First Lines Friday – 18/07/2025
In today’s First Lines Friday, I set myself a challenge to feature an upcoming 20 Books of Summer read. After taking a look at a few books coming up, I’m excited for this particular book.
It’s a historical fiction novel from an author I’ve read on numerous occasions before. I can’t wait to pick up their next book – do you want to see what it is? Well first, let’s take a look at the intro and then I’ll share the details.
A dark sky.
The gods make the sky; it reflects their moods and they were dark that day. It was high summer and a bitter rain was spitting from the east. It felt like winter.
I was mounted on Lightning, my best horse. He was a stallion, black as night, but with a slash of grey pelt running down his hindquarters. He was named for a great hound I had once sacrificed to Thor. I hated killing that dog, but the gods are hard on us; they demand sacrifice and then ignore us. This Lightning was a huge beast, powerful and sullen, a warhorse, and I was in my war-glory on that dark day. I was dressed in mail and clad in steel and leather. Serpent-Breath, best of swords, hung at 
my left side, though for the enemy I faced that day I needed no sword, no shield, no axe.
The Pagan Lord – Bernard Cornwell
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 303
Audience: Adult
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: 26 Sept 2013
At the onset of the tenth century, England is in turmoil. Alfred the Great is dead and Edward his son reigns as king. Wessex survives but peace cannot hold: the Danes in the north, led by Viking Cnut Longsword, stand ready to invade and will never rest until the emerald crown is theirs.
Uhtred, once Alfred’s great warrior but now out of favor with the new king, must lead a band of outcasts north to recapture his old family home, that great Northumbrian fortress, Bebbanburg.
Loyalties will be divided and men will fall, as every Saxon kingdom is drawn into the bloodiest battle yet with the Danes; a war which will decide the fate of every king, and the entire English nation.
My Thoughts…
It’s been some time since I read this series. Too long really! When I reviewed Death of Kings earlier this year, I swore I wouldn’t leave it too much longer before returning. That’s why The Pagan Lord is on my 20 Books of Summer Challenge list.
I particularly enjoyed watching this particular section of the story on Netflix. Watching Uhtred go back home will be a fun part of the story to read and I hope I’ll enjoy it just as much!
At just over 300 pages, this should be a quick read to get me back into this series. This’ll be me half way through and hopefully back on track to make series progress towards completing this series in the near future.
Thanks for reading today’s First Lines Friday instalment! Have you read or watched any of Bernard Cornwell’s the Saxon stories?
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