Welcome to Litsy!

Good old Uhtred, he never lets me down!
These past few years I've got into the habit of spending some time in his company over the winter solstice. This year he had to return early, his presence being requested elsewhere.

In this outing, England teeters between becoming a Christian Saxon kingdom and a pagan Danish one: Uhtred is instrumental in determining which. (As if his monstrous ego were not sufficiently inflated already, God love him! 🤣)

This was definitely my favorite so far in the series. I‘m pleased to have Sitrich and Finan in the story finally.

Having been a fan of the show, I must say in reading about the taking down of Kjarten and his son, Sven was much more brutal in the book! I loved it!!! Nothing beats a good revenge story and they did it proper!

These books do differ from the show in many spots but I love them both separately so it all works for me.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟the fluidity of the writing makes these books incredibly immersive. We fall in love with both sides of this bitter war between Saxon and Danes.

Finally, Uhtred can focus on what he really wants, Bebbanburg.
This is the tenth book in the series, but it's still exciting. I appreciated how subtly Cornwell made Uhtred's age felt. He's not as young as he once was, and while he can still outsmart pretty much everyone around, he's not always in the forefront of the events, and he lets his son do some of the more difficult actions.
I can't wait to find out what happens to him next.

Good old Uhtred; he never fails to deliver! He struts about, trips over his humongous ego at least once per book, gets all uppity with King Alfred, does "the right thing" in spite of himself, and always saves the day.

In recent years it has become a tradition of mine to read the next in the series between the winter solstice and New Year.
(Whatever floats your longboat...) I'm much obliged to BorrowBox this year. ?

At last, Uhtred son of Uhtred!
The presents are wrapped: now nothing can come between us... until tomorrow when I need to make the Christmas pudding (it's a "magic" recipe, done in the microwave: worked a treat last year)!

Happy Solstice, all ye who celebrate!
I made a caraway rye bread, rum and raisin fruitcake, and a spiced apple hot toddy. And, to top it off, BorrowBox had my next "Uhtred book" (tagged) available, so I can partake of another of my Solstice traditions! ?

Some of the twists I saw coming, but it was still a very enjoyable read. I loved the character interactions, the humour, and the battle scenes were brilliantly described again. I look forward to the next installment of the series.

Uhtred is now back and master of Bebbanburg and his life‘s dream and wish has been achieved. This is book 10 of 13 and I am intrigued how Uhtred will fare, what challenges will be faced. Four more books in this series suggests that there must be. Cannot wait!

I love Bernard Cornwell as a storyteller. This book is packed with adventure but the battle scenes can be a bit gory. 🪓