This is masterful historical storytelling of the ninth century iconic story of King Alfred and the making of a nation, England. Meticulously researched, with characters that come to life as you read, it is a must read for any fan of Cornwell or the Anglo Saxon era.

Comparison: Simon Scarrow, Manda Scott, George Macdonald Fraser
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Synopsis

As the ninth century wanes, England appears about to be plunged into chaos once more. For the Viking-raised but Saxon-born warrior, Uhtred, whose life seems to shadow the making of England, this presents him with difficult choices. King Alfred is dying and his passing threatens the island of Britain to renewed warfare. Alfred wants his son, Edward, to succeed him but there are other Saxon claimants to the throne as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north. Uhtred's loyalty -- and his vows -- were to Alfred, not to his son, and despite his long years of service to Alfred, he is still not committed to the Saxon cause. His own desire is to reclaim his long lost lands and castle to the north. But the challenge to him, as the king's warrior, is that he knows that he will either be the means of making Alfred's dream of a united and Christian England come to pass or be responsible for condemning it to oblivion.

Reviews

Praise for THE BURNING LAND:

'Cornwell draws a fascinating picture of England as it might have been before anything like England existed.

The Times Praise for AZINCOURT:

'This is a magnificent and gory work'
Daily Mail

'The historical blockbuster of the year'
Evening Standard

'If Bernard Cornwell was born to write one book, this is it. No other historical novelist has acquired such a mastery of the minutiae of warfare in centuries past'
Daily Telegraph

'A runaway success'
Observer

Praise for Bernard Cornwell:

'The characterisation, as ever, is excellent! And one can only admire the little touches that bring the period to life. He can also claim to be a true poet of both the horror and the glory of war'
Sunday Telegraph

'This is typical Cornwell, meticulously researched, massive in scope, brilliant in execution'
News of the World

'He's called a master story-teller. Really he's cleverer than that' Telegraph

About the Author

Born in Essex in 1944 Bernard Cornwell was adopted at the age of six weeks by two members of a strict fundamentalist sect called the Peculiar People. He grew up in a household that forbade alcohol, cigarettes, dances, television, conventional medicine and toy guns. Not surprisingly, he developed a fascination for military adventure. As a teenager he devoured CS Forester’s Hornblower novels and tried to enlist three times. Poor eyesight put paid to his dream, instead he went to university to read theology. On graduating, he became a teacher, then joined BBC’s Nationwide, working his way up the ladder to become head of current affairs at BBC Northern Ireland, then editor of Thames News. In 1979, his life changed when he fell in love with an American.   "Judy couldn’t live here, so I gave up my job and moved to the US. I couldn’t get a green card, and for 18 months the only thing I could do was write novels." The result was his first book about 19th century hero, Richard Sharpe, Sharpe’s Eagle. In addition to the hugely successful Sharpe novels, Bernard Cornwell is the author of the Starbuck Chronicles, the Warlord trilogy, the Grail Quest series, the Alfred series and standalone battle books Azincourt and The Fort.   Bernard Cornwell owns houses in Cape Cod and Florida and two boats. Every year he takes two months off from his writing and spends most of his time on his 24 foot Cornish crabber, Royalist. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation