384 pages
English language
Published Nov. 5, 2010 by Harper.
The enemy is massing on the borders, a united force for once. Meanwhile, the king, a man of many victories, is in failing health, and his heir is an untested youth. Uhtred, the king's champion, is leading his country's forces to war but his victory is soured by personal tragedy and by the envy of the king's court. So he decides to break with the king and heads off for the land where he was born. He is determined to resist all calls for his return. That is, until one unexpected request ...
Some bits of the plotting are creaking a little as this epic continues. He certainly gets through his female co-'stars'
Excellent historical fiction.
Five books into this series, and you start to notice that the plot of every book is more or less the same. Uhtred's fighting for the Vikings. Now the English. And now the Vikings again. And look, he has another new wife because they keep dying on him about once per book.
But it's hard not to like the grumpy jerk. The books are fairly short and fun to read.
