Warriors of the Storm (The Last Kingdom Series, Book 9) Paperback – 21 April 2016

Best novel I have read in a long time. I have spent last 6months reading all the 10 books in the series. It is an amazing historic fictional series. I can dare to compare it with lord of the rings series in a historic fictional way.

This is the ninth book in the seemingly interminable Uhtred of Bebbanburg series. The historical backdrop to this book is the struggle by Ethelfleda, Lady of the Mercians (and daughter of Alfred the Great) to recapture North Mercian towns like Chester from the Danes. This was the usual course of attacks, sieges, bloodshed, betrayal and the set piece battle at the end. Having placed his son in law Sigtryggr on the throne of Northumbria, Uhtred is heading north to recapture his ancestral home, currently occupied by his cousin. That hook will keep me reading, I am sure, despite my periodic weariness with the bloodshed.

Warriors of the Storm is the 9th entry in The Saxon Stories series that follows Uhtred of Bebbanburg and it is my favourite of the books so far. It has a brilliant opening and the standard doesn’t drop for the length of the whole book.Warriors of the StormAt the beginning of Warriors of the Storm, a fifty-something-year-old Uhtred is residing at the stronghold of Ceaster. Mercia seems to be thriving under the rule of Æthelflæd. Things have been tranquil and peaceful for a couple of years but now a new threat is on the horizon. The fierce warrior Ragnall Ivarson leads an army and he has his sights set on both Mercia and Northumbria. Ragnall is a leader of repute and for all intents and purposes, a man to be feared. To make matters more interesting, he is also Uhtred’s son-in-law’s brother “Ragnall Ivarson. I had never met him, but I knew him. I knew his reputation. No man sailed a ship better, no man fought more fiercely, no man was held in more fear. He was a savage, a pirate, a wild king of nowhere, and my daughter Stiorra had married his brother.”Being the ninth novel in the series, a lot of what is presented here has been seen before throughout these tales. Battles, skirmishes, shield-walls, formidable opponents, intelligent tactics, and quality side characters (both seasoned and new). Alongside The Burning Land and The Last Kingdom, Warriors of the Storm, for me, is a perfect example of Cornwell’s formula. The formula seems to be working on me though as I have read all 9 of these books so far this year. With them all being 300 or so pages and enticingly devourable within 3-4 days I may very well finish this series this year, timing it well with the imminent release of the final novel War Lord. I have rated all of the books 3-stars and above. “I was Uhtred, Lord of Bebbanburg, in my war-glory. The arm rings of fallen enemies glinted on my forearms, my shield was newly painted with the snarling wolf’s head of my house, while another wolf, this one of silver, crouched on the crest of my polished helmet. My mail was tight, polished with sand, my sword belt and scabbard and bridle and saddle were studded with silver, there was a gold chain at my neck, my boots were panelled with silver, my drawn sword was grey with the whorls of its making running from the hilt to its hungry tip. I was the lord of war mounted on a great black horse, and together we would make panic.”Although ageing, Uhtred is still formidable, imposing, often stubborn, Thor-following, battle-ready, and fiercely intelligent. He is renowned across the land. It’s a joy to follow Uhtred’s first-person perspective as an even older Uhtred tells the reader his tales. His family is extremely important to the narrative here and some of his children have become stars of the cast too. There is a brutal and tragic moment that features one of his family members and it definitely plays with the heartstrings.In Warriors of the Storm, we find out about more about fan favourite Finan’s past with their being an important Irish presence in this story. These parts made me love Finan even more. He is of a similar age to Uhtred but still possesses unrivalled speed with a blade. Other ageing characters who were first featured at the very start of the series in our narrator’s younger days play important parts here too. I adore stories where we follow a character from youth for their whole lives. Alongside the narrative of FitzChivalry Farseer in The Realm of the Elderlings, the tale of Uhtred is the finest I have ever read where we follow a character for 50+ years.Warriors of the Storm is another brilliant example of Cornwell’s historical fiction. My line up of reviews for October and November features some of the most anticipated reads in science fiction, fantasy, and horror but I’m sure I will sneak another couple of The Saxon Stories books in between as they are criminally addictive and feature a lead whose escapades I just want to read more about.

I have always enjoyed this series from Bernard Cornwell - it combines a historic basis with fantastic characters and storytelling to bring the formation of Alfred the Great's one-'Englaland' to vivid life. As a series, the Saxon Stories follow the life of a great, albeit fictional, warrior Uhtred. Uhtred's pedigree means his feelings are torn between his Norse gods and his Saxon monarchs and this makes him a far more interesting protagonist than if he had have been firmly placed in one camp or the other.Warriors of the Storm is number 9 in the series, Uhtred is old(er), grey and has lost none of his thirst for either fighting or disobeying orders. Yet in bringing the next generation into the forefront of this story, Cornwell shows us that Uhtred's understanding of men and his skill at war strategy have developed significantly since his days of youthful vigour and lust for battle. It is this which positions him as one of the legendary warriors of this time. Each book builds through the chapters to finish with a battle at the end which is enormously satisfying. Needless to say I'm looking forward to reading what happens next in book 10.

I love all of the Uhtred series and read all have read all of them. Not only because I like the story but I also only live a few miles away from Bamburgh (Bebbanburg). This time I finally felt Bernard was back to his old self. I felt the previous two books were not as exciting as his earlier books however in the Warriors of the Storm it felt like he was back to his original writings. The pace of the book was good which kept you interested all the way through. Looking forward to the next one.

I first started reading the books in this series (The Last Kingdom) several years ago, attracted by the revelations from a period of history that I knew little about. I was even moved to buy The Saxon Kings (by Richard Humble) which draws extensively on the thousand-year old Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. It left me full of admiration for Cornwell's skill in putting flesh on these ancient bones.But over the years as I have followed the fictional life of Uhtred it seems that the historical characters and events have faded back into the obscurity in which they started. This latest offering is little more than an adventure story, and not without repetition as once again we read about Uhtred's victories in sea battles and shield walls. It is entertaining enough, but with far too much detail of dismemberment and violent death for my tastes.Uhtred's survival has always relied heavily on his own cunning and instinct. By modern standards we would judge him impetuous and foolhardy, but in those days information wasn't instantly available and you had to look for signs and portents to back up the feeling in your gut. Here, however, he boxes himself into a corner once too often, only to be saved by the quick thinking of two colleagues. Perhaps a more plausible ending than to continually cast Uhtred as the invincible super hero!