Customer Reviews

The Burning Land LP: A Novel (Saxon Tales)

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"Instead I burned the wooden god and his wooden cross and mixed their ashes with crushed apples, that I fed to my two sows. I worship Thor."

Uhtred, son of Uhtred and the Uhtred who came before returns in Book 5 of the Saxon Chronicles (#1 Last Kingdom; #2 Pale Horseman; #3 Lords of the North; #4 Sword Song). If you haven't read the previous books, Cornwell always offers short recaps but I suggest you start at the beginning, because this is easily the best series on Alfred and the 10th century West Saxons. Cornwell crafts exceptional characters in both the men who defend the Kingdom of Wessex, and the Danish Viking villains who seek to destroy the fledgling christian nation.

The story begins around 894 with the Battle of Fearnhamme (Farnham), where Uhtred leads Alfred's forces against Harald Bloodhair, who I believe is a fictional character but is certainly a great villain. Haesten returns to make trouble, and Uhtred heads north. An interesting point brought up in the Historical Note, suggests Torneie Island (Thorney), where the Danes sought refuge after Farnham, is now buried under the development surrounding Heathrow.

I love the main character Uhtred of Bebbanburg. He is a peerless pagan warrior bound by oath to King Alfred who is a christian obsessed with converting the world. This is a constant source of conflict for Uhtred, who must serve the very thing he despises, and his hatred is more evident in The Burning Land than any of the prior books.

"The way to wealth is to become a christian bishop or a monastery's abbot and thus be imbued with heaven's permission to lie, cheat, and steal your way to luxury."

Uhtred has had a hard life filled with misfortune and violence. He is both cantankerous and noble at the same time. When the bishop Asser demands a woman be struck for insulting the King, Uhtred mocks him for bringing violence upon a women. Throughout the series, this is one of Uhtred's great qualities: his respect and generally good treatment of women, who during this age could hardly come to expect such from men.

I highly recommend this book. If you enjoyed the previous books in the series, The Burning Land will not disappoint. At the very end Cornwell lets us know that Uhtred shall return for Book 6, I can't wait!

Another first rate novel by Bernard Cornwell continuing the story of Uhtred in the Saxon Tales. As in the previous novels in this series, Cornwell recreates a time and society in a masterly manner. Against the background of plot and intrigue, this fast paced tale holds the reader's attention until the last page. Cornwell's scholarship and research is evident, and contributes mightily to the success of the book. While the relationships between the Saxons and Danes, Christian and Pagans have considerable complexity and nuance, Cornwell shows his ability to ensure this adds to the read's enjoyment and in no way interferes with the pace of the story or it unfolding. Another brillant addition to Mr. Cornwell's impressive list of books. Purchased prior its US release on Amazon UK and well worth the shipping fees.

Though Uhtred has endured a harsh and trying life (all told in the Saxon Chronicles - The Last Kingdom, The Pale Horseman, Lords of the North, Sword Song - all of which I highly recommend you read before entering The Burning Land, not because you must to understand the story but because the series is exceptional) in the previous offerings in this series by the great Bernard Cornwell, he continues his raging life which is entangled in the life of King Alfred, later to be known as Alfred the Great.

Here we find Uhtred finally freeing himself of the burden of the oath he held to Alfred only to find that he is held under oath to Alfred's daughter. And so, Uhtred rages on against the Danes, the Vikings, the men of the North. And along with the rage comes the expected gory battles described in miserable beauty by Cornwell. The savagery is brought to life in such vivid telling that you'll swear you are there amongst the blood-shed.

This book, like its predecessors, spends a lot of time on the history of Alfred and his fight to build England, then just a dream of the King of Wessex. I cannot more highly recommend a book or a series of books. You must read the entire series; I've read the whole series twice now and will go back again, it is that captivating.

Start at the beginning (again, you don't need to, per se, but why skip the previous 4 books when they are so wonderful, the story so big and amazing) and read the entire series; you'll be waiting for the next and the wait is torturous but worth it. Not much more to say; buy the whole series and dig in for a mind-blowing adventure which is fairly accurate in its retelling.

Cornwell is today's greatest writer of historical fiction.

Enjoy!

By now, the fifth installment of the Saxon series, Uthred, that pagan-with-an-attitude, is way larger than life - the brash war lord who defies kings and bishops, hacking and rutting through another raucous and bloody chapter of ninth century England. This time around, King Alfred is old and near death, but is yet carefully planning for the future, insuring his son, Prince Edward, will succeed him and fulfill Alfred's vision for a united England. Uthred of course plays large in these plans, starting off leading the rousing victory in the real battle of Farnham, defeating the fictional but gloriously fearsome Dane "Harald Bloodhair," securing Alfred's hold on Wessex. But as is his habit, Uthred pushes his luck, loses his temper, and ends up "going Viking," fleeing Wessex and Alfred, heading north on an odyssey that takes him back to Bebbanenburg and his adopted Danish buddies from his youth. Along the way, he dispatches some pirates and dallys with a cruel but ravishing witch (oh, and gets stung by a bee...) before a rousing climax in the decisive Battle of Benfleet. But aside from the high drama and increasing sensationalism of shield walls, split skulls, and gouged eye-balls, the talented Bernard Cornwell sheds some well deserved light on Alfred's daughter Ethelfled, the fiery Lady of Mercia who led English troops to battle against the marauding Danes. More than 500 years before the French, Ethelfled was England's own Joan of Arc, though largely lost as a footnote history, overshadowed by her famous father and his son and grandson.

As in most of Cornwell's novels of early England, the Church and its usurping priests and bishops are the real villains, a message that comes across with extra venom in "The Burning Land." The author paints a vivid and I suspect accurate portrait of the culture clash between the Danes and their "old Gods" gradually being pushed aside by Christianity's "nailed God" who "broods, is vengeful, he scowls, he plots" in contrast to the Norse belief in inescapable fate and battle lust and party time. As always, the well drawn cast is done in unambiguous in blacks and whites, while the love/hate relationship between the pagan Uthred and his pious King Alfred is a carefully crafted work of literary art.

"The Burning Land" is classic Cornwell - a swashbuckling yarn of war and treachery and cliffhangers and sex, cast against a historical backdrop without sugar coating the harsh realities of those dark days. And by now, if like me you're starting to feel just a bit of battle fatigue after riding with Uthred and his gang for this long, well, you've got at least one more campaign ahead to enjoy and endure.

THE BURNING LAND is the fifth Bernard Cornwell tale about Uhtred, a fierce ninth-century warlord battling his way through enemy shield walls in an England waiting to be united. You should know this right away, along with the fact that it won't be the last of the series. It's hard enough to write one novel, but it's downright difficult to pen five of them consecutively with the same characters and themes and keep the writing fresh and interesting. "Difficult" isn't even the word; "impossible" is more like it. (Even the most devout Cornwell fan is going to have a hard time getting through the whole 20-plus volumes of the Richard Sharpe series without wincing at the umpteenth explanation of how Sharpe got his telescope or the workings of the deadly seven-barreled gun.)

But if you liked the first four volumes of Cornwell's Saxon Tales, the good news is that there's more of the same in THE BURNING LAND. There are cruel and disgusting Viking invaders, heartless and crafty priests, dangerous and exotic women, and the endless machinations of Alfred the Great, which invariably lead the doughty Uhtred into a welter of gore. Cornwell has not lost his deft touch in describing the joy of battle, the inexorable flame that runs through a warrior when he stabs someone in the eye with a spear.

One of Uhtred's core beliefs is that his fate is determined by the three spinners of Norse legend --- that he is a plaything of the gods, to be turned this way and that. It's easy to see why he might think so, especially because Cornwell uses him so often as a pawn. Uhtred is forever being manipulated by one character or another, and it doesn't really help the narrative much that he is aware of this and is somewhat cynical about it. But there is one moment in the story after Uhtred has fallen for a truly transparent ruse where he is able to break free from the ties that bind him to Saxon Wessex. And this leaves him free to follow his own desires for once, where he can take his Viking longboat with the wolf's head prow and finally settle an old score. It appears --- at least for a while --- that this will be the book in which Uhtred finally captures the unassailable fortress of Bebbanburg, kill his usurping uncle and reclaim his stolen patrimony.

If that had happened, it would be a truly impressive feat of arms, leading to a bloody and violent battle, ending in triumph and disaster. It would also end the series. And as you might expect, Cornwell has other plans for Uhtred --- and even though these plans lead him to another improbable battlefield, against a fearsome foe, it is still something of a letdown. This is not to denigrate THE BURNING LAND in any way; it's superior entertainment (if you like your entertainment blood-stained and brutal). Uhtred is a fully-realized character, capable of great bravery and great foolishness, mixed in with --- as he might describe himself --- the deviousness of Loki and the thunder of Thor's hammer in battle. And Cornwell's eye for period detail and his capacity for pulling off deft reverses are still in place, which helps to keep the narrative turning briskly along.

The only thing to dislike about THE BURNING LAND is that it didn't go in the direction that the main character (and at least this part of the readership) wanted it to go. But that means that the issue of who holds Bebbanburg Castle will be resolved in another volume, and given Cornwell's talents, that will be a book to wait for indeed.

--- Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds, who writes the "Northbound" blog at [...]

It's the 9th Century and you are a king of one of the lands that will one day make up England. You are a devout Christian, surrounded by priests, many of whom are contemptibly corrupt, and are under constant attack by the bands of Danes (Vikings). What to do, what to do?

Why entrust your kingdom's defense to Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a man of Saxon birth who was taken by the Danes and raised as one of them and is now a pagan.

Uhtred - pardon the expression - has an axe or two of his to grind, namely someday getting back north and retaking his ancestral castle Bebbanburg from his nasty uncle. But right now he is under oath to King Alfred who will someday be dubbed Alfred the Great, the only English ever so honored.

And Uhtred fights Alfred's battles against Alfred's enemies, though Alfred shows precious little appreciation.

For a moment it looks like Uhtred has turned his back on his oath to Alfred and is about to be one of the leaders in a Viking attack against Wessex, Alfred's Kingdom of Wessex. But then love rears it head . . . and the rest is history, More or less. Maybe.

Bernard Cornwell specializes in historical fiction. This is the fifth novel of Saxon England featuring Uhtred and, if you're a historical novel buff with a hankering for 9th Century England, this is it.

Cornwell puts a lot of history into his books. Place names. Battles. Prominent landmarks. Kings, queens, princes and princesses who mattered and, overall, a picture of the ugliness of life in that epoch.

Life was cheap in that era. Freedom essentially unknown to the English with each man and woman owing loyalty to someone higher on the food chain.

Death could occur at any time. From disease, accident, whim of your master, at the hands of an invader or outlaw or from the singing swords of a barbarian like Uhtred of Bebbanburg.

Make no mistake about it: Uhtred is a barbarian. He does not give violent death a second thought and when he goes to war - which is often - he is death's errand boy. He doesn't murder indiscriminately, but he takes pride in his murderous skills deployed in service to his king or simply when he needs to kill to save himself.

Cornwell captures the ugliness of the era. The oppression visited on ordinary people by kings, priests, aristocracy of any kind, invaders, defenders, Danes, Vikings, anyone stronger or with the appropriate right. The poverty of life for most is well described by Cornwell, as is the privilege of the few.

Uhtred is a vehicle. By defending Alfred, Cornwell can tell the story of Alfred and the consolidation of the feuding fiefdoms that eventually became the greatest power on Earth for a few centuries. Most of the novel is about 9th Century combat: preparing for combat, being engaged in combat and the aftermath of combat. Intermixed is the story of Alfred, the politics of his kingship and kingdom, the nature of the Viking wars and all the other pieces of the involving story.

If you like historical fiction involving 9th Century England, you'll enjoy "The Burning Land" and its four predecessors.

Jerry

The Burning Land is Cornwell's fifth book in the Saxon Chronicles that take place during the reign of the ninth century English king, Alfred the Great. The stories' protagonist is Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a warrior born in Northumbria, but raised as a Dane. The devout Christian Alfred is trying to create "England" by melding together his Wessex with Mercia, East Anglia and, eventually Northumbria, but he repeatedly finds himself in need of aid from the pagan Uhtred.

This book is more of the same. Uhtred is pulled between his Danish roots and his oath to the Saxon king. The book features numerous skirmishes and one big battle as the climax. Uhtred's perpetual inconstant attitude does grow a bit wearisome, but not so much as to turn me against the series. Cornwell gets the known historical details right (for example, Alfred's use of the `burh' system of fortresses), but the relatively sparse record also leaves much room for speculation.

If you have enjoyed the previous books in the series, you will want to continue. If you are new to the series, you can enjoy this book as a standalone and then go back to read the previous installments (Of course, it is better to start at the beginning. The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Chronicles Series #1)) Cornwell rarely disappoints his loyal readers and The Burning Land is no exception.

Sword Song was a hard act to follow. This book does the job but doesn't top it. If you compare the preceeding books in the series this might actually be the weakest. An excellent book by comparison to the genre, but not to the author's own works. It does stand on the shoulders of the others so it's a strong, entertaining, and satisfying read; but it does not reach as far forward as the others.

I recommend anybody starting this series begin with the first book "the Last Kingdom." You deprive yourself of many hours of reading enjoyment by jumping into the middle. The books can stand alone but work best together.

Now I want to go into one specific about this book. The heathen ruminations of the hero narrator about religion, both his own and the Christian faith, make this an especially interesting type of historic fiction for anyone interested in paganism or the liminal phases of European conversion to Christianity. I've studied Christian apologetics and I've studied European New Right neo-paganism from Alain De Benoist, I've studied Asastro, and the Hellenic cults and myths. I've read about Julian the Apostate and his interloctuors. With this depth of familiarity with the topic of pagan versus Christian, I have been most pleased with the depth and genuineness of how Uhtred speaks his inner thoughts on the gods. This brings an emotional authenticity to the conversation whcih apologetic texts, both pagan and Christian, often fail to capture.

One might think it odd perhaps that a viking-action historical fiction series would become a field for religious critique and appreciation. Rather perhaps it is odd that much fiction lacks any reference to religion, as if religion had no place in the life of a character. Cornwwell's books-- this one and those of other series as well- do not suffer this lack and it makes his characterization much more real and human.

In The Burning Land, the fifth book of Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Tales saga, our hero Uhtred of Bebbanburg is back with his mighty sword Serpent-Breath, his dagger Wasp-Sting, and all the arrogance and bravado one man can exude as he fulfills his oath of allegiance to King Alfred the Great. But the arrangement that binds Uhtred to Alfred has begun to chafe, and when the presence of the Christian priests forces his hand, Uhtred's eye returns to his lost inheritance of Bebbanburg. The retaking of the lands will not come easily,however, and Uhtred must look to the Danes for help, a situation that puts him at odds with not only his sworn king but also with another oath long forgotten. How these scenarios play out fills The Burning Land with action, lust, treachery, and battles of the bloodiest nature. In short, it brings the period to life in all its goriest glory.

The Burning Land's Uhtred is everything a reader wants in a hero: he's strong, he's canny, he's lucky, and he's a natural leader. Cornwell never has Uhtred shy away from difficult situations and thrusts him often into roles our combatant tries to avoid. Uhtred is a conflicted man; a Saxon raised by Danes, sworn to a man he hates, he somehow remains true to his integrity, refusing to compromise himself, yet fiercely loyal. The action is bloody and frequent and immerses the reader thoroughly throughout the tale.

The Burning Land continues the tradition of this well-crafted series, taking the reader on a wild, violent ride through the early years of Britain. It is filled with diabolical characters as well as those with strong hearts, and Uhtred remains an audacious hero of epic proportions. I'm ready for his next adventure! Highly recommended.

Bernard Cornwell is rightly regarded as one of the great writers of historical fiction. The Burning Land is a continuation of the tale of Uthred, a Saxon warlord at the time of Alfred the Great. Whenever Cornwell creates a character in his various series that character will develop a loyal following of readers who want to see what happens to their hero. Cornwell is a good storyteller so he can produce a personality that we care about in an environment that is far removed from our own in time and values. Uthred is of the heroic mold but does have his failings. His greates dilemma seems to be that he is torn between loyalty to Alfred and the infant Saxon nation and the Danish pagan way of life which he admires so much. At any rate you either like Cornwell's style and enjoy this type of fiction or you don't. I am a fan and have enjoyed the story of Uthred so far, as I think will other Cornwell fans.