The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Chronicles Series #2) (Hardcover)

by Bernard Cornwell (Author) "These days I look at twenty-year-olds and think they are pathetically young, scarcely weaned from their mothers' tits, but when I was twenty I considered..." (more)
Key Phrases: hammer amulet, shadow queen, shield wall, Odda the Younger, West Saxon, Brother Asser (more...)

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.)
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From The Washington Post
Bernard Cornwell's voluminous body of work is notable for its detailed, authoritative portraits of a wide variety of historical epochs. His more than 40 novels range in setting from the Napoleonic era (the Richard Sharpe series) to the American Revolution (Redcoat) to the dawn of prehistory (Stonehenge, 2000 B.C.). Cornwell's latest, a multi-volume work-in-progress set in the 9th century in the embattled England of Alfred the Great, began in rousing fashion with The Last Kingdom (2005) and continues in this equally compelling sequel, The Pale Horseman. Together, these novels showcase Cornwell's substantial gifts as historian and storyteller, recreating, with great immediacy, one of the defining periods of English history.

Alfred (849-899) was the only British monarch to be designated as "the Great." His first major achievement lay in protecting his kingdom (Wessex) from falling to the hordes of Danish Vikings that dominated the surrounding kingdoms of Mercia, Northumbria and East Anglia. At the same time, he began the complex process of uniting these fractious, independent realms into the single nation ultimately known as England. This is the overarching story that Cornwell addresses in these novels, and he presents it through the conflicted perspective of a Northumbrian nobleman (and natural-born warrior) named Uhtred.

As a child, Uhtred watches while his father is killed by a party of Viking raiders. Afterward he is captured and raised by a Danish warlord named Ragnar, a surrogate father who instills in Uhtred a fierce affection for the freebooting life of the warrior and an abiding belief in the pagan mysteries that suffuse the Viking universe. These acquired loyalties are constantly at odds with the deeper ties of blood and history that bind him to his Saxon heritage. His unique experiences enable Uhtred to describe both sides of this protracted conflict with absolute authority, while his divided loyalties lend the narrative an effective dramatic tension.

By the time The Pale Horseman opens, Uhtred has distanced himself from his Danish cohorts, played a crucial role in the pivotal battle of Cynuit Hill (in which British troops successfully repelled a major Danish incursion) and offered both his services and sacred oath to Alfred. From this point on, Uhtred's personal story, which encompasses marriage, fatherhood, bitter personal rivalries and the ongoing quest to recover his family's stolen fiefdom, proceeds in parallel with the larger story of Alfred's defense of Wessex. Through Uhtred's sometimes acerbic viewpoint, we witness some of the emblematic moments of a historic struggle, including the Danish King Guthrum's violation of a formal -- if uneasy -- truce and his subsequent attack on the unprepared Saxons, Alfred's retreat to the swamps of southern England, where he rebuilds his army and prepares for war, and the climactic battle at Ethandun, where Alfred's soldiers once again defeat a numerically superior army of trained Danish warriors. (Uhtred also recounts the famous -- and probably apocryphal -- story in which Alfred, on the run and in disguise, is slapped in the face by a peasant woman for allowing her oat cakes to burn.)

The result is a superior entertainment that is both engaging and enlightening. Once again, Cornwell manages a delicate balancing act, investing each scene and set piece with a wealth of supporting detail while keeping the narrative moving at a formidable clip. It's been said before but bears repeating here: Cornwell's battle scenes (particularly those set in the bloody front line known as the Shield Wall) are superb. Among contemporary historical novelists, only Steven Pressfield (Gates of Fire) provides comparably vivid descriptions of the absolute chaos of hand-to-hand combat among great masses of men.

Like its predecessor, The Pale Horseman offers an unvarnished portrait of a world in transition, moving from the endemic savagery of the Dark Ages toward the more cohesive -- and civilized -- society that Alfred and his descendants will gradually create. Thus far, Cornwell's narrative has covered only a small part of this vast historical enterprise, so Uhtred's memoirs are likely to continue for quite some time. (A third volume, tentatively titled The Lords of the North Country, has already been announced.) Given the quality of the opening installments, this is a welcome prospect indeed. Historical adventures as smart and vigorous as Cornwell's are in short supply. It's good to know that more are on the way.

Reviewed by Bill Sheehan
Copyright 2006, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; First Edition edition (January 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060787120
• ISBN-13: 978-0060787127
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #305,372 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The Saxon Chronicles Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 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 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!

11 of 11 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)

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.

9 of 9 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

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!