The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Chronicles Series #2) [Audio Cassette]

Bernard Cornwell (Author), Tom Sellwood (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2006

Continuing the outstanding success of The Last Kingdom, this is the second installment of Bernard Cornwell's fantastic series, following the fate of Alfred the Great, and the forging of Britain. Uhtred, Northumbrian born, raised a Viking and now married to a Saxon, is already a formidable figure and warrior. But at twenty he is still arrogant, pagan and headstrong, so not a comfortable ally for the thoughtful, pious Alfred. But these two, with Alfred's family and a few of Uhtred's companions, are apparently all that remains of the Wessex leadership after a disastrous truce. It is the lowest time for the Saxons. Defeated comprehensively by the Vikings who now occupy most of England, Alfred and his surviving followers retreat to the trackless marshlands of Somerset. There, forced to move restlessly to escape betrayal or detection, using the marsh mists for cover, they travel by small boats from one island to another, hoping that they can regroup and find some more strength and support. They seek refuge in Athelney, a tidal swamp to which Alfred's kingdom has shrunk. Uhtred finds himself torn between his Danish foster brother and the winning Vikings, and his growing respect for the stubborn leadership of Alfred. He must decide whether to rebuild the Saxons' strength from his watery base and help them to take on the Vikings once more. THE PALE HORSEMAN is a splendid story of divided loyalties and desperate heroism, with a wonderful range of characters from Vikings to British kings in their Cornish fortresses, from political but passionate priests to enduring fishermen and farmers desperately striving to survive as the battle sweeps over them. Uhtred and Alfred, Vikings and Saxons, are a winning combination for Bernard Cornwell.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Outnumbered Saxon forces continue battling Danish invaders in this rousing sequel to the bestselling The Last Kingdom. It's A.D. 877, and the dispossessed Northumbrian noble Uhtred has just routed the Danes in a battle at Cynuit in southern England. Logically, Uhtred should now ally himself with Alfred, whose Wessex kingdom alone has successfully resisted Danish control. But Uhtred sees a better chance of recovering his lost estate if he finds a way to join the Danes, who raised him and whose simple life of "ale, women, sword, and reputation" he finds more congenial than Alfred's Christian piety and military caution. But when the Danes invade Wessex, Uhtred's loyalties are further divided. His Celtic mistress foretells victory for Alfred, but Uhtred can scarcely believe that the bedraggled king, camped in isolated marshes with a handful of supporters, can repel the invaders and unite England. Yet pride grows in Uhtred: "I understood that among the Danes I was as important as my friends, and without friends I was just another landless, masterless warrior. But among the Saxons I was another Saxon, and among the Saxons I did not need another man's generosity." Uhtred demonstrates his newfound patriotism in the book's climactic battle at Edington. Filled with bawdy humor, bloodlust, treachery and valor, this stirring tale will leave readers eager for the next volume in this Alfred the Great series. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

At the conclusion of Cornwell's best-selling The Last Kingdom (2005), Uhtred, the dispossessed son of a slain Saxon nobleman raised by Danish warriors, had reluctantly rejoined King Alfred's beleaguered forces in the rapidly dwindling kingdom of Wessex. Although the Danes had already conquered the kingdoms of East Anglia, Northumbria, and Mercia, Alfred, with an able assist from Uhtred, had stalwartly fended off the Viking invasion. Uneasily allied to the cerebral Alfred, the more vigorous Uhtred is plagued by divided loyalties as the Saxons struggle to maintain a toehold against the mighty Viking war machine. Taking refuge in a boggy marshland, the ragtag remnants of the Saxon army desperately attempt to regroup. Two vastly different heroes--Alfred and Uhtred--stand between the Danes and total annihilation of the Saxon culture. Further complicating the matter is the fact that Uhtred faces a moral dilemma when he realizes he must choose between allegiance to the king he has grown to admire and loyalty to Ragnar, his much-loved foster brother. Cornwell, the author of the excellent Sharpe series, displays his usual flair for providing action-packed martial history populated by a diverse array of realistically drawn characters. A crackerjack adventure tale from a master of the craft. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: BBC Audiobooks (January 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792738861
• ISBN-13: 978-0792738862
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 4.7 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,012,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bernard Cornwell was born in London in 1944 - a 'warbaby' - whose father was a Canadian airman and mother in Britain's Women's Auxiliary Air Force. He was adopted by a family in Essex who belonged to a religious sect called the Peculiar People (and they were), but escaped to London University and, after a stint as a teacher, he joined BBC Television where he worked for the next 10 years. He began as a researcher on the Nationwide programme and ended as Head of Current Affairs Television for the BBC in Northern Ireland. It was while working in Belfast that he met Judy, a visiting American, and fell in love. Judy was unable to move to Britain for family reasons so Bernard went to the States where he was refused a Green Card. He decided to earn a living by writing, a job that did not need a permit from the US government - and for some years he had been wanting to write the adventures of a British soldier in the Napoleonic wars - and so the Sharpe series was born. Bernard and Judy married in 1980, are still married, still live in the States and he is still writing Sharpe.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rousing Saga of the Saxons vs. the Danes & the Vikings!, January 18, 2006

By 

Kimberly Gelderman (Spring Lake, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Chronicles Series #2) (Hardcover)

This novel is the sequel to THE LAST KINGDOM and it continues the exciting tale of Uhtred and King Alfred (better known as Alfred the Great). Uhtred and King Alfred's relationship is still tenuous at best, however, Uhtred is has formed respect for this resilient king. Uhtred is still divided between his allegiance to King Alfred and his Danish foster-brother, Ragnar.

He knows that in the great battle that is to come he must choose between them. Uhtred is ultimately unhappy with the wife and farm he is given by Alfred as there is a great debt attached to it. He's bored and misses his raiding days. He eventually embarks on a raid with his former shipmates (under King Alfred) and disguises his ship as a Danish/Viking raider. His raiding adventures bring him to the Shadow Queen; Iseult who leaves with him after her husband's kingdom is destroyed.

The adventures continue and you can feel Uhtred frustrations with both King Alfred and his former allies. This second installment was even better than the first and I look forward to the next with great anticipation!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent sequel, February 11, 2006

By 

Charles Miller (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Chronicles Series #2) (Hardcover)

Uhtred is back with a vengeance in this continuation of Cornwell's treatment of the reign of Alfred the Great. Born a Northumbrian ealdorman, but raised by the Danes who captured him, Uhtred is a man with mixed loyalties. He loves and respects the pagan Danes, and dislikes the Christian Saxons, but is drawn to those who speak his language and share his heritage.

Uhtred is a typical Cornwell hero--brash, proud, and sometimes unthinking. However, he does manage to be a sympathetic character, and we admire his courage and loyalty. Cornwell exercises his fascination with ancient feminine magic by introducing Iseult, a Briton "shadow queen" with whom Uhtred promptly becomes infatuated.

It is Alfred's struggle with the Danes that drives this story, however. Will he manage to pluck victory from the jaws of defeat? You will find out after one of Cornwell's famous battle descriptions, and will be waiting impatiently for the next volume in this series.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bernard Cornwell just keeps getting better and better!, September 19, 2006

By 

Ric Wasley "Ric - Author - Shadow of Innocen... (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Chronicles Series #2) (Hardcover)

In this second novel of what I have independently dubbed (and forgive a fan's presumption, Mr. Cornwell) the 'Uhtred Series'; the hard fighting, hard drinking and hard wenching hero, is for my money probably the best historical portrait I've ever seen.
In THE LAST KINGDOM, where we are introduced to Uhtred as a young boy, the ending of the book as he grows to a young man, just leaves you wanting more. Happily for all lovers of real history mixed with compelling characters, Bernard Cornwell has obliged.
As a writer and former history teacher, I am so in awe of the way in which he has taken a character out of the 'dark ages' of warring Saxons and Danes and brought him to vivid life. Especially since it would have been so easy to turn this sword wielding protagonist into a cartoon 'Conan the Barbarian' type hero. Mr Cornwell doesn't let that happen. Uhtred lops off heads where needed, steals when it's expedient and romps with abandon even though it inevitably leads to tragic consequences.
I've read the majority of Bernard Cornwell's work and while the history and charaters are always first rate, I can say without reservation, that The Last Kingdom and Pale Horseman, are his best yet.
Write quickly Mr. Cornwell - I can't wait for the next!