The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell
Posted on August 26th, 2009
The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell
HarperCollins, January 2006
ISBN 0-06-078712-0
Hardcover
Travel back to the western territories of Saxon England in the late 9th century. This is the world of the legendary King Alfred the Great, the uncommonly pious Christian monarch who wages battles against the invading pagan Danes in hopes of solidifying his sovereignty over a besieged and divided England.
This is also the world of the brash young warrior and nobleman Uhtred of Bebbanburg. An orphaned son of a Northumbrian lord but raised by the Danish warlord Ragnar the Fearless, Uhtred is a fearless and impulsive twenty year old for whom “Life is simple. Ale, women, sword, and reputation. Nothing else matters!”
The simplicity of Uhtred’s life, however, is suddenly in jeopardy. He has killed one of the most notorious enemies of Alfred, the great Ubba Lothbrokson, and—of course—this heroic deed should have won considerable prestige and honor for Uhtred. But another warrior has claimed credit for dispatching Ubba to the dark underworld of the pagan Danes, and Uhtred—proud and boastful—commits an unlawful faux pas in the presence of King Alfred. When then forced to submit to a humiliating ordeal as a penance for his transgression, Uhtred becomes bitterly resentful and angry. Thereupon, he steals a small ship from the king’s tiny but strategically critical fleet and embarks an adventure of plundering, piracy, and lawlessness in defiance of King Alfred.
Soon, though, Uhtred’s life becomes gloriously complicated: He meets Asser the duplicitous cleric who will profoundly affect Uhtred’s future, and he becomes enamored with the fiercely beautiful Iseult, a regal woman who is able to see into the future; but most significantly, Uhtred—a man who loyalties have for a long time been dangerously divided—discovers that he will have good reasons to give his considerable support as a warrior and friend to the increasingly imperiled Alfred.
The Pale Horseman, another in a long line of superb historical novels from the prolific Bernard Cornwell, is an entertaining story focusing on the conflicts between selfishness and unselfish commit to causes. Uhtred’s splendidly vivid tale is filled with wonderful details of the cultural, social, religious, and political dynamics of 9th century Britain—savage in its brutality and luminous in its optimism.
Tags: Asser, Bernard Cornwell, Cleric, Critical Fleet, Dark Underworld, Heroic Deed, Horseman, King Alfred, Lawlessness, Legendary King, Loyalties, Nobleman, Northumbrian, Penance, Saxon England, Small Ship, Transgression, Warlord, Western Territories, Young Warrior
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