We’ve reached the end of my current foray into historical adventure fiction, though that box my father sent me contained more than just four books, so no doubt I will make further sallies as the year progresses. Sword Song is the fourth and as of this writing last book in The Saxon Stories, a series of novels by Bernard Cornwell that explores the rise of King Alfred the Great and the making of the nation we now think of as England. Cornwell has chosen to write about the period using the adventure mode (quite fitting, really; all that fighting is a lot less fun when writing in other modes), using Uhtred, the displaced Lord of Bebbanburg as his narrator.
All that maturing Uhtred did while he was a slave aboard a Danish trading vessel in The Lords of the North comes in handy in Sword Song, as Alfred gives him more and more authority over military matters. He takes on the task of building highly effective fortifications for communities along the Temes (Thames), and is eventually charged with driving Danish raiders from the river entirely (he doesn’t completely succeed, but he definitely deserves an “attaboy” for the effort). Alfred’s daughter is kidnapped at one point, and Uhtred effects a daring rescue that succeeds despite itself. This book is awash with thrilling violence, ninth century mysticism (I am amazed at how little the Christian characters know about their own religion)—including a con artist who tricks Uhtred into believing that the dead are coming to life—and a healthy dose of political intrigue. I think I knocked this off in one sitting, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. I’ll definitely be turning to Bernard Cornwell when next I need the literary equivalent of a candy apple.
Next up is The Taker and Other Stories, by Rubem Fonseca.
