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4th out of 40 books
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The Burning Land (The Saxon Stories #5)
In the last years of the ninth century, King Alfred of Wessex is in failing health, and his heir is an untested youth. The Danes, who have failed so many times to conquer Wessex, smell opportunity! First comes Harald Bloodhair, a savage warrior leading a Viking horde, who is encouraged to cruelty by his woman, Skade. But Alfred still has the services of Uhtred, his unwilli...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
2009
by HarperCollins
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In the latest (5th) installment of The Saxon Chronicles Uhtred (once again) finds himself torn between his love for the Danes, and his allegiance to King Alfred. He experiences a reversal of fortunes, and must decide where his duty lies, and how best to go about taking Bebbanburg (sp). His enemies and allies include some colorful characters. Some are historical, and some were plucked from Cornwell’s vivid imagination, among them Harald Bloodhair, whose battle ritual involves eviscerating a horse...more
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This is one of the best books in the Alfred/Saxon series (IMO), two others being The Last Kingdom and Sword Song. Lord Uhtred, raised a pagan warrior amongst the Viking Danes from the age of nine, has not had a boring life. In fact, although a mixture of what may be good and bad fates, he probably has never had a boring day!
But now Uhtred still serves the pious King Alfred, a sickly but sharp minded man, as Alfred's Lord of Battle. Though Alfred sees Uhtred as a dangerous, but useful, saxon who...more
But now Uhtred still serves the pious King Alfred, a sickly but sharp minded man, as Alfred's Lord of Battle. Though Alfred sees Uhtred as a dangerous, but useful, saxon who...more
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The Burning Land is a novel based in the 9th century Anglo-Saxon kingdoms Wessex, Northumbria and Mercia. It is the fifth book in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Tales series, and starts where Sword Song left off.
Plot summary
The year is 892, when the second major campaign of Alfred the Great against the invading Danes began in earnest. The protagonist is Uhtred of Bebbanburg. A Saxon by birth, Uhtred was raised by Danes and finds their ways more congenial than those of his own people. Nevertheless, he...more
Plot summary
The year is 892, when the second major campaign of Alfred the Great against the invading Danes began in earnest. The protagonist is Uhtred of Bebbanburg. A Saxon by birth, Uhtred was raised by Danes and finds their ways more congenial than those of his own people. Nevertheless, he...more
This installment of the Saxon series continues with the story of Uthred and his continuing alignment with Alfred, the king of Wessex. While the beginning of much of this story continues in the same pace as previous installments, Uthred is growing ever increasingly unhappy in his alignment with Alfred. He desires to return home to Bebbanburg and live in peace with his wife, Gisela and his children. Alfred, is unwilling to release him from his oath of loyalty and service, and even tries to get Uth...more
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...more
"Die Latrinen sind nicht sauber geleckt worden, und Ihr seht aus, als hättet Ihr gerade nichts zu tun!"
Wessex ist mal wieder bedroht: Harald Bluthaar plündert mit seiner Armee das Land, ebenso wie Jarl Haeten, der mit 200 Schiffen aus dem Frankenland angesegelt kommt. Stellt sich die immer wieder gern gestellte Frage, wer den Karren für Alfred aus dem Dreck ziehen soll. Der aufmerksame Leser kennt die Antwort.
Nachdem Uhtred das Schlimmste abwenden kann, fällt er einer Intrige zum Opfer, denn s...more
Wessex ist mal wieder bedroht: Harald Bluthaar plündert mit seiner Armee das Land, ebenso wie Jarl Haeten, der mit 200 Schiffen aus dem Frankenland angesegelt kommt. Stellt sich die immer wieder gern gestellte Frage, wer den Karren für Alfred aus dem Dreck ziehen soll. Der aufmerksame Leser kennt die Antwort.
Nachdem Uhtred das Schlimmste abwenden kann, fällt er einer Intrige zum Opfer, denn s...more
'Wyrd bið ful aræd' - 'Fate remains wholly inexorable' is the favorite expression of Uthred of Bebbanburg, the main character in the story, to explain and to excuse too, his decisions, his changes of mind and also his treason of Ragnar, his stepfather and of Ragnar, his half-brother, his treason of the Danes, who nourished him, who educated him and who gave him a family, a home, when his father died, his brother died and his uncle betrayed him.
Uthred is military governor of London, where he live...more
Uthred is military governor of London, where he live...more
A great entry in the Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell. This is the fifth book and a return to the quality of the initial three after the slightly sub-standard SWORD SONG. This one's so great because it sees Uhtred finally breaking away from Alfred (hurrah!) and setting up power on his own.
Once again, the story is dominated with powerful descriptions of England's lands and peoples. Cornwell has great fun with a fictional villain - Harald Bloodhair, a man who lives up to his name before each batt...more
Once again, the story is dominated with powerful descriptions of England's lands and peoples. Cornwell has great fun with a fictional villain - Harald Bloodhair, a man who lives up to his name before each batt...more
c2009. Uhtred rides again. Still as pacy and enjoyable as the previous in the Saxon series. Cornwell is a sheer genius at being able to manufacture a great story from some dry historical fact. I love the way he illustrates that the people in the history books and those who have the title of "great" normally didn't actually do the things credited to them -that there would have been nameless people who did the hard graft and planning. Uhtred is no conflicted soul - and nor is a poet, or a shrinkin...more
In the Arthur chronicles, the Saxons were invading England. Now the Danes have taken over East Anglia & Northumberland and are threatening the Saxons in Wessex & Mercia. King Alfred of Wessex is old & dying (but taking a long time to die!). Alfred wants to set up his heir Edward to become King of the English and spread Christianity throughout Britain.
Lord Uhtred is Alfred's warlord. He still worships Thor & the other Norse gods, although he'll hedge his bets and occasionally pray...more
Lord Uhtred is Alfred's warlord. He still worships Thor & the other Norse gods, although he'll hedge his bets and occasionally pray...more
This is one for the history, historical fiction fan.
This is the fifth book in the Saxon series and they need to be read in order. For those of you who have read the previous books will find that this is the ongoing story of Uhtred, who finds himself in the service of King Alfred of Wessex.
The period of time is the end of the ninth century, yes the ninth century. This is the time of Vikings, Kings, and Queens. A savage time where life was always in the balance and expendable.
King Alfred of Wessex...more
This is the fifth book in the Saxon series and they need to be read in order. For those of you who have read the previous books will find that this is the ongoing story of Uhtred, who finds himself in the service of King Alfred of Wessex.
The period of time is the end of the ninth century, yes the ninth century. This is the time of Vikings, Kings, and Queens. A savage time where life was always in the balance and expendable.
King Alfred of Wessex...more
Bernard Cornwell delivers another action-packed treasure in The Burning Land, fifth installment in his paragon Saxon Tales, set in 9th century Britain. Once again, Uhtred of Bebbanburg rises to his reputation as King Alfred’s formidable warlord and snatches another great victory from the Danes, this time at Farnham. While his family grows and Gisela provides comforting familiarity, two other women – Aethelflaed,the fair daughter of Alfred, and raven-haired Skade, a cruel and enchanting Danish so...more
The Burning Land by Bernard Cornwell is a work of historical fiction detailing the Saxon-Dane clashes during the Tenth Century over Northumbria and Wessex.
I haven’t read much in the genre of historical fiction before- if ever. However, I do read quite a bit of epic fantasy. I was surprised by how closely Cornwell’s book resembled some of my favorite authors like George R.R. Martin. The only difference is that Burning Land’s setting is within our realm of reality.
The novel is full of detailed bat...more
I haven’t read much in the genre of historical fiction before- if ever. However, I do read quite a bit of epic fantasy. I was surprised by how closely Cornwell’s book resembled some of my favorite authors like George R.R. Martin. The only difference is that Burning Land’s setting is within our realm of reality.
The novel is full of detailed bat...more
What we have here is a historical military book, about a Viking who is compelled to break his oath only to come back and uphold it for different reasons. The character is well painted with details and realistic.
This soldier used various tricks and methods to overcome his enemies but I do not like how he switches from one side to another. I feel the author should have him spend his time agonizing over the choices he make and they could have been handled during the long winter that he spends reco...more
This soldier used various tricks and methods to overcome his enemies but I do not like how he switches from one side to another. I feel the author should have him spend his time agonizing over the choices he make and they could have been handled during the long winter that he spends reco...more
‘Fate is inexorable.’
Alfred of Wessex has won many victories but now, in the last years of the 9th century, he is in failing health. These are dangerous times: Alfred’s likely successor is an untested youth, and the Vikings who have failed so many times to conquer Wessex seize the opportunity to attack.
Uhtred of Bebbanburg, Alfred’s unwilling warlord, leads the enemy into a trap at Farnham, and inflicts one of the greatest defeats the Vikings have ever suffered. Uhtred is caught in the conflict...more
Alfred of Wessex has won many victories but now, in the last years of the 9th century, he is in failing health. These are dangerous times: Alfred’s likely successor is an untested youth, and the Vikings who have failed so many times to conquer Wessex seize the opportunity to attack.
Uhtred of Bebbanburg, Alfred’s unwilling warlord, leads the enemy into a trap at Farnham, and inflicts one of the greatest defeats the Vikings have ever suffered. Uhtred is caught in the conflict...more
Alfred the Great, in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories, has a love for order, peace, and Christianity. He has always been dismayed by his reliance on Uhtred, a pagan warrior who represents everything Alfred hates, but a reluctant bond of need held them loyal to each other. That bond snaps in "The Burning Land," when Alfred's punishing zeal is finally too much and Uhtred abandons his cause. Grieving for the death of his beloved wife, he flees north with thoughts of re-taking the fortress of his bi...more
I always enjoy Bernard Cornwell. Whether he's writing about the Napoleanic wars, King Arthur, or this series, his Viking series, I can always expect a rip-roaring yarn with plenty of combat, political intrigue, and sly humor.
Burning Land contains all of these usual suspects. Uhtred still is fixated on getting back his ancestral home, Bamburg Castle, stolen by his treacherous uncle. Incidentally, Bamburg Castle is Cornwell's ancestral home as well, so the author has a personal attachment to this...more
Burning Land contains all of these usual suspects. Uhtred still is fixated on getting back his ancestral home, Bamburg Castle, stolen by his treacherous uncle. Incidentally, Bamburg Castle is Cornwell's ancestral home as well, so the author has a personal attachment to this...more
If you like Cornwell, you'll like this continuation of his series. I liked it, but as always I dislike the swipes he takes at Christianity.
Looking back through the series, it is clear to me to see what Cornwell has done: he wanted to write a history of Alfred the Great but it seems to me he disliked telling it from a Christian standpoint (as one probably normally would when writing of the Christian Alfred and his reign), so he has introduced Uhtred, a Danish pagan who somehow ends up fighting fo...more
Looking back through the series, it is clear to me to see what Cornwell has done: he wanted to write a history of Alfred the Great but it seems to me he disliked telling it from a Christian standpoint (as one probably normally would when writing of the Christian Alfred and his reign), so he has introduced Uhtred, a Danish pagan who somehow ends up fighting fo...more
The Vikings are nobody's idea of "the good guys." Therefore it's interesting to read something from the Norsemen's point of view, such as the great Icelandic sagas of the 13th century (especially Njals Saga, Grettir's Saga, and Egils Saga), Cecelia Holland's Two Ravens, and the splendid Saxon Tales of Bernard Cornwell, of which The Burning Land is -- at least at this time -- the latest addition.
Uhtred of Bebbanburg is an Anglo-Saxon lord who had been captured and raised by Viking raiders. As a r...more
Uhtred of Bebbanburg is an Anglo-Saxon lord who had been captured and raised by Viking raiders. As a r...more
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This is the fifth book in Cornwell's The Saxon Tales series. I had thought that the series was faltering and running out of steam with the prior installment; it seemed a bit tired. I'm pleased to say that this entry in the series seems to be a return to form, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
To the usual mix of battle scenes, amusing and highly critical treatment of the early Church and its priests, and portrayals of Saxon and Dane cultures and life in ninth century England, Cornwell has added severa...more
To the usual mix of battle scenes, amusing and highly critical treatment of the early Church and its priests, and portrayals of Saxon and Dane cultures and life in ninth century England, Cornwell has added severa...more
5 books into this series and I'm still not feeling any burnout, which is somewhat rare for me with a (relatively) long series like this one. All the stuff that I assume that Cornwell fans like is still here in spades; thorough research, vivid painting of the British landscape, memorable characters, and insane battle sequences. Seriously, I can't believe those poor people had to live through such brutal fighting. I've never been in any kind of combat situation, but I have to imagine that fighting...more
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Set in the last decade of the 9th century, King Alfred’s Wessex is under assault from the Danes. During this period England is not united, although Alfred wants to unite all the English or Angelcynn. The land exists as Wessex in the south along the Thames—where Alfred rules, East Anglia—the bight sticking out into the North Sea, Mercia to the west with no king, and Northumbria to the north bordering on the wild tribes of Scotland.
In this historical novel, Cornwall pens a rollicking tale reflect...more
In this historical novel, Cornwall pens a rollicking tale reflect...more
This is a historical fiction novel set during the time of King Alfred of Wessex. Saxons vs. Danes, etc.
Lots of war, fights, blood, guts, arrogance and attitude... but no intelligence. There isn't a single interesting character here. While he obviously has done some good research on the wars and events, I found his portrayals of religious people ridiculous time and again.
In fantasy novels there is a concept of "Extruded Fantasy Product", or EFP. This is applied derisively to fantasy novels that j...more
Lots of war, fights, blood, guts, arrogance and attitude... but no intelligence. There isn't a single interesting character here. While he obviously has done some good research on the wars and events, I found his portrayals of religious people ridiculous time and again.
In fantasy novels there is a concept of "Extruded Fantasy Product", or EFP. This is applied derisively to fantasy novels that j...more
Uhtred, King Alfred's warlord, is looking back over his life to the time when he was the most feared swordsman in the Land, recounting some of the most bloodthirsty battles between the Saxons and the Danes to gain land and power in the country yet to be named England: he was not just a warrior, he was also an excellent tactician, planning his battles with meticulous detail.
The battles are gory, the descriptions of the killing are somewhat squeamish, the life of the warriors hard, Cornwell's stor...more
The battles are gory, the descriptions of the killing are somewhat squeamish, the life of the warriors hard, Cornwell's stor...more
Aug 07, 2012
R. Michael Duttera
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
modern-fiction
I ripped through this one pretty quick. Nothing more to say than I've said before for earlier books though I think this might be the best one since the first one in the series that I've read. I'm not going to go into the plot in detail (too much work!), but one thing that bothers me has bothered me for quite a while in this series and that's Uhtred's motives for staying loyal to the Saxons vis a vis the Danes. He keeps stating to other book characters as well as the reader that it's because he m...more
The weakest of the Saxon Series so far, but still good. The battle descriptions and strategies are, as always, entertaining, as are the juxtaposition of Christian King Alfred and pagan Uhtred. Familiar and beloved (and hated) characters are still present.
Cornwell still manages to keep the historical connections with real life events, as explained in the always-excellent afterword. However, the tale seems to bog down in the marshes - figuratively and literally. Unlike the first book which also t...more
Cornwell still manages to keep the historical connections with real life events, as explained in the always-excellent afterword. However, the tale seems to bog down in the marshes - figuratively and literally. Unlike the first book which also t...more
Sometimes women are exciting and sexy witches and sometimes they are despicable and thoroughly deserve to get killed off.
Bernard Cornwall is excellent. He brings the years of Alfred's reign alive, he has chosen a battle rich period with multiple armed conflicts, and many protagonists, all of whom are excellently managed and carry you along on the back of the history through the eyes of the invented protagonist. He cannot be praised enough for this. I particularly love the little sly nods he make...more
Bernard Cornwall is excellent. He brings the years of Alfred's reign alive, he has chosen a battle rich period with multiple armed conflicts, and many protagonists, all of whom are excellently managed and carry you along on the back of the history through the eyes of the invented protagonist. He cannot be praised enough for this. I particularly love the little sly nods he make...more
A good book.
I feel Sword Song, Burning Land, and Death of the King are somewhat weaker than the previous three novels in the series because the stakes haven't risen for Uhtred or for Wessex. The first book establishes everything and has a fascinating reversal that puts on Uhtred on the side of the West Saxons for the first time, the Pale Horseman has the highest stakes for Wessex and England after the surprise attack at Chippenham, and Lords of the North has really high stakes for Uhtred becaus...more
I feel Sword Song, Burning Land, and Death of the King are somewhat weaker than the previous three novels in the series because the stakes haven't risen for Uhtred or for Wessex. The first book establishes everything and has a fascinating reversal that puts on Uhtred on the side of the West Saxons for the first time, the Pale Horseman has the highest stakes for Wessex and England after the surprise attack at Chippenham, and Lords of the North has really high stakes for Uhtred becaus...more
Ok in short this is great. All of Cornwall's books are interesting, exciting and as authentic as you can get. His hero is a ripper. A Saxon earl raised by the Danes who loves the Danes but fights with Alfred and the Christian Saxons to stave off rapacious Danes of the North England Danish kingdoms and the never ending stream of Northmen settling in the Saxon territories. It is excellent. This series is one of the best historical Dark Ages fiction I have ever read.
One thing mars all of Cornwall'...more
One thing mars all of Cornwall'...more
I can't seem to get enough of the Anglo Saxon Chronicles. Bernard Cornwell is such a great storyteller. Recently, when speaking about the search for King Alfred's body in Winchester, a Sky News presenter was ignorant enough to say ... "Well what do people know about Alfred anyway? Only that he burned some cakes and was called "Great"!" I cringed. I feel that generations of children are growing up, cheated out of learning of Alfred, as he is not in the National Curriculum at all. I do wish our hi...more
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Cornwell was born in London in 1944. His father was a Canadian airman, and his mother was English, a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. He was adopted and brought up in Essex by the Wiggins family, who were members of the Peculiar People, a strict Protestant sect who banned frivolity of all kinds and even medicine. After he left them, he changed his name to his mother's maiden name, Cornwe...more
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“"He sang the song of the sword, keening as he fed his blade, and Rollo, standing thigh-deep in the creek, ax swinging in murderous blows, blocked the enemy's escape. The Frisians, transported from confidence to bowel-loosening fear, began to drop their weapons.”
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