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    The Lords of the North
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    The Lords of the North
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    The Lords of the North
    Audiobook (abridged)5 hours

    The Lords of the North

    Written by Bernard Cornwell

    Narrated by Jamie Glover

    4.5/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    The third instalment in Bernard Cornwell’s King Alfred series, following on from the outstanding previous novels The Last Kingdom and The Pale Horseman, both of which were top ten bestsellers.

    The year is 878 and Wessex is free from the Vikings.Uhtred, the dispossessed son of a Northumbrian lord, helped Alfred win that victory, but now he is disgusted by Alfred's lack of generosity and repelled by the king's insistent piety. He flees Wessex, going back north to seek revenge for the killing of his foster father and to rescue his stepsister, captured in the same raid. He needs to find his old enemy, Kjartan, a renegade Danish lord who lurks in the formidable stronghold of Dunholm.

    Uhtred arrives in the north to discover rebellion, chaos and fear. His only ally is Hild, a West Saxon nun fleeing her calling, and his best hope is his sword, with which he has made a formidable reputation as a warrior. He will need the assistance of other warriors if he is to attack Dunholm and he finds Guthred, a slave who believes he is a king. He takes him across the Pennines to where a desperate alliance of fanatical Christians and beleaguered Danes form a new army to confront the terrible Viking lords who rule Northumbria.

    ‘The Lords of the North’ is a powerful story of betrayal, romance and struggle, set in an England of turmoil, upheaval and glory. Uhtred, a Northumbrian raised as a Viking, a man without lands, a warrior without a country, has become a splendid heroic figure.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJun 5, 2006
    ISBN9780007245642
    Unavailable
    The Lords of the North
    Author

    Bernard Cornwell

    BERNARD CORNWELL is the author of over fifty novels, including the acclaimed New York Times bestselling Saxon Tales, which serve as the basis for the hit Netflix series The Last Kingdom. He lives with his wife on Cape Cod and in Charleston, South Carolina.

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    Reviews for The Lords of the North

    4.5/5

    47 ratings21 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Bernard Cornwell’s oeuvre has the panache for interpreting war with all its savageries and triumphs. His storytelling is so raw that I have found myself at times vividly remembering his tales with such precision, that I thought I saw them at the theater instead of having read them. And once again true to Mr. Cornwell’s style, the insults are utterly fantastic, “When you are dead…I shall have your skin tanned and made into a saddle so I can spend the rest of my life farting on you.” All this and packs of wild dogs, it doesn’t get any better than this people.
    • 4/5
      This is the third book in the Saxon Stories series following The Last Kingdom and The Pale Horseman. I’ll try to avoid spoilers but you know the drill.Uhtred helped Alfred win his last war against the Danes, but now, Uhtred is bored and tired of Alfred and his priests. Feeling unappreciated --- Alfred rewarded him for his war efforts but minimally at best --- Uhtred buries his hoard and leaves for the north with plans to capture Dunholm, a northern stronghold. After he inadvertently frees slaves, he also frees the region’s king, Guthred, and he now the men he needs to help him win Dunholm. Except, the gods are no longer smiling on Uhtred and his life, which had been running relatively smoothly, once more takes a strange turn when Guthred sells him into slavery. In an odd twist of fate, his only ally in the north, Hild, a former nun, convinces Guthred she must return to Alfred in Wessex and her nunnery. Upon returning to Alfred, she becomes Uhtred’s only hope for rescue. Uhtred is a bastard in many ways, except when he’s not, and that can be a lot of the time. He’s a lord in his own right, except he has no land and the land that is his is being ruled by his uncle who usurped Uhtred’s father. Uhtred wants his land back and going north is his way of signaling to Alfred that he’s done with the war. Alfred isn’t ready for that to happen yet, and while he won’t admit it, he needs Uhtred more than Uhtred needs him. While Uhtred might be unreliable, when he makes an oath he won’t break it and Alfred keeps using that one very loyal part of Uhtred. Uhtred knows it but keeps letting it happen because he knows it’s the only way. To be fair though, Uhtred keeps using the oaths to his advantage as well so it’s fair play on both sides.This is the third book in the Saxon Tales and I have a huge lag between books. Not because I wasn’t enjoying the series, I have been, but I forgot about the series until my last visit to the library when I decided to pick them up again. Cornwell is a favorite when I need some historical fiction, even though he can be a bit on the brutal, bloody side. Then again, he is writing about a very brutal time in history so it all fits. Besides, I like Uhtred. He’s surprising in that he’s extremely loyal, can be a very good guy when he wants to, which happens more often than he cares to think about, and he’s a bit of a softie, especially when it comes to the ladies. I swear, this man is always falling in love. It never gets mushy though which is what I like. Here’s to the fourth book --- Sword Song.
    • 4/5
      Cornwell does it again. I keep thinking after reading so many of his books of the same genre I should be feeling guilty like I'm reading Star Trek or romance novels or something... but they're just so damn good.Not every one is great, and none of them have lived up to the Warlord trilogy but this series is pretty spectacular and the narrator's voice is perfect for the story. Hearing it is like visiting an old friend. I thought that this would be the last book of Utred because in the middle somewhere he started talking as if he was an old man telling you of his story and that in the end he would end up being in the present day as an old man. But then that went away (which is kinda lame if you think about it. Almost like he forgot to take that part out) and we're left with an afterword that promises more adventure with our favorite Saxon cum Dane.I'm not sure I'll ever get sick of this format of revenge, heroics, gritty, realistic battle sequences, and a slight touch of the possibly mystical all on top of a well researched historical background.
    • 5/5
      Third in the Saxon Tales series.In 878, Uhtred the dispossessed heir of Bebbbanberg, has been rewarded by Alfred, King of Wessex, for Uhtred’s critical role in winning the battle of Ethandun against a Danish army--with a miserable little holding that was barely able to support the three slave families that worked it. Alfred is by nature a miser and his dislike of Uhtred, who refuses to become a Christian, only adds to the insult.Uhtred has had enough of Alfred whom he deems overly pious as well as an ingrate. With Hild, the ex-nun he rescued who is now his friend and lover, he buries his hoard, keeping enough only to travel, and sets out for Northumbria, where he has major grudges to settle: with his uncle, who usurped Bebbbanberg and with Kjartan and his son Sven, who murdered Uhtred’s foster father, Ragnar.This is another great tale from Cornwell, who knows how to plot as well as how to write terrific battle scenes. He uses what is known about 9th century England and Alfred the Great to weave a totally realistic plot with believable characters. It’s a real page-turner; while I was racing through the book, eager to find out what happened next (and there are quite a few twists in this one), I also was reluctant to have it end. Cornwell is one master storyteller.Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      More of the same really. The pace moves along quite quickly and this passes the time when one wants a less demanding read. But Uhtred is for me as unsympathetic a character as ever, going around the country slaughtering everyone who stands in his way. The broad historical backdrop and background to Alfred and the Vikings are what keep me reading and what will undoubtedly make me read Sword Song when it comes out in paperback.
    • 4/5
      Cornwell is predictably unpredictable! The novel moves at a steady pace but there are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader turning the page! For sure I will be reading the next book in the series before very long! These books are taking me about two days each to read through. Grand fun!
    • 3/5
      Uthred of Bebbanburg heads north, now that he has succeeded at the court of Alfred, but getting what he wants isn't going to be easy. The north's a complicated place, and our hero needs to face some of his own baggage and sort out some family issues.
    • 4/5
      “Lords of the North” is the third in Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Stories. This episode, set from 878-80, opens about a month after the events in the previous novel.Uhtred – the anti-hero who is Saxon by birth but Danish at heart – narrates the tale as usual. This time he does not see much of Alfred the Great, who features little in this instalment. But fate, it seems, still links Uhtred with Alfred, despite their dislike of each other, and following Alfred’s actions to free Uhtred from a tight spot, the Danish-loving Saxon swears his oath to do the king another service.The service is for the pagan Uhtred to settle some trouble up north and seat a Christian Dane on the throne of Northumbria. As usual, there’s some amusing interaction between Uhtred and his faithful friend Beocca; a devout priest who frowns at Uhtred’s disregard of Christian beliefs.On the whole I found this a very good read, spoilt only by the author’s use of unnecessary dialogue attribution. The actual dialogue itself is superb yet on many occasions its flow is disrupted, even though it’s invariably obvious who’s talking, especially when an exchange is between just two characters. I can’t understand why a talented, seasoned writer like Mr Cornwell feels the need to keep reminding the reader who’s speaking when it’s clear which character it is. For example:“Alfred wants you back,” she said.“He wants my sword,” I said, “not me.”The above exchange is between Uhtred and a female character with nobody else present. The first “she said” is unnecessary, as the reader knows that Uhtred wouldn’t say this. The “I said” is not only pointless but also disruptive to the dialogue. The author has a habit of this latter point:“Can the crag be climbed?” I asked him.“No, lord.”“What about water?” I asked him. “Is there a well?”Again, the above attribution is unneeded because the reader knows Uhtred is asking the questions and that he wouldn’t call the other character “lord”. Even the most forgetful reader wouldn’t need reminding that Uhtred’s speaking in the above third sentence. Therefore, the second “I asked him” is not only superfluous for this reason, but it also needlessly disrupts the flow of the sentence, plus it’s repetitive. It surprises me that such a good writer as Bernard Cornwell would do this.I’m also surprised at the overuse of the word “then” – a word I learned to avoid in fiction whilst undertaking a creative writing degree – and “and” is also overused.But these points regarding style aside, I think this novel is worth checking out if you’re interested in late nine-century English history. It's well-plotted with strong characters.
    • 5/5
      In this installment of the 'Saxon Stories', we are finally introduced to the craziness and insanity that is Northumbria. While the first two books were great in their development of Uhtred's story, this is where the main story arc across the main series really gets going. Bernard Cornwell has a habit of playing mind games, and forces his readers to understand that no character, however noble, always makes good decisions.
    • 4/5
      Third in the Saxon Stories set in the 9th century Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Wessex and Northumbria. It is 878 and Uthred of Bebbanburg is heading north. He has helped the Saxons of Wessex defeat the invading Danes but his help has been mostly unacknowledged by King Alfred so is setting off to help sort out some old business. I haven't managed to find copies of the earlier books in the series yet but this was okay so I might read them in future.
    • 4/5
      Just a modest correction to previous review. This is the third in the series. And it looks like there's more to come.
    • 5/5
      The first novel I read by Bernard Cornwell was "Sharpe's Rifles" and what impressed me the most was the way he never let you have a moment's rest. The action was non-stop, you were afraid to keep reading and you were afraid to stop. It was the kind of writing that copy-writers glibly refer to as "pulse pounding action."Since then I've read 18 more Sharpe novels as well as 12 others by Cornwell, the current one included. This is the third in the series collectively known as the Saxon Tales and it bids to equal the Sharpe novels in quality and perhaps in quantity as well if Cornwell keeps at it long enough. The series, as did the Sharpe series, features a first person protagonist. The narrator is Uhtred, born a Briton but raised by Ragnar a Dane, after Ragnar kills Uhtred's father in battle and is impressed by the boy Uhtred's spunk when he tried to kill Ragnar in turn. Uhtred comes to love Ragnar and is schooled in the arts of the Warrior, eventually himself becoming one."Lords of the North" is the third in the series, and while it starts out a bit slow and a bit confusing (maybe because I waited such a long time after reading the first two to read this one), but peaks in a long and literally pulse-pounding climax. I had a roommate in graduate school who described the novels of another writer, Alistair MacLean by saying that "the lead changes hands at least three more times than you expect it to." Fits the current novel to a T, and if anything understates the case.The series in general is instructive as well as enjoyable. Herein we learn about English history pre A.D. 1000 including the Vikings, the Danes, the Britons, the Saxons, et. al. We gain insight into the Northerners' raids on the British Isles and their ambitions to conquer and enslave the entire realm. We learn about the warfare of the time including axes and swords, of course, but also the grand concept of "the Shield wall." Cornwell's depictions are visceral and graphic. We also encounter and learn about that notorious figure Alfred the Great. Uhtred's fate is inexorably bound to the latter in ways that Uhtred finds unavoidable.Five stars is more than deserved.
    • 4/5
      I read the book in German, as I am from Germany. I like the book very much. I can recommend the whole Saxon Chronicle and I am looking forward to the fifth part which will come out in Sep/Oct this year.
    • 3/5
      Entertaining and about what I was expecting.
    • 5/5
      Left me breathless, running around the house shouting, "Uhtred and Ragnar! "
    • 4/5
      2nd of a good Trilogy. Good action writing
    • 5/5
      This whole series has been amazing so far! I have been listening to the audio books, this may not be the wisest move depending on the price of gas in your area. The battle scenes are so captivating I find myself sitting in the car at my destination unable to pry myself away until I find out who Uhtred has slain and what inventive insults have been thrown about the bloody place!
    • 5/5
      Yet another gift from Cornwell ! Splendid, enjoyable, bloody fun!
    • 4/5
      Lords of the North is the third book in the Saxon Stories and Cornwell promises that more - perhaps many more - are in the offing. As is almost obligatory, let me acknowldge that I am a big Cornwell fan - I've read many of the Sharpe books, part of the Grail series and all three of the Saxon Stories. The Lords of the North picks up right after Alfred's historic victory at Ethandun (or Edington) in 878 CE and continues the tale of Uhtred, a man stuck between the worlds of Saxon and Dane. Uthred returns to the north as he begins what will apparently be a multi-volume quest to reclaim his title as Lord of Bettanburg. Unfortunately, the historical record for Northumbria at this time is extremely sparse and confused. Consequently, Lords of the North is more fictional and less historical than the previous two books. I frankly found the book fell somewhat short of my admittedly high expectations. The atmosphere of the tale seemingly has historical authenticity, but the ending is rushed and struck me as implausible. After a long struggle to overcome one of their major antagonists, Uthred and Ragnar dispense with another one in one brief encounter. A good tale and fans of Cornwell will enjoy it, but in parts it felt like a book that simply bridges the gap from one part of the story to the next. The good news is that Uhtred lives into his 80's, so many more tales remain - let's just hope that doesn't become the bad news, too. Recommended.
    • 4/5
      The third in Cornwell's Saxon Tales series. Uhtred is back with a vengeance and there is much blood letting. I think I have enjoyed this volume more than the first two. Cornwell seems a bit more free with Uhtred's adventures. Things get a bit weird, and it makes the story a bit spicier. I especially got a tickle out of Uhtred's little side trip to Iceland. I'm interested to see what happens in the next one. Somehow I have a hunch that Uhtred is going to screwed over by Alfred again. I really have to read up on Alfred. I can't believe he was such a pansy.
    • 4/5
      The first Bernard Cornwall book I have read and it was a good one, although this is the third in a series I was able to make sense of what had previously happened. It had a very readable style, which made reading it very quick. I loved the historical details about York and Durham and how he weaved in details about St Cuthbert and holy relics. Enjoyable.