It has been awesome binging the last few instalments, and The Flame Bearer was a good tale as well. It probably fits into the middle, in regards to my ranking of them, with some awesome moments, but some bits tending to be a bit repetitive as well. Strong narrative, vigourous action and striking characterisation, Cornwell remains king of the territory he has staked out as his own' SUNDAY TIMES I will make this a short review. The Flame Bearer is the tenth book in The Last Kingdom series by Bernard Cornwell. And I’m genuinely running out of words to say about it in my review. This isn’t because it’s book number 10 in a series; I’ve reviewed each book in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb, and Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson, and I always have a LOT of things to say as spoiler-free as possible on each book in these series. However, there’s nothing else to say in The Last Kingdom by this point; the entirety of the past four books have followed the same “strong beginning, then fill the middle with something pointless, and then end the book strongly” method. Seriously, I wouldn’t lose much—except one scene with Aethelflaed—if I just read the first two chapters and then read the last chapter of this book.

The singing grew stronger as the crews of the other three ships joined in, chanting the song of burning triumph in time to their oar strokes as we beat our way northwards along the Northumbrian coast. And as the sun touched the world’s edge with the day’s new fire a small wind ruffled the water, rippling it from the east. Our hero is Uhtred, a good-hearted lout with a pleasantly sour disposition; he s like a 9th century Han Solo. -- Time" Uhtred fails again to capture Bebbanburg. His son-in-law, the pagan warlord Sigtryggr, king of Northumbria, asks for help against invading West Saxons who seem intent on breaking the recent truce with Aethelflaed, the ruler of Mercia and King Edward of Wessex’s sister. Uhtred’s men are outnumbered by invading Scots led by Constantin intent on making Bebbanburg their own. However, Uhtred's cousin is willing to wait out the siege behind the nearly impregnable walls of his fortress.

Horse Profile

But Uhtred is determined that nothing, neither the new enemies nor the old foes who combine against him, will keep him from his birthright. He is the Lord of Bebbanburg, but he will need all the skills he has learned in a lifetime of war to make his dream come true. But Uhtred is determined that nothing, neither the new enemies nor the old foes who combine against him, will keep him from his birthright. The latest chapter in Bernard Cornwell’s “violent, absorbing historical saga,” The Flame Bearer confirms his title as “perhaps the greatest writer of historical adventure novels today” ( Washington Post). Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!

Cornwell draws a fascinating picture of England as it might have been before anything like England existed’ THE TIMES Best not be reading The Flame Bearer (Saxon tales #10) without having read Warriors of the Storm (#9) and the whole previous saga. Because, if you do, you will be denying yourself the pleasure that only comes from the intimate knowledge gained in understanding the arc of life of Britain’s greatest (fictional) warrior, Uhtred of Bebbanburg. However, I certainly agree with some of my GR friends that this is one of Cornwell best: Best series; one of the high points in this series.Seeing this side of Uhtred makes you see him in a very different light. Instead of the dark and witty warrior - which he still is - there is a more personal side to him, one with emotions and worries alike anyone. Bernard Cornwell ranks as the current alpha male of testosterone-enriched historical fiction . Cornwell offers dramatic battle scenes with big swinging swords. There is also treachery, male bonding, plenty of historical nuggets and a skillful examination of the powerful role played by religion in the Dark Ages. -- USA Today" As always, the two best aspects of this series are the historical detail and the characters. The historical detail is so perfect that I feel completely immersed in the book. But I love the characters. They are real, flawed, and bring history to life. The Saxon Chronicles has been a historical fiction series following the story of King Aaelfred the Great of Wessex and his offspring. Unlike the other books in the series, Cornwell does not have to worry about historical accuracy in this book. In this book, he can allow his imagination to run free. Of course, he still stays within the historical parameters of his series. Uhtred recaptures his Babbenberg home, land and titles.