5 stars for Sword Song (The Last Kingdom book 4) by Bernard Cornwell.
... and so I set out to unravel the unknowns that await me in this book 4 Sword Song. Truth be told, before I start out on this perilous journey I have no inkling of what this book encompasses except that it continues to be one of Uhtred's adventures.
The previous Book 3 Lords of the North draws to a close in the Year 880 with a twenty-three-year-old warrior setting off from Dunholm in the North to Wessex in the South. Fast forward five years and this warrior, Uhtred, is now twenty-eight years old. Older and wiser, Uhtred, Lord of Bebbanburg, has become a builder, a trader, and a father. He still serves Alfred, King of Wessex, because he has given Alfred his oath, and not because he wishes to.
Much of Sword Song is set in Lundene (presently known as London) which stands where Mercia, East Anglia and Wessex meet. Lured by the promise of bright gold and shining silver, the Danes, the Norsemen, the Scots and the Britons, have all flocked to this city of merchants, tradesmen, and seafarers. And there, the new Viking leaders plot to hire these men, buy weapons, raise warriors, assemble armies, all with the ultimate goal to invade and conquer Wessex.
A title beautifully chosen, Sword Song is the song of the blade wanting blood. It is a story of bloodshed, of battle, of war cry, of Uhtred, a lord of war, fighting for his land, his family, his home and his country.
Once again, the battle scenes are magnificent with axe hacks, spear throws, swords thrust, shield walls, battle songs, male bonding, breaths of ale for courage (this one is contributed by buddy Sean), brute strength, sheer numbers, and a much needed dash of luck for survival. In addition to the power struggles, the author introduces something new: a disturbing yet powerful sad love story. Author Cornwell knows exactly how to tug at readers' heartstrings for I am overcome by emotions - anger, sadness, pity - so strong that I feel as if my heart is torn asunder in this new heart melting romance.
Fate is inexorable. Wyrd bið ful āræd.
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition
Publication date: 23 Dec 2008
*** Favourite quote 1 ***
Fear hovers in the air like a cloud and we talk of nothing to pretend that the cloud is not there.
*** Favourite quote 2 ***
Fate decrees what we do. We cannot escape fate. Wyrd bið ful āræd. We have no choices in life, how can we? Because from the moment we are born the three sisters know where our thread will go and what patterns it will weave and how it will end. Wyrd bið ful āræd.
*** Favourite quote 3 ***
Lust is a voyage to nowhere, to an empty land, but some men just love such voyages and never care about the destination. Love is a voyage too, a voyage with no destination except death, but a voyage of bliss.
~ Sword Song
Bernard Cornwell
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Sword Song continues the story of Uhtred, the Saxon warrior who is a reluctant ally of Alfred the Great. This story, which occurs some five years after the events described in Lords of the North, tells how Alfred’s forces evict the Danes from London. Wessex, Alfred’s kingdom, has survived the great Viking assaults and now, with Uhtred as a leader, the West Saxon forces begin the campaigns of conquest that will end with a new kingdom called England.
*Blurb from author's website*
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