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Sword Song (Alfred the Great 4)
by: Bernard Cornwell

List Price: £6.99

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Used Price: £1.08
Third Party New Price: £2.10

Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Binding: Hardcover
EAN: 9780007219735
ISBN: 0007219733
Label: Harper
Manufacturer: Harper
Number Of Pages: 314
Publication Date: May 06, 2008
Publisher: Harper
Studio: Harper
Sales Rank: 809

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- A great saga
Not appealing for all readers, for the atipic "old british" scenario, at levels of Sharpe's or the Arthur's books, the Saxons stories are like (almost) every Cornwell's book: solid plot, well done battle scenes, big characters, a bit of fine humorism. In a saga, some books are better than others, by the point of view of readers, but for a Cornwell's fan a new book on the wars between Saxons and Vikings are good (very good) news.
And Sword song is the last (but non least) adventure of a group of "old friends".

Rating:

- Uninspiring
As I find this period of British history fascinating I thought I'd give Sword song a try, but I must admit defeat - I have abandoned reading it after ony 73 pages. Yes, it has period feel, yes, the research is there - but it fails to hold me. I find the personalities less than gripping, and the story doesn't really flow for me. Obviously a matter of taste as the author is very popular!
I would recommend the books by Alfred Duggan from the same period - the same gritty imperfect heroes, but a style I much prefer.

Rating:

- not as good
Sadly, I was very disapointed with this book, definitely not a patch on the other three, I really was very disapointed and feel quite let down. Alfred was portrayed as a untrustworthy idiot, only interested in his books and his priests. The Danes I am sure would have most certainly killed any "traitor" out of hand, and were the Irish ever involved? if they were, I certainly never learnt that in school, and in my day we were actually taught History although we did know that the Norseman did land there in Eire and make settlements, as they did in America.
I just hope that the next book is better.

Rating:

- History lessons you don't fall asleep during!
Well I'll get all the negative stuff out of the way first! Uhtred really is just a dark ages 'Sharpe' he even has an Irish side kick now and whilst Sharpe was loathed as a commoner amongst upper class twit fellow officers, Uhtred is loathed because he is a pagan amongst pious preachy christians!

That said for many years I loved Sharpe! and likewise I am loving Uhtred and the Saxons, a major part of our national history largely ignored till now! Romans and vikings by the score, Saxons, hardly any!.

Back to the book it's architypical Cornwell. Our hero is unloved by his masters, out numbered by his foe's but backed up by his savage comrades. Yes we've seen it a hundred times before from Cornwell but it is such a winning ... Read More:

Rating:

- Sword Song (Alfred the Great 4)
I do agree with Barks. When is the next one going to be published? This series of books throws some light on the Dark Ages amidst high adventure. Plenty of blood and gore and a superb story with some twists to keep the reader page turning.

Books : Sword Song (Alfred the Great 4)