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The Burning Land / Bernard Cornwell

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The 9th century was an unsettled time in Britain. Alfred the Great was trying to keep the English speaking inhabitants unified in one kingdom, while the Danes were essentially trying to make Britain an outpost of Viking Scandinavia. We meet up with Uhtred in this fifth installment of Bernard Cornwell's historical adventure series Saxon Tales as he continues to somewhat reluctantly honor his oath to Alfred, while nurturing his true desire is to lead an army against his uncle and reclaim his ancestral home. There is lots of historically-based battle action here, as in previous books there are many sharp blades, axes, and in one clever siege innovative use of beehives and sailcloth. Uhtred experiences triumph on the battlefield (and a near miss) but disappointment and sorrow on the homefront. We’ll have to wait until another installment in the series to see if he can be Lord of Babbenberg in more than just name.

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