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Product Description
Barry Forshaw
The Pale Horseman is the second book in Bernard Cornwell's Alfred the Great sequence, and this highly experienced author will be well aware of the pitfalls awaiting the creator of any second book in a series -- particularly when its predecessor, The Last Kingdom, was so enthusiastically received. The fact that Cornwell's Sharpe books are so beloved (for their immense colour and vivid recreation of a very lively period of history) was not a guarantee that this latest venture for the author would succeed. But succeed it did, and The Last Kingdom conjured an era of Vikings and massacres, with a brilliantly drawn (and complex) King Alfred at the centre of the narrative. So -- does Cornwell bring off this second book with equal panache?
No need for suspense -- The Pale Horseman is just as exhilarating a recreation of an age of heroes as its predecessor, delivered with the brio that is the author's trademark. Uhtred was born in Northumbria but rais! ed as a Viking. Married to a Saxon, he has achieved fame as a doughty warrior. But the more reflective Alfred has problems with the aggressive, self-serving manner of his young friend. An alliance, though, is necessary: these two are the sole remnants of those who commanded Wessex, after ill-judged bargains have destroyed the union. The Vikings now reign over most of England, and Alfred and his company are obliged to hide in the swampy netherland of Athelney, trying to regain the support they once enjoyed. Uhtred cannot shake off his Viking training, but finds himself acquiring an admiration for Alfred, who he comes to sense is a great man. As the narrative progresses, the conflict between the two men must be resolved before bloody battles will change the fate of England.
One expects the heroic endeavours of Bernard Cornwell's novels to be dispatched with panache, but there is another element which his admirers rely on: the conflict between his strongly drawn characters,! exemplified here by the two proud leaders. It'll take a while! before this new sequence achieves the immense popularity of the Sharpe novels, but the auguries are good. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Cornwell is a virtuoso of historical fiction.' Sunday Telegraph 'Bernard Cornwell is a literary miracle. Year after year, hail, rain, snow, war and political upheavals fail to prevent him from producing the most entertaining and readable historical novels of his generation.' Daily Mail 'Cornwell's narration is quite masterly and supremely well-researched.' Observer
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cornwell does it again.,
By
This review is from: The Pale Horseman (Alfred the Great 2) (Hardcover)
The Pale Horseman starts where The Last Kingdom ended. It follows the story of Alfred, King of Wessex as told by Uhtred, one of his warriors who was born a Saxon but raised throughout the last book by the Vikings. Fate being inexorable has lead Uhtred from the relative safety of the Viking Ragnar, to being a killer of Vikings who has been brought to the attention of the king of the only remaining Saxon Kingdom which itself is now under threat of Viking invasion.Now I know at the time I write this, the book has not been published (I read the advanced readers edition) so I won't give anything away here, but suffice it to say that any of Bernard Cornwell's fans won't be disappointed, the story is as good as the first and almost as good as his Arthurian trilogy. If you loved his Arthurian trilogy and wanted more, I'm afraid Mr Cornwell has said he will not write any more, but believe me this new series will make up for that as it is the next best thing to an actual Arthur/Derfel story. The characters are good, even the minor ones, and the plot line is from history but with a few minor adjustments to suit the narrative of the plot. The battles are vivid and you are really put into the thick of it yourself. There's something for everyone; history, romance, action, adventure, intrigue... need I say more? There are some (I know from reading other peoples reviews of Cornwell's books) who say the plot lines to all his books are similar and the characters all the same etc. Does it matter? You know where you are with his books, they are well crafted and extremely enjoyable, in fact some history teachers are now recommending them to their students as they bring history to life and not just give the boring facts! If you haven't read a Bernard Cornwell novel before, then this series is as good a place as any to start, I don't think you will be disappointed. If you have, you know what to expect and get this one, you'll love it, I did.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cornwell at his Brilliant Best,
By
This review is from: The Pale Horseman (Paperback)
The Pale Horseman is the sequel to the best selling Last Kingdom and continues the the tale of the great warrior Uhtred, born in Northumberland. Raised as a Viking but he is now married to a Saxon girl. He is a pagan and his alliance with the pious Alfred the Great does not sit easily on the shoulders of either man. However after a disastrous truce with the Dane's, only Alfred's family and Uhtred and a small number of his companions are left of the leaders in Wessex and they have been driven deeper and deeper into a swamp, where they are helpless to try to gather forces to stand against the Dane's The Vikings now hold most of England and it has been a disastrous time for the Saxons. Uhtred find himself torn between the growing respect he has for Alfred and the love he has for his Danish foster brother and the all conquering Vikings. He has to wrestle with his heart and decide whether to try and rally the Saxons and drive out the Vikings, or change sides and go to his foster brother.
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fun read from the Cornwell-Identikit (tm),
By Sam "samueltyler" (Reading, Berkshire) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Pale Horseman (Saxon Tales) (Paperback)
Bernard Cornwell is a prolific writer of historic action books. He is most famous for his Sharpe novels but he has also written books set in the historic periods of King Arthur, the American Civil War, the 100 years war and Stonehenge.
'The Pale Horseman' is the second in a trilogy of books set in the dark ages of Alfred the Great as he fights against the invading forces of the Danes. We follow one of his fighters Ulthred as he works to become rich and powerful enough so that he can take back the land he had stolen from him as a child. 'The Pale Horseman' has some great battle scenes and the characters are quite well written (but not to the standard of other books by the same author). However, I can not get the feeling that the story is VERY similar to other books written by Cornwell. Essentially, since the excellent Grail trilogy (a career high point), Cornwell has written the same three books over and over again but set them in a different time period. I enjoyed the Harlequin trilogy, as I am enjoying the Viking trilogy, but due to feeling like I have read similar too often, this book can only be deemed average. A good read for a Cornwell fan but he seriously needs to consider reviewing his writing style soon before everyone grows bored.
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