The Flame Bearer (Saxon Tales, 10)

FAN-FREAKN’-TASTIC! Uhtred finally gets to reclaim Bebbanburg! Woot! What a fast paced novel. The ravaging battles, the masterful planning, and all the painful struggles finally come to a head. I have to say that Uhtred has got to be the most baddddassss warrior ever to exist. I’m excited for him and feeling bitter sweet because though I have enjoyed Uhtreds journey, I really didn’t want his journey to end. No, now that he has reclaimed his heritage, what will he do with it now. So many unanswered questions to be fulfilled. Every novel in this series is just excellent and I believe the best part is the descriptive battle scenes and the fierceness of Uhtred in battle. In this installment, it far exceeds the previous books. I felt every emotion of each warrior as if it was my own heartbeat. The writer’s ability to capture a dramatic battle scene is amazing with each detail giving me a visionary experience as if I was literally there on the battle field or in the fortress itself. The humor of the warrior’s right before they go into battle always cracked me up too. Uhtred just continues to amaze me. With enemy all around him, he continues to outsmart them. I loved how he used the Mad Bishop to his advantage. The set up couldn’t have been more perfect. The best part is that Uhtred played each enemy against each other. With his enemies surrounding the fortress - AEthelhelm (King Edwards father-in-law) and his army , Einar the hired muscle who the Scotts had bought off, The Scottish King Constantin and his army, and don’t forget inside was Uhtred’s cousin and his army – however, somehow Uhtred used their hatred and madness to take each other out in order to get to and through the sea gate first – they literally did their own killing instead of Uhtred and his wolf pack having to kill them. I mean the odds were against him, but with his wolf pack – Finan, Prince AEthelstan (King Edwards son), Cerdic, Berg, Gerbruht, Swithun, Ulfar, Edric, and the boy Rorik with the help of Odin or thor, they made it all happen. I really enjoyed their friendship and loyalty to each other. You may wonder where the title/name of The Flame Bearer comes from and its relevance. Well: “A man call Ida had come to this shore almost four hundred years before. He had landed from the sea, leading ships full of cruel men, and he had taken the crude fortress built on this rock, he had slaughtered the defenders, used their wives for his pleasure, and made their children his slaves. I was Ida’s descendant. His enemies, who were now the Welsh, called him Flamdwyn, the Flamebearer.” “whether the song of Ida tells true or not, one truth is certain, that Ida the Flamebearer came to this crag and had the confidence to make a new kingdom on an old island.” Uhtred’s words: “Now I trod in the Flamebearer’s footsteps to drench the rock with blood again.” This was such an amazing story, the whole series is just fan-freakn’-tastic. I’m thrilled for Uhtred and the author has written that Uhtred’s work is not done yet so we get to look forward to another installment in the future. I highly recommend to all Historian readers that love a little Viking and Saxon history Excellent Read!

Cornwell didn’t surprise me with the quality of the writing, unpredictability of the plot or the depth of the characters. One of my favorite things about Cornwell’s handling of this story is how all of the action is in the present but it is being told as a memory of an old man so he can drop hints about what’s to come. How clever. I love a good story and I certainly love a great historical, action adventure. I mostly love the story though. This story doesn't have as much fighting action throughout it as the previous stories but it is filled with intrigue and plots. I love that too. I’m also impressed with how Cornwell conveys Uhtred’s inner thoughts on war, fear, necessity and readiness and how perspective changes with age along with his pragmatism over the subject. It is a beautifully written, human story. I have a feeling that people who do spectacular deeds think similarly to the way Uhtred is depicted in thought and Cornwell does such a spectacular job of conveying that thought in such frank human terms that it reminds me why he is one of my favorite authors. I am also impressed with the amount of conniving and deception of other characters and the reader that Cornwell so skillfully pulled off. This story has an intricate and complicated but completely believable plot which completely suspended my disbelief and absorbed me in the story as I read. This is a great book and is hours of cheap (okay, inexpensive) entertainment. I highly recommend this as the best in the series so far.

For ten novels we’ve been waiting for Uhtred to reclaim his ancestral home of Bebbanburg, and in “The Flame Bearer” we finally learn how that story ends. Fans of the series will recall that Uhtred’s last attempt to capture the impregnable Northumbrian fortress took place in “The Pagan Lord,” where we were introduced to his son Uhtred as a young warrior. By “The Flame Bearer,” Uhtred the father is an old man, and with most of his enemies gone after the events in “Warriors of the Storm,” reclaiming Bebbanburg seems to be all that is left for Uhtred’s tale. Uhtred is a man possessed in this book, hell-bent on achieving the one thing he’s longed for ever since his wicked uncle stole Bebbanburg from him in Cornwall’s “The Last Kingdom.” Fortunately, before Uhtred gets too far along on his quest, Cornwell presents him (and us) with another mystery of the kind featured throughout the series. This time, the West Saxons are threatening Northumbria, in apparent breach of the truce reached at the end of “Warriors of the Storm.” And like most of the mysteries in this series, there’s more to this move than meets the eye. Eventually, however, the tale turns back to Bebbanburg, and how Uhtred is going to pull off this improbable siege. Uhtred may be old, but he’s still the greatest warrior in England, and the last third of this novel offers one of the longest battle sequences in the series. Cornwell is a master of writing battles, with all of its violence, carnage, and shield walls, so fans of the series won’t be disappointed. By the end, every open storyline from the prior two novels appears to reach its conclusion. That is, every storyline but one. So, in what looked to be the final book in the series, Cornwell drops a hint there may be more to come. Even if Cornwell never goes beyond book ten, “The Saxon Tales” have been one of the great works of medieval fiction. Set in an important era in English history, its stories are engaging, its characters are memorable, and its hero is unforgettable. Someday, we’re going to miss the narrations of Uhtred of Bebbanburg. But until then, enjoy the ride.

This is the book I think we were all waiting for from Bernard Cornwell. I will not spoil anything, though for those who have read most or all of the previous novels in this series, the title is a metaphor alluding to Uhtred's ancestor Ida, back when Britain (or at least, the northern part) was dominated by the Romano-Welsh tribes. This contents in this book, particularly the denouement, were foreshadowed in the prologue of the author's 5th book in the series, "The Burning Land". There is a lot going on in the plot of this particular novel, and it may be a bit much for some readers to digest - but it is definitely worth reading again. It contains a lot of action, slowly building into a powerful climax by the denouement. In this sense, it is similar to most of the author's other novels in the series...but the ending is what makes it different from all the others. I have all of the books in this series on my book-shelf, and I treasure all of them. Bernard is very knowledgeable of the historical events of this time period, and he weaves enough threads of fiction to make these books very entertaining, whilst retaining a decent level of accuracy. Some books are more historically accurate than others, and he mentions these details in the "historical note" section in each novel. I have re-read these books over and over, savoring every chapter as the words come alive with epic battles, Saxon nobility, and the perspective of our beloved protagonist who thinks like a Dane and worships their gods, but fights for the Saxons. But make no mistake...this is not the final book in this series, for Bernard has mentioned in previous novels his intention to keep Uhtred alive to see the unification of Englaland. Bernard is releasing another book sometime this year (I think), in which this process is completed. I don't know about you, but I will be ordering that next novel.

After the depressing and tragic story of Edgar Sawtelle, I needed something that I knew would lift my spirits. Uhtred did the trick, as he always does. This is very bittersweet for me because I've ripped through all the last 9 books in a little less than a year. Now I think I have to wait until October for another, which makes me very sad. (But also happy because it looks like there will definitely be another!) On to the book itself, I suppose some could detract points for the formula the Saxon Stories follow. I'm not one of those people because I'm a firm believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." What carries these books is Uhtred and his war dogs. There is always a battle to be fought. Always an enemy plotting against him. Always a victory to be had. But what always amazes me is the way Cornwell develops ways for him to outsmart his enemies. This book was no different, Uhtred's plan is brilliant, and of course it only goes off by the skin of his teeth and some brilliant stroke of luck, but it's just so much fun to read. The only thing that saddens me about The Flamebearer, is that other than a few key characters, I hardly recognized most of the names. Aethelflaed, Aethelhelm, Aethelstan, Sigtyggr, and Finan are all present. I think Berg's name has been mentioned in a couple of the last books, but many characters (Swithun, for example) seemed like cardboard cutouts that could come and go or be discarded as the author pleased. What I love about the earlier books was that most characters had history with Uhtred. You knew where they came from, whether they were friend or foe and why. You knew the history and camaraderie that existed between those people, and now all poor old Uhtred has is Finan and a son that will (maybe) one day, finally outshine his father. I found myself missing Leofric and Steapa and Ragnar and Gisela and Beocca and Father Prylig, and hell even Alfred. And poor Eadith, I can remember she was snatched away by Uhtred from one of his many enemies, but beyond that I can't remember why or how, or even bother to care. It could just be that I read the first 7 or 8 books back to back, but I think it has to do with these last books making some larger jumps in the timeline and Cornwell killing them all off slowly either by battle or old age. Instead of building more people into his life naturally, he's just thrown a bunch of names in there and given them some nod to history, like: "Steapa taught me to put iron strips in my gloves." It was nice they were called upon but felt like a forced effort to bring back fond memories. If I can remember Steapa from five books ago, I should be able to remember Berg or Swithun or Eadith from two books ago. But I can't. Take it how you will. I'd have deducted a star for this, but ultimately, this book sees Uhtred doing what he's always set out to do and for that I can't be mad. So I'll cross my fingers for the next book and hope for more of what made those others so magical. I'll leave with this quote, because there's always one that makes me laugh out loud: "What ails you?" Aethelhelm asked. He was standing directly in front of me. I said nothing. "Answer his lordship," Hrothard growled. "He's...he's...he's," Cerdic stuttered next to me. "He's what?" Hrothard demanded. "An id...id...idiot, lord." A shilling dropped into my hands, then another into Cerdic's. "And you?" Aethelhelm asked. "What ails you?" "An id...idiot too." "God bless both you idiots," Aethelhelm said, and walked on. God bless all the idiots.

This is the 10th of Cornwell's Viking sagas, and it is still immensely enjoyable. The basics are the Uhtred, a massive, Conan like character is a Briton raised both the Danes in 9th century England. He just wants to regain his ancestral home in Northumbria, but somehow continually slips into the role of pagan defender of Christian England. "England" is a bit of a stretch, it doesn't exist yet. The Christian Britain we working on it, having regained most of the country back from the Danes (see the previous 9 books) with just the North country left in Danish hands. There is intrigue, shifty priests, good priests, conniving kings and courtiers, damsels, strong women, and most of all Uhtred. Strong, sky as a fox, and with more dignity and honor than the Christians who plot against him and look down upon him. But who still want him in their side in a fight. At long last Uhtred returns to Bebbanburg (modern Bamberg) to reclaim his land. One thing I love about Cornwell is that he mixes fictional characters and historical ones in a melange of historically accurate events. I wouldn't start with this tome, starts at the beginning, or start watching the tv series. Either is good.

I have read the first ten volumes of this series and find them excellent. I watched the Netflix series before reading the books. I was disappointed the Netflix series strayed so far away from the books. I imagine that was a necessity though, since a story in print can be so much broader than what can fit on a TV screen. But I refuse to give Mr. Cornell five stars. His animosity toward Christianity comes through loud and clear in the series. It's obvious he feels Christianity is just a means to defraud the unsuspecting and that it's just superstition. Many have used the Christian church to fill their personal coffers and fulfill the lusts of their flesh, but there are many more who find real comfort in the Son of God dying to pay for our sins and rising from the dead on Easter to prove his victory over sin, death and hell. Mr. Cornell is certainly welcome to his own opinions, but I will be eternally grateful my Norse ancestors converted to Christianity. So four stars, yes; but never five.

I have to confess that Bernard Cornwell is up at the top of my list of favorite authors, and Uhtred ranks up there with my favorite characters. Personally, I like the way Cornwell develops his characters, and I greatly like the historical settings he casts them in. I often find myself going to the internet to research things he brings out that I was not aware of further, such as king Constantin of Scotland. And at the end of his novels, Cornwell takes pains to post the historical background, as well as where he took liberties with history, since he is writing historical fiction as opposed to factual history. I find the Saxon series books hard to put down, which often has me turning one more page after my bed time rolls around. I like a good story, and there is where Bernard Cornwell is very fulfilling as an author. Is Uhtred plausible? I certainly think so. Are the situations he finds himself in realistic? Again, and here I must say I am a Viet Nam combat veteran, yes, to me, they are. And there is a moral background to these Saxon series books that I also appreciate. All in all, if you like an action series that hopefully will go on and on like his Richard Sharpe novels, the Saxon Tales should find itself to your book shelf as it has to mine.

Excelente história , prende do início ao fim

Amazing way to unfold glory of Lord Uthred Taking back his Fortress Ten Books and Lovely journey of War Lord

El volumen 10 de una estupenda serie.

Epic and Magnificent. Uhtred, as Uhtred was. From lifting the first page, had a full immersion at awe within the bloody, gore, cunning and excellent saga of our brutish hero. I won't spoil this for the fans or first timers but no disappointment is guaranteed. Praise the great Bernard Cornwell and to the Lord of Bebbanburg.

Obwohl Cornwell hier weitgehenst auf Schlachten verzichtet, hält er doch den Spannungsbogen bis zu letzten Seite aufrecht. Auch dieses Buch ist wieder vom Feinsten. Ich möchte den Fans der Serie hier nicht mehr verraten, ausser, dass das Buch uneingeschränkt zu empfehlen ist.