Tag: saxon britain

Book Review: Death of Kings – Bernard Cornwell

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My review of Death of Kings comes two years after I read the book. To say I needed to refresh myself on the events is an understatement! That’s why this post is out a day later than usual. Rather than rushing and putting out something I wasn’t happy with, I wanted to take my time and make sure I got it right. This book deserves that justice!

One of the reasons I’m glad to review Death of Kings is that it’ll remind and inspire me to continue reading the series. It’s been two years, but I’m yet to pick up the next book, The Pagan Lord, even when I said after I finished it I wanted to continue on soon. I’m somewhat familiar with the story as a whole as I watched the TV series and final film too. Even so, the books are always better and it was a while ago now since I watched them. As to what specifically happens in the next book, I’m not sure…


Death of Kings – Bernard Cornwell

Genre: Historical fiction

Pages: 335

Audience: Adult

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: 29 Sept 2011

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Goodreads – Death of Kings


As the ninth century wanes, England appears about to be plunged into chaos once more. For the Viking-raised but Saxon-born warrior, Uhtred, whose life seems to shadow the making of England, this presents him with difficult choices.

King Alfred is dying and his passing threatens the island of Britain to renewed warfare. Alfred wants his son, Edward, to succeed him, but there are other Saxon claimants to the throne as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north.

Uhtred‘s loyalty – and his vows – were to Alfred, not to his son, and despite his long years of service to Alfred, he is still not committed to the Saxon cause. His own desire is to reclaim his long-lost lands and castle to the north. But the challenge to him, as the king’s warrior, is that he knows that he will either be the means of making Alfred’s dream of a united and Christian England come to pass or be responsible for condemning it to oblivion.

This novel is a dramatic story of the power of tribal commitment and the terrible difficulties of divided loyalties.

This is the making of England, magnificently brought to life by the master of historical fiction.

 

My Thoughts

Plot

King Alfred hopes to leave behind a united England in death. However, with him ailing further, the peace and unity he strives for seems a long shot.

As ever, Uhtred finds himself stuck in the middle. Whilst he has a degree of loyalty to King Alfred, he also longs to undertake his own goal – to return to his homeland of Bebbanburg. He has no fealty or ties to Alfred‘s intended successor, Edward. Whilst Alfred hopes Uthred will support his claim, he doesn’t feel inclined to do so.

The result of all this internal conflict is that the Danes feel like they can take advantage of a weakened England. As in other books, there are numerous battles and skirmishes throughout!


Setting

As a key man taking part as a warrior, messenger, negotiator, and savour, Uhtred gets around a bit. The narrative roams all across the country of England as we know it today. Whilst there is a lot going on, this is well managed in the narrative so it’s easy to follow where events are taking place.

The constant action and changes of location keep the narrative interesting. Even if you aren’t a huge fan of books with a plot line involving politics, there is plenty of action in this book to counterbalance this. The frequent relocations of our main character keep us on our toes.


Characters

In Death of Kings, we get to see a mischievous side to Uhtred. In this instalment of the series, we actively see him undertaking the role of both the Saxon and a Dane and stirring up conflict. I quite enjoyed seeing the side of the story and this aspect of his character. It’s both entertaining to read, but also gives opportunity for a lot of internal conflict within Uhtred and testing where his loyalties lie.

He may have been born Saxon, but he was raised as a Dane, and in today’s society, we would say he identifies as a Dane. As to which side of the fence he should actually sit on is something that thus far in the series has swung backwards and forwards. I expect more of this conflict in future books, and I can’t wait to read on.


Narrative Style

If you like your historical fiction full of action, Death of Kings won’t disappoint. With numerous conflicts, both physical and political, throughout the book, there’s plenty to keep us occupied.

For me, the pacing of Death of Kings and the wider series as a whole suits me; there are moments of intense action, and the pages just fly by. Equally, there is enough time to reflect on what has happened and what the consequences are. The action doesn’t compromise the world-building, and overall, Death of Kings strikes an ideal balance between the two.


Summary

I’m a huge fan of Bernard Cornwell‘s Saxon stories series, and the latest instalment, Death of Kings, has lived up to the high expectations set by earlier books. This review hopefully encourages you to pick up the book but has likely also achieved its goal of reminding me of the series and giving me a nudge to pick up the book soon.

Have you read Death of Kings? What are your thoughts on this book or series?

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Blog Tour Review: Enemies of the Crown – Peter Gibbons

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It’s an absolute pleasure to bring to you the next instalment to Peter Gibbons’ The Saxon Warrior series. I’ve featured several books in this series on my blog to date. I’ve had a sizeable break from sharing blog tour posts. However, reviewing Enemies of the Crown is a no-brainer. I want to keep up with this series anyway, so why not do that as and when books are published?

As always when sharing blog tour posts, I like to thank both the author and Rachel at Rachel‘s Random Resources for organising. The other important thing to note is that I am providing this of my own free will; the thoughts expressed within are entirely my own.

If you enjoy historical fiction, in particular books set around the time when Vikings came to Britain, read on to find out more about this fifth instalment to The Saxon Warrior series!


Enemies of the Crown – Peter Gibbons

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 338

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Original Publication Date:  02 April 2025

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Goodreads – Enemies of the Crown

A weakened crown. A country besieged by Vikings, suffering under the oppression of a powerful church.

994AD

King Aethelred the Unready’s rule falters. Policies recommended by the controlling bishops invite more attacks upon his Saxon kingdom as Sweyn Forkbeard, Viking battle-king of the Danes, grows in power; bloodthirsty for conquest.

Beornoth, Viking-killer and kings thegn believed his days in the shield wall to be over until summoned by the king to enforce a policy of retribution against his enemies.

In a time of shifting loyalties, alongside a savage warband of cruel Norman warriors, Beornoth embarks upon a brutal quest to rid England of King Aethelred’s so-called Viking enemies.

However, when this murderous campaign leads to the door of an old friend, Beornoth must choose sides, as his loyalty to king, country, and his brothers of the sword are put to the test.

Can Beornoth triumph over insurmountable odds in this shield splintering battle for the future of England itself?


Purchase Link


My Thoughts


Plot

If you enjoy internal conflict present in the likes of Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom, you’ll enjoy Enemies of the Crown. Like Uhtred, Beornoth finds himself with conflicted loyalties. Between the King he is honour-bound to serve and a Dane he loves as a brother, who does he choose? It seems an impossible decision.

As with all books in the series to date, there is plenty of action to keep us readers engaged. Between Saxon, Norman and Danish factions, it’s hardly surprising there’s a constant power struggle.

The pacing of the storyline and events suited my preferences. I was able to read most of this book in a day. That’s very fast, but it doesn’t have to be read that way either. I guess what I’m saying is the plot and writing are so engaging that I was motivated to!

I can only hope there are more books to come based on the ending – because it sounds like the conflict is not yet over.


Setting

The setting of Enemies of the Crown spans much of England as we know it today. Even if you are unfamiliar with historic town and city names (e.g Somersaete), I feel confident readers can follow along well. As a big fan of the genre through books and television, I’m pretty versed in this knowledge. It’s certainly not a requirement though.   

From a political setting point of view, events have moved on since earlier books in the series. Aethelred’s mother is back in a position of influence, and this is not to Beornoth’s liking. Ælfthryth set herself against Beornoth in the past. So, he is naturally wary of her power and influence over the King of England.

There is a good deal of travel that takes place within this narrative, but the vast majority takes place behind the scenes. This keeps the action moving along and helps keep pace and readers engaged.


Characters

I’ve enjoyed seeing a more vulnerable side to Beornoth this time round. In the earlier books of the series, he was a younger man – better able and more physically fit to fulfil his duty in purging Britain’s soil of marauding Vikings. In Enemies of the Crown however, he is starting to show his age. He isn’t quite as quick as he was, and it does land him in danger.

Beornoth is also quite a different character to the man we met in the first book of the series, Warrior and Protector. He is more at peace with his past and emotionally he is far more mature. I have enjoyed his character arc and progression without the series to date, and that includes in Enemies of the Crown.

The final conflict in Enemies of the Crown is an interesting development and thorough it we see a lot about Beornoth. His past traumas come into play and I found his reactions and perspective in this almost repeat scenario interesting.


Narrative Style

By now, Peter Gibbons way of narrating the series is familiar and well-loved. It’s been very easy to get back into the series. Even though the book gets into action quite quickly, there is enough recap included to remind us readers of prior events. As somebody who reads a lot of books, I appreciate these hints being dropped in. It makes for a better reading experience when you can recall what’s happened rather than having to look it up.

With relatively short chapters and a punchy, action driven narrative style, there was always something going on and Enemies of the Crown. And, that’s true for the whole series. I’ve really enjoying the pacing of the storytelling-there’s plenty of action to keep us engaged, but not so much that it feels like we barely take a breath before the next big event is happening.


Summary

Fans of historical fiction, and especially Viking-era Britain will love both Enemies of the Crown and the earlier books in the series, starting with Warrior and Protector. If you have yet to read it, I strongly suggest you do! It’s a series I love and will be keeping up with as soon as the next book is out!


Author Bio

Peter is the winner of the 2022 Kindle Storyteller Literary Award, and an author based in Kildare in Ireland, with a passion for Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, and of course writing! Peter was born in Warrington in the UK and studied Law at Liverpool John Moores University, before taking up a career in Financial Services and is now a full time author. Peter currently lives in Kildare Ireland, and is married with three children. Peter is an avid reader of both Historical Fiction and Fantasy novels, particularly those of Bernard Cornwell, Steven Pressfield, David Gemmell, and Brandon Sanderson.

His books include the Viking Blood and Blade Saga, the Saxon Warrior series, and the Chronicles of Arthur.

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Facebook: @PeterGibbonsAuthor

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