What's that Coming over the Hill...

I really have to stop reading about warlords and battles before bed.  After finishing 'Death of Kings' by Bernard Cornwell, I'm far too buzzy to sleep!

'Death of Kings' by Bernard Cornwell
(Harper Collins 2011)

'Death of Kings' is the sixth book in Cornwell's Saxon Stories series, which tell the story of the birth of England through the eyes of pagan warrior Uhtred of Bebbanburg.  Lord Uhtred's career as King Alfred the Great's most feared warlord has earned him reputation, but not wealth.  While he scratches a living from the poorest of Mercian estates, King Alfred himself is slowly dying.  But despite the continued threat of Danes from the north, the king is determined that his dream of a united country shouldn't die with him.  Eager to cement alliances before it's too late, he agrees to send Uhtred with a peace delegation to King Eohric of East Anglia to negotiate an alliance.  But all is not as it seems.  Politics and power struggles soon come into play and before long Uhtred finds himself once again in the thick of battle.

This book has a broader canvas than the previous novel, 'The Burning Land'.  'Death of Kings' takes in a wider political view, involving hungry rulers from across the borders of the Daneland, Mercia, East Anglia and Wessex.  The last book focussed very much on Uhtred and his love/hate relationship with Alfred, but here we see the bigger picture and how, as our favourite warlord finally gets his just rewards, the machinations of others could see him and the West Saxons lose everything.

Despite the greater breadth of the plot, Cornwell, like the seasoned professional he is, manages to keep the reader up to speed with all the characters and backstories without overdoing it and becoming tedious.  As such, the book remains highly readable and doesn't get irritating bogged down or confusing.

An air of impending doom hangs over this story and the way it was managed made me keep reading.  From the title alone we know King Alfred isn't long for this world and with so many greedy eyes on Wessex, it's easy to see that there are those who see opportunity in his death.  This is a great source of suspense that is worked brilliantly from beginning to end.

Overall, Mr Cornwell has done it again.  'Death of Kings' is an atmospheric and suspenseful novel and yet another fantastic read.  Special mention has to go to the final battle scene.  In a series of books where battles are ten-a-penny, they could easily become uniform and predictable.  The last battle featured in this book really stood out for me, however.  This was possibly because it was so near the end and I was conscious that I was running out of pages, but in reality there is far more to it.  But I daren't say more because I don't want to spoil it for anyone else!

Now, I'm off to try and get some sleep!

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'Sword Song' by Bernard Cornwell (Saxon Story Four)

'The Burning Land' by Bernard Cornwell (Saxon Story Five)