War Lord

One of the best in the series. I was quite literally stealing time from other things I needed to do to listen to this story. It appears to be the final adventure in Cornwell's Saxon series.
Uhtred of Bebbanburg is getting old, but he is still a dangerous and wily foe. Like an old warhorse, when the war drums sound and the speartips flash in the sun, he cannot help but go to war.
Like all the stories in this series, this story is firmly anchored by known history – in this case the core is the pivotal Battle of Brunanburh in 937 AD. The main events are known, but the details are lost in time, which makes it fertile ground for a historical novel. (Cornwell's Historical Note after the end of the novel is informative.)
The audio narration is very good indeed. I reckon Matt Bates is the perfect narrator for this series.
4.5 stars rounded up.

Thus concludes the tale of Uhtred, son of Uhtred, Lord of Bebbanburg.

Once Uhted reclaimed Bebbanburg I wasn't sure where the story would go. It seemed like reclaiming his home would be a fitting conclusion, but little did I know there would be more to Uhtred's story.

In this novel, we meet an Aged Uhted in his final years of life. Much time is spent reflecting on and acknowledging just how many characters we lost over the course of this series. It was solemn and sad. Bernard Cornwell did an incredible job covering these emotions and I suspect he missed some of his old characters too. He also acknowledged the age gap between Uhtred and the newer characters and how it was finally time to put our hero to rest.

As with the other stories, the first half of the novel is spent recapping where things stand as well as setting up for a large battle towards the end. As this was the final novel, I was worried this might be the end for Uhtred. His final battle. And the one that sends him to Valhalla. But I was wrong to doubt Lord Uhtred.

Instead we have a fitting conclusion to the story of a man which spanned 13 books and a successful tv show. I will miss Uhtred's adventures but it's fun to imagine him in Valhalla with all of his friends once more.

A history lesson. This series is great. I have not watched the one on Netflix. This is what is great in historical fiction, it makes you google these dudes and places and cultures and then you know a little bit more about humans, history, religion, tradition.. I might have enjoyed the beginning of the series more, simply because of the fact that there simply are no defeats and in every book there is a battle or two.. this invincibility becomes jarring. But great fun nevertheless!

Probably just a four star rating, but being the 13th and final volume of the series, it is nice to see Uhtred and company have a mighty last battle. The same old themes of religious tolerance, trust, betrayal, egoism and grand politics are present. Worth a read.