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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
As fast paced as ever, the Pagan Lord might be my favourite entry so far in the series. A older, not always wiser Uthred, a son ready to join the warrior life at his father's side, Father "Judas", a new generation of leaders among whom Aethelflaed shines brighter than ever, devious political foes and fierce enemies in a great final battle. The time jump by a decade after Alfred's death was forced on the author by History, but it has served Bernard Cornwell really well, bringing a breath of fresh air into the mid-series that raises it to a new level of enjoyability.
I enjoy this series but wish they had a consistent narrator on the audio books.
I’ve really enjoyed this series so far, but with this seventh instalment I’m beginning to think Cornwell is phoning it in a bit.
Uhtred spins his wheels for the length of the novel - he is once again betrayed by the Saxons, he fails to retake Bebbanburg, and again takes part in yet another climactic battle only to be saved by last-minute reinforcements. Once again another Big Bad Dane (Cnut) plots against Wessex. These Big Bad Danes are now starting to feel like cookie cutter video game bosses.
This is not to say that The Pagan Lord was terrible. It’s rip-roaring and swashbuckling, a satisfying guilty pleasure. I love this series overall, and I am still going to read the next book along. However, I hope Cornwell picks up the plot development from here because I don’t know how much longer I can put up with Uhtred sulking about Bebbanburg.
Uhtred spins his wheels for the length of the novel - he is once again betrayed by the Saxons, he fails to retake Bebbanburg, and again takes part in yet another climactic battle only to be saved by last-minute reinforcements. Once again another Big Bad Dane (Cnut) plots against Wessex. These Big Bad Danes are now starting to feel like cookie cutter video game bosses.
This is not to say that The Pagan Lord was terrible. It’s rip-roaring and swashbuckling, a satisfying guilty pleasure. I love this series overall, and I am still going to read the next book along. However, I hope Cornwell picks up the plot development from here because I don’t know how much longer I can put up with Uhtred sulking about Bebbanburg.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's always better to read these straight through so as to keep the characters straight, even though in each book the same things seem to happen: Uhtred is clever, Uhtred makes bad mistakes, Uhtred tries to take back his ancestral home, Uhtred is foiled in the end. But these are still enjoyable, and reading this at the same time as watching Game of Thrones is quite something - both worlds make use of shield walls, about which I now know more than I ever thought possible.
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book. It is no surprise I mention in every review I love Uthred more and more and this was another fun entry. I loved the supporting characters as well, it is fun seeing Uthred's children all grown up I hope to see more of them. Not really much happened to make this stand out more in the series, it follow pretty much the same formula as all the others but still I had fun, I liked the characters and flew through it.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced