War of the Wolf audiobook

The beginning of the end started with a bang.I’m not too sure what magic Cornwell used here. I’ve mentioned in my review of The Flame Bearer that Cornwell might be running out of ideas to prolong this series. I’ve even mentioned that the previous book should’ve been the final book of the series. Maybe it’s because we’re so near the end of the series now. Or maybe it’s really because this one was just so enthralling. But War of the Wolf, the eleventh book in The Last Kingdom series by Bernard Cornwell, is a return to form to what made the series great. “When your grandfather was dying… he told me the crown of Wessex was a crown of thorns.”“If it’s worth anything… it must be a crown of thorns.” The story takes place after the previous book, and Uthred is now more than 60 years old. Similar to the previous books, there aren’t many things I can say regarding the plotline that’s not in the spoiler territory. Even the storytelling structure remains the same this long into the series. You know the drill; Uthred is called to protect someone or swear an oath against his will, then Uthred mocks self-righteous Christian priests, then a new enemy appeared, and then there’s a struggle with the new enemy, and finally, Uthred wins the day. It’s not even a spoiler to say this; this has been the pattern of each book in the series since the beginning of the series, and Cornwell retains this structure again here. But unlike some of the previous books, Cornwell did it so well here, just like the early books of the series. “Christians like to dream of the perfect world, a place where there is no fighting, where sword-blades are hammered into plowshares, and where the lion, whatever that is, sleeps with the lamb. It is a dream. There has always been war and there will always be war. So long as one man wants another man’s wife, or another man’s land, or another man’s cattle, or another man’s silver, so long will there be war. And so long as one priest preaches that his god is the only god or the better god there will be war.” One of the things that annoyed me so much about The Flame Bearer is the lack of appearance from pivotal side characters of the series. The Last Kingdom may be a series about Uthred and his role in the genesis of England, but to me, the series won’t be as good without Uthred’s interaction with important supporting characters of the series. I do understand that we’re near the end of the series now, and the majority of the characters we know from the first few books are either dead or too old to do anything, but still, they’re really part of the whole essence of the series for me. And speaking of a character’s death, I am not a fan of major characters being killed off-screen. Unfortunately and surprisingly, that’s a big part of the series; if you expect this to be similar to the TV series adaptation, you’ll be disappointed. For example, in War of the Wolf, two major characters were killed off, and their deaths felt incredibly anti-climactic. All that said, the appearance of two major supporting characters in Uthred’s life in this book was enough to enhance this book for me. Plus, I loved Uthred’s interaction with Aethelstan, and we get a lot of that here. “I have fought many battles. I have stood in shield walls and heard the sound of axes biting willow boards, I have heard men howling, heard them screaming, I have heard the butcher’s sound of blades cleaving flesh, the heart-wrenching sound of grown men weeping for heir mothers’ comfort. I have heard the grating breath of the dying and the lament of the living, and in all those fights I have fought for one thing above all others. To take and to keep Bebbanburg.” My issue with the way Cornwell kill off his characters aside, War of the Wolf is one of the finest installment in the entire series. Uthred’s dialogues and interactions with other characters were engaging, and Cornwell’s battle scenes remain great as always. War, valor, faith, reputation, family, life, and death are key themes of the entire series, and War of the Wolf has some of the best presentations of it. I have only two books left to read now. I am both sad and happy that I’m so near the end. I hope the next and last two books, Sword of Kings and War Lord, will be even better than this. “War is bitter. The poets give battle a splendor, extolling the brave and exulting in victory, and bravery is worth their praise. Victory too, I suppose, but the poems, chanted in mead halls at night, give boys and young men their ambition to be warriors. Reputation! It is the one thing that outlives us. Men die, women die, all die, but reputation lives on like the echo of a song, and men crave reputation, as they crave the heavy arm rings that mark a warrior’s victories. You can order the book from: Blackwells (Free International shipping)You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channelSpecial thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!My Patrons: Alfred, Andrew, Annabeth, Ben, Blaise, Diana, Dylan, Edward, Element, Ellen, Gary, Hamad, Helen, Jimmy Nutts, Jennifer, Joie, Luis, Lufi, Melinda, Meryl, Mike, Miracle, Neeraja, Nicholas, Oliver, ReignBro, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Scott, Shaad, Xero, Wendy, Wick, Zoe.

Bernard Cornwell has done it again. Another gripping, page-turning read that I didn't want to put down, and I found my mind drifting back to the story during my day, which is always a sign that a book has done its job and gotten its hooks into me.I'm liking old Uhtred so much - he doesn't suffer fools but has a streak of kindness that he tries hard to hide. The mix of historical detail, heart-felt characterisation and edge of your seat battle scenes strike a perfect blend. Eleven books in and the momentum just keeps on building, I loved it and can't wait for book 12.

I waited almost 2 years for War of the Wolf to be released in Italian and I must say that, all in all, I was satisfied. However, this is the eleventh book in the saga of the Saxon Stories and it is perceived, in the sense that one begins to feel that Bernard Cornwell's inspirational vein is running out; the book has 416 pages, but only a hundred have the epic depth of the first 5 or 6 books of the saga. In this War of the Wolf, Uhtred is now 60 years old, but more than the aging of his body (which can be expected) what I didn't like is the aging of his spirit, as throughout the book we hear of sorcerers, shamans, prophecies and curses, and an Uhtred who believes in these things is not the Uhtred that I have known and liked, that is, the one who believed only in the Mijollnir around his neck and in the fact that Fate governs everything. In this book there is Snorri, the sorcerer of Skoll, and there is Ieremias, the mad fake bishop of Uhtred, and the two have more space than Uhtred's and Finan's fighting skills, and that disappointed me a little. However, the book recovers in the last 50 pages, which finally return to give some emotion related to the battles. I give 4 stars on trust, but I hope that the next book will make me find the ruthless and cheeky Uhtred that I know well. Bernard, I hope you have put more effort!

This is the last book in The Last Kingdom series by Bernard Cornwell. In this episode, Uhtred is an old man, but still a warrior at heart. It is an interesting story, where sorcerers take the center stage. Of course, the sorcerers do not have magical powers, but many people living in that age do not know that. So, when they cast a spell, some people believe in that spell and act accordingly, themselves bringing about the predicted doom. And in this story, there is a pagan sorcerer as well as a Christian priest sorcerer, who is a bit crazy--and lovable--but well intentioned. Uhtred sees through the magic as just poppycock, but many of his men--pagans and Christians alike--are strongly affected by the sorcery.In each of the previous books, Uhtred comes up with a clever plan to overcome his adversaries. In this book, he does not conceive of a good plan, and his adversaries look overwhelmingly strong in a fortified position. So, the book cleverly held me in suspense. Will Uhtred come out of this battle alive? He cannot retreat--that would mean a slaughter. He cannot go forward; the unscalable walls have battle-hardened enemies on the ramparts. The ending--I won't spoil the ending here, I just want to emphasize that Bernard Cornwell really knows how to keep his readers in suspense.As with the other books in this series, I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Matt Bates. He is such an excellent reader, his voice helping to bring the story to life.

Bernard Cornwell's eleventh entry in his Saxon/Last Kingdom series brings us a wealth of new characters & some old favourites too.Uhtred of Bebbanburg is now over sixty years old, which even he admits isn't old-it's ancient. However, he is still a commanding figure & is supported by many loyal allies. Cornwell keeps the perfect balance (as always) between tragedy, comedy, action, plotting & decent characterisation. Of course Cornwell's Uhtred novels cannot go on forever. After all wyrd bio ful araed.

Warning: If you haven’t read The Flame Bearer read no further. Start with The Last Kingdom. “Wyrd bið ful aræd”This is a brutal book. Not a surprise for those of us who have followed these chronicles of Uhtred of Bebbanburg and the period in which the Saxons were able to repel the Norse and Danes and forge the beginning of England. But, even at this late date, that goal was still up for grabs and this book makes it clear that there was no peace in the land from the border with Scotland down to the English Channel. “…They raid us, we raid them.”“For cattle?”“For cattle, sheep, slaves, for anything we can eat or sell…”“You live well here,” I said.“Few know we’re here. We keep to ourselves.”“Except when you raid?”That guy who wrote Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin, says: “Bernard Cornwell does the best battle scenes of any writer I’ve ever read, past or present.” I can’t quarrel with that, but I will add that Cornwell does not write fantasy; he writes historical fiction. He helps dry historical names and dates become real for us. History is people making choices and doing things. There are few authors that have been able to convey the feeling of that better than he does. Cornwell has his protagonist observe: "The gods are not kind to us, any more than children are kind to their toys. We are here to amuse the gods, and at times it amuses them to be unkind....Perhaps my conviction that I was cursed was false, but there were not birds in the winter sky, and that omen told me I was the plaything of cruel gods."Uhtred finds himself more than once at the wrong place, and at the wrong time. This is what engenders his thoughts of being cursed by the gods (those being the Norse gods). It isn’t just Uhtred who finds himself in a tight spot. His son-in-law, Sigtryggr, is King of Northumbria. [For those not familiar with this Kingdom, it was one of the four eventually melded into England. At this time, it is the only remaining non-Christian kingdom of any significance on the Island that now contains England, Scotland and Wales.] “If I fight Thurferth and his followers,” Sigtryggr went on, “I’m fighting King Edward. And I’ll get no help from the west, will I?” He meant Cumbraland, which was supposedly a part of Northumbria. “No help,” I agreed.“And meantime that bastard Constantin would love to take Bebbanburg’s land and make it Scottish. So,” he struck his fingers one by one, counting his enemies, “I have the Scots to the north, my fellow Norsemen to the west, and Saxons to the south, and fewer than two thousand men to fight them all. And that is why I’m here…being humiliated,” he added bitterly…”“Eadgyth, Edward, Eadgifu, Aethelstan, Aefweard, and Aethelhelm made a tangle of love, loyalties, and hate, mostly hate, and that was difficult. The only thing that was simple was war. And Sigtyggr and I were going to war.”Lest you think that this novel is simply plot-driven, Cornwell takes time to give us a full sense of daily life whether in town or in a steading. You will learn: what foods are available; how things are stored; the way one traveled; the elements of clothing and battle armor; etc. There are plenty of familiar characters including Uhtred’s “right hand,” Finan (who can tell Uhtred the truths he doesn’t want to hear) and Prince Aethelstan (who as a youngster was saved and protected by Uhtred). Those who have read the series will delight in the fact that Mus and Osferth reappear.“Wyrd bið ful aræd” means “Fate remains wholly inexorable” and that is what Cornwell has chosen as his underlying theme for this book. Good news for fans of the series. From what the author has posted we can expect at least another two books in this series.

Maybe it's just because I hadn't read and Uhtred in a while but that was the best in some time. I thought book 10 was the perfect place to end it and had lamented the continuation of the series being more about not killing the cash cow. This book made it worth being wrong.

Another very enjoyable read by Bernard Cornwell. I love Uhtred's military strategic thinking!Let me share with you at least some major points to explain my reasons for loving this series so much:* Astonishing storytelling skills. Bernard Cornwell brought 9th and 10th century England alive for me.* Unforgettable narrator. Uhtred of Bebbanburg is unapologetic and ruthless yet lovable and admiration worthy character with brilliant military strategic mind. He is a true hero!* Complex and fascinating side characters that you will love to come back to.* Constant philosophical battle between paganism and Christianity that depicts given period precisely.* Well thought-out storyline and twists.* War and fight scenes are chillingly realistic. I really felt like I was there with Uhtred, fighting every new enemy or being part of countless shield wars.All in all, The Warrior Chronicles/Saxon Stories series (all 11 available books) is spectacular story with spectacular writing. It is one of the best historical fiction stories I have ever read and it is the perfect example of how to write engaging historical fiction series that never get boring or predictable!

5 Stars ✨ “War is bitter. The poets give battle a splendor, extolling the brave and exulting in victory, and bravery is worth their praise. Victory too, I suppose, but the poems, chanted in mead halls at night, give boys and young men their ambition to be warriors. Reputation! It is the one thing that outlives us. Men die, women die, all die, but reputation lives on like the echo of a song, and men crave reputation”I’m honestly so impressed. I didn’t have a clue how Cornwell would follow the last book The Flame Bearer but The War of the Wolf was one of the best in the series. But like how?! What sorcery is this?? He did not disappoint. This felt like the beginning almost again in a new way and was very character driven. The battles were epic especially the last one. It was touch and go there for a minute and had me on the edge of my seat wishing I could grab a sword and dive in. Ieremias was a hoot , such a weird and quirky character. My heart also broke at one point … but I’ll just leave it at that. I don’t know how Uthred is still crushing at 60 something years old, but he’s an absolute LEGEND and one of my favorite characters of all time, and Finan of course. 11 down 2 more to go ! I’m going to have the worst book hangover . Destiny is ALL! ⚔️🛡

“Be ready for everything and you will still be surprised.”Thanks for ripping my heart out… yet again, Bernard Cornwell. But also, don’t threaten me with a good time.😏“We'll all be Pagan's together, sacrificingvirgins at midnight" as Uhtred growls at a young priest. His humor just gets better with age! From the warfare, battle scenes, revenge, Norse mythology, and STILL amazing character development (11 books in), this has to be one of my favorite series of all time.

4.5 for Stiorra.