In the `Death of Kings', there are monumental political upheavals. Alfred finally succumbs to death, leaving a power vacuum which several rival claimants seek to fill. The ever uneasy truce between the Danes and Saxons is strained to bursting point; treachery, deceit and subterfuge abound. These combined themes created an atmosphere which was tense from the initial page. When I began the book, Cornwell very cleverly created a sense of suspense in which the political instability and fluidity resulted in a series of events in which Uhtred (and therefore by default, the reader) was immediately suspicious. This was a great writing technique and one which had me attempting to unravel the mysteries alongside Uhtred.
It is fair to say that the main story is monopolised by the demise of Alfred and the aftermath of his death. Yet there are several subthemes and forays throughout the book which are guaranteed to delight. In addition, Uhtred will come into contact with more members of the clergy than ever before - much to his dismay! There are several scenes where Uhtred (with his wicked sense of humour) clashed with the clergy, that had me in complete stitches. Indeed I think that Cornwell's most comical scenes in his entire works to date are to be found within the `Death of Kings'. Uhtred has mastered the art of infuriating the Saxon clergy and the prospective reader will enjoy the fruits of labour on numerous occasions.
At its heart, for all its politicking, espionage and statesmanship; the `Death of Kings' is still a `blood and guts' adventure story. There are several lengthy battle scenes and scrapes at various points and the fourth part of the book is dominated by the inevitable battle between the Saxons and the Danes and the various claimants. The central theme of war which has flowed steadily throughout this series is present as is to be expected in the `Death of Kings'. Ferocious fighting is complemented with Uhtred's canny leadership style and his ability to outfox his opponents. I particularly enjoyed Uhtred's excursion to Snotengaham in which he thoroughly made a nuisance of himself. So, if you require a healthy dose of action to complement the story, this book will not disappoint.
The `Death of Kings' is a transitory book which was necessary, but which could have been rushed. In some ways it is the end of an era. Alfred has gone and Wessex is in danger of being overrun by a Danish horde. Cornwell could have dashed the book off in an attempt to hasten his depiction of the events following Alfred's death. Yet he doesn't do this, he takes his time, creates an atmosphere in which uncertainty and instability abound and lets Alfred slide gently out of the story before focusing fully on his son, Edward. Full credit is due to Cornwell for allotting sufficient time to Alfred's death and the decisions made during that time. I think it gives greater authenticity to the series and allows us to focus fully on Edward without wondering about the final demise of his father.
The `Death of Kings' is a great book and Cornwell fans will not be disappointed, I'm sure. If you love this series then this latest book will be an absolute joy. Uhtred is back, all of the old loveable characters are back and Cornwell demonstrates once again why he is one of our favourite writers. I only wish that I hadn't so long to wait for his next book! Roll on 2012.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Death of Kings finally see's Uhtred, as the respected and feared warrior he always was.
In the previous novels you see Uhtred constantly punished and limited by the ungrateful/untrusting Alfred and his priests, while in this book you finally see the chains cast off as Uhtred receive's the respect and reward he is due. This is evident in Alfred's talks with Uhtred, where you discover an underlying respect between both of them, which has replaced the resentment of their differing religions. In previous novels when Uhtred announced who he was, often he was overruled or dismissed, now some years after the previous novel Burning Land, Uhtred has become respected, feared and everyone now listens when he speaks, this is summed up when he declares; "I am Lord Uhtred of Babbenburg," and you read of the fear etched in the recipient's face.
Interestingly in the first book; The Last Kingdom, we see Uhtred as a young boy but by Death of Kings (the 6th book) he has grown to his mid-40s, an astonishing age for those times, which is emanated when in battle a champion of the enemy calls him an `old man' and we discover he now has wisps of grey hair. We then begin to understand, with great sadness, that the once feisty, rebellious and under rated Uhtred that we've been through from his adolescence, is now growing old and his tale will soon end.
The reader can be wholly satisfied with Uhtred finally having the chains cast off and the tools to fight unhindered by Alfred or his priests, the book offers some twists and turns, with plenty of action and you won't be able to put the book down. However because of Uhtred's rise to prominence between the beginning of Burning Land and the end Death of Kings, I felt that the enemy in this book; Sigurd and Cnut, were not as strong as previous Danish leaders. It would have been good to get under their skins to give the reader an insight to their power and the threat they pose to Wessex, so we fully realise the danger Uhtred is in. And lastly I did miss Uhtred's involvement with Danish life, particularly with his interaction with his adopted brother Ragnar Ragnarson however I feel Bernard Cornwell was saving his Danish brother for perhaps the next book.
This is a great book that continues the great story of Uhtred of Bebbanburg and is a must read. I will be sad when this series ends, which I can see in the next 1-2 books.
Highly recommended.
In the previous novels you see Uhtred constantly punished and limited by the ungrateful/untrusting Alfred and his priests, while in this book you finally see the chains cast off as Uhtred receive's the respect and reward he is due. This is evident in Alfred's talks with Uhtred, where you discover an underlying respect between both of them, which has replaced the resentment of their differing religions. In previous novels when Uhtred announced who he was, often he was overruled or dismissed, now some years after the previous novel Burning Land, Uhtred has become respected, feared and everyone now listens when he speaks, this is summed up when he declares; "I am Lord Uhtred of Babbenburg," and you read of the fear etched in the recipient's face.
Interestingly in the first book; The Last Kingdom, we see Uhtred as a young boy but by Death of Kings (the 6th book) he has grown to his mid-40s, an astonishing age for those times, which is emanated when in battle a champion of the enemy calls him an `old man' and we discover he now has wisps of grey hair. We then begin to understand, with great sadness, that the once feisty, rebellious and under rated Uhtred that we've been through from his adolescence, is now growing old and his tale will soon end.
The reader can be wholly satisfied with Uhtred finally having the chains cast off and the tools to fight unhindered by Alfred or his priests, the book offers some twists and turns, with plenty of action and you won't be able to put the book down. However because of Uhtred's rise to prominence between the beginning of Burning Land and the end Death of Kings, I felt that the enemy in this book; Sigurd and Cnut, were not as strong as previous Danish leaders. It would have been good to get under their skins to give the reader an insight to their power and the threat they pose to Wessex, so we fully realise the danger Uhtred is in. And lastly I did miss Uhtred's involvement with Danish life, particularly with his interaction with his adopted brother Ragnar Ragnarson however I feel Bernard Cornwell was saving his Danish brother for perhaps the next book.
This is a great book that continues the great story of Uhtred of Bebbanburg and is a must read. I will be sad when this series ends, which I can see in the next 1-2 books.
Highly recommended.
88 of 96 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
...So goes the old saying. I was eagerly anticipating the latest installment of Uhtred's adventures in the late Saxon era, and that made the wait seem to stretch on for ages. To satisfy my desire for the Victor Books for Grown-Up Boys which Cornwell turns out, I returned to his much older Arthurian Trilogy which have been on my shelf for years. I read all three several times, and then got the Audiobook for the car.
Magnificent preparation, or so I thought. What I should have done was re-read Burning Land, to remind myself how the Saxon sagas are much shorter. But then, maybe that would have made the disappointment of Death of Kings even more acute. Yes, even an avid Cornwell Arthurian/Saxon fan such as I (I've never really got on with Sharpe) may come away disappointed. Not angry, not let down, not sad, but most certainly not satisfied.
Death of Kings is not bad by any measure. Yes, it's formulaic, but then Cornwell's stories tend to repeat the same plots (as indeed do most in the genre, so it's not really a criticism), and yes it's fairly predictable for the most part. But there's one key ingredient missing; emotion.
Cornwell's usual strength - especially with the earlier books in the Uhtred series, and absolutely with the Arthurian trilogy - that of imparting great character and emotion to the main protagonists; bringing them to life, gently detailing relatively inconsequential traits, and drawing you into the character's world, their motivations, and really getting you rooting for them. It's almost entirely absent this book. Undoubtedly some of this detail can be saved, as we're now on book five, but having jumped out of the Arthurian books into this one it's very noticeable how little time is spent with the characters except to simply propel the plot forward.
Consequently, the proverbial kettle never really gets to the boil. I felt no real attachment to Uhtred, we found out little of the new characters introduced, or those formerly bit-part players thrust into the limelight, and the story just skittered along, almost as if Cornwell was willing it to finish early so he could get down the pub.
It does feel as if Uhtred has slightly outstayed his welcome in Cornwell's heart - and although we're left with yet another obvious lead to the eventual end at Bebbanburg, I rather fear that that may be dealt with in a similarly pedestrian fashion.
Nonetheless, I don't doubt it'll get rave reviews from the die hard fans, and indeed that I'll get lots of unhelpful votes for this less than complimentary review, but that's what a review is for.
Would I recommend it?
Well actually I would - not least because we've all invested some time and effort in the first four, so we owe it to ourselves to see this one through to the end. Also because it's still a good story, it's just not as well told as the previous installments.
Magnificent preparation, or so I thought. What I should have done was re-read Burning Land, to remind myself how the Saxon sagas are much shorter. But then, maybe that would have made the disappointment of Death of Kings even more acute. Yes, even an avid Cornwell Arthurian/Saxon fan such as I (I've never really got on with Sharpe) may come away disappointed. Not angry, not let down, not sad, but most certainly not satisfied.
Death of Kings is not bad by any measure. Yes, it's formulaic, but then Cornwell's stories tend to repeat the same plots (as indeed do most in the genre, so it's not really a criticism), and yes it's fairly predictable for the most part. But there's one key ingredient missing; emotion.
Cornwell's usual strength - especially with the earlier books in the Uhtred series, and absolutely with the Arthurian trilogy - that of imparting great character and emotion to the main protagonists; bringing them to life, gently detailing relatively inconsequential traits, and drawing you into the character's world, their motivations, and really getting you rooting for them. It's almost entirely absent this book. Undoubtedly some of this detail can be saved, as we're now on book five, but having jumped out of the Arthurian books into this one it's very noticeable how little time is spent with the characters except to simply propel the plot forward.
Consequently, the proverbial kettle never really gets to the boil. I felt no real attachment to Uhtred, we found out little of the new characters introduced, or those formerly bit-part players thrust into the limelight, and the story just skittered along, almost as if Cornwell was willing it to finish early so he could get down the pub.
It does feel as if Uhtred has slightly outstayed his welcome in Cornwell's heart - and although we're left with yet another obvious lead to the eventual end at Bebbanburg, I rather fear that that may be dealt with in a similarly pedestrian fashion.
Nonetheless, I don't doubt it'll get rave reviews from the die hard fans, and indeed that I'll get lots of unhelpful votes for this less than complimentary review, but that's what a review is for.
Would I recommend it?
Well actually I would - not least because we've all invested some time and effort in the first four, so we owe it to ourselves to see this one through to the end. Also because it's still a good story, it's just not as well told as the previous installments.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Resounding success!
This is a brilliant book that continues the great story of Uhtred of Bebbanburg and I think it is a must read. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dan Jewell
Politics do not change
Makes you realise that the political situation in dark ages England was a lot more complicated than you might think. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. Gary M. Stocker
Bernard Cornwall
I love his books and this one is just as good as the rest. I did think this was the last in series but not sure now so I will and see.
Published 1 month ago by babs
Great story - as always with Cornwell
Uthred of Bebanburg supports Edward, king of anglesin after the death of Alfred the Great...
Mercians and Danish are prepared for war...
Mercians and Danish are prepared for war...
Published 2 months ago by Little oslik
Viking Saga
Yet another masterful story of king Alfred and Uhtreds` fight against those wild Norsemen.Can`t wait for the next one in the series.Spellbinding!
Published 2 months ago by Mr. A. Howden
Death of kings
As a Cornwell fan I have been waiting for this novel to be released . I bought it from amazon at a better price than local store with free p&p. Read more
Published 3 months ago by dfern
Death of Kings
This book is exactly what you expect if you are following Uhtred saga from the beginning... as usual the book arrived in time and nicely wrapped. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Alex Seguino
Standard Cornwell...
...but really, standard Cornwell is no bad thing at all.
This book is formulaic, largely predictable, and will be instantly familiar to anybody who has ever read... Read more
This book is formulaic, largely predictable, and will be instantly familiar to anybody who has ever read... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jamie Frost
Gifts - the greatest recommendation.
A brilliant continuation of Bernard's Saxon series, I bought this as a present, the second copy I have sent to fans of BC abroad where his book had not yet been released. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Hiraethus o Gymru
Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell
Having read the rest of the series I was expecting more of the same.
No such luck.
At 300 pages the book is 250 too long. Read more
No such luck.
At 300 pages the book is 250 too long. Read more
Published 4 months ago by John Evans
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