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Title details for The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell - Available

The Pale Horseman

#2 in series

by Bernard Cornwell
Tom Sellwood
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

The Danes have been defeated but the English triumph is not fated to last long. The Danish Vikings quickly invade and occupy three of England's four kingdoms-and all that remains of the once proud country is a small piece of marshland, where Alfred and his family live with a few soldiers and retainers, including Uhtred, the dispossessed English nobleman who was raised by the Danes. Uhtred has always believed that given the chance, he would fight for the men who raised him and taught him Viking ways. But when Iseult, a powerful sorceress, enters his life, he is forced to consider feelings he's never confronted before-and discovers, in his moment of greatest peril, a new-found loyalty and love for his native country and ruler.

  • Creators

  • Series

    The Warrior Chronicles

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 1, 2006

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780792744542
      • File size: 419264 KB
      • Duration: 14:33:27

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      In this novel about the struggle of medieval King Alfred and the nucleus of a future England against invading Danes, Tom Sellwood represents historical dialects by giving characters contemporary accents matching their provenance. The Danes sound Scandinavian, the cultured Alfred has an educated "standard" accent, and Uhtred, the hero and narrator, a fierce pagan Northumbrian accent, in which "struggle" sounds like "stroogle." His accent is at first distracting, but one soon grows used to it, and Sellwood's tactic allows him to differentiate characters well. At times, vocal characteristics are exaggerated to the point of caricature, but Cornwell's storytelling skills and Sellwood's vigorous reading keep the tale involving and entertaining to the end. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 14, 2005
      Outnumbered Saxon forces continue battling Danish invaders in this rousing sequel to the bestselling The Last Kingdom
      . It's A.D. 877, and the dispossessed Northumbrian noble Uhtred has just routed the Danes in a battle at Cynuit in southern England. Logically, Uhtred should now ally himself with Alfred, whose Wessex kingdom alone has successfully resisted Danish control. But Uhtred sees a better chance of recovering his lost estate if he finds a way to join the Danes, who raised him and whose simple life of "ale, women, sword, and reputation" he finds more congenial than Alfred's Christian piety and military caution. But when the Danes invade Wessex, Uhtred's loyalties are further divided. His Celtic mistress foretells victory for Alfred, but Uhtred can scarcely believe that the bedraggled king, camped in isolated marshes with a handful of supporters, can repel the invaders and unite England. Yet pride grows in Uhtred: "I understood that among the Danes I was as important as my friends, and without friends I was just another landless, masterless warrior. But among the Saxons I was another Saxon, and among the Saxons I did not need another man's generosity." Uhtred demonstrates his newfound patriotism in the book's climactic battle at Edington. Filled with bawdy humor, bloodlust, treachery and valor, this stirring tale will leave readers eager for the next volume in this Alfred the Great series.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Uhtred of Bebbanburg, raised by the Danes who invaded his native England, joins forces with King Alfred to resist the occupation. The unlikely allies face overwhelming odds in war and on the home front. Jamie Glover narrates the historical fiction with solemnity, capturing tones of fear and exhilaration in battle and bedroom. While Glover lightens his voice slightly to indicate female characters, he maintains a sense of distance from all the novel's many and varied personalities. His scholarly British voice fits the text, imparting historical veracity and fictional gravity. Listeners will find the production even more enjoyable if they have listened to THE LAST KINGDOM, the first book in the trilogy. R.L.L. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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