Warriors of the Storm: Book 9 (The Last Kingdom Series)

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Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing! Humanity on Earth is barely able to survive. Earth citizen groups trek from planet to planet, traveling the stars, continuing to seek out planets that are able to sustain human life. In these nascent days of space exploration, the galaxy isn’t a safe place for anyone. Warriors of the Storm is the ninth historical novel in The Saxon Stories series by Bernard Cornwell, first published in October 2015. It is set in 10th-century Mercia, Northumbria and Northern Ireland and continues to follow the fortunes of the fictional Uhtred of Bebbanburg. Follows the life and Progress of Lord Uhtred. A dispossessed Saxon lord robbed of his birth right by his uncle.

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.However, Cornwell is such a great writer that, although I feel the story overall isn't as powerful as it could have been in a shorter series, I still read or listen (as here) to each new book as soon as they come out! Earl Haesten– A Danish Jarl (earl), who previously broke a life-oath to Uhtred who is now a dangerous enemy, seemingly based on a Viking leader of the same name recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Bernard Cornwell does the best battle scenes of any writer I've ever read, past or present."--George R.R. Martin Cornwell's latest is often bloody, sometimes ribald, but always smartly done. Fans might be disappointed with this effort’s brevity, though, and new readers will be better served by beginning at the start of the series (The Last Kingdom, 2005). First, it was nice to see Finan get a spot in the limelight. He’s always been a faithful oath man and friend to Uhtred, and I’ve liked his character since their captivity on the slave ship, but his badassery is given its own special spot in this book and, man, is it a breathtaking moment. He’s finally put face to face with his former life, and the events that result affect me on two levels. The incident at the beginning of the book was terrible. He didn’t even know if it was his son! I can’t wrap my head around that kind of passionate anger. But the confrontation with his brother was spectacular.

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. Cornwell himself, in the explanation of the historicity of the novel, says that he did not have much in the way of historical basis for much of this work. How plausible are the plot events?

Publication Order of Alien Warrior Dad Books

Aethelflaed, the daughter of King Alfred who rules Mercia and Wessex, is impressive and powerful, with flaws and uncertainties that make her a far more vivid character than Uhtred. The priests Ceolnoth and Ceolberht were fun and memorable for all their small role, the bishop Leofstan was simply superb, and of Uhtred’s own cadre of warriors, the Irishman Finan was one of the most interesting. Of course if there is one thing for which Cornwell is noted it is his battles. He has a long pedigree of writing warfare across many eras, and this has over time granted him the ability to do so with pace and panache, never having to linger too much in the gory detail while delving deep enough to hook the reader and really create an impression of the horror, glory, and above all desperation of combat. He sounded pathetic and he knew it, but he had been driven to this humiliation by love. A woman can do that. They have power. We might all say that the oath to our lord is the strong oath that guides our lives, the oath that binds us and rules all the other oaths, but few men would not abandon every oath under the sun for a woman. I have broken oaths. I am not proud of that, but almost every oath I broke was for a woman.” In the struggle between family and loyalty, between personal ambition and political commitment, there will be no easy path. But a man with a warrior's courage may be able to find it. Such a man is Uhtred, and this may be his finest hour.