Customer Reviews
Excellent second book - By: chuckles, 22 Oct 2008 
Cornwell follows on from the Last Kingdom with another fantastic historical novel. Our hero Uhtred is a confused & reluctant Saxon saviour. Surrounded by men who do not appreciate him &in a world where he has morein common with his enemy than his fellow English, we follow him on his adventures. Being a Cornwell novel, you know the history will be as accurate as he can make it (with his usual twists of the truth) & full of love, enemies, friends & of course the battles. You feel really emersedin the historic period, & as always 'just one more chapter'.
The Historyman - By: Mr. C. Cocking, 20 Aug 2008 Cornwell once again takes us by the hand & leads us through times when our nation was forged on the anvil of battle, & our people were willing to pay with their livesin defence of their chosen homeland.
His vivid portrayal of 'heroes' leads the reader to imagine that he/she could easily be the maverick warrior, wielding weapons as if born to the task of slaughter.
The weaving of a thread around & among a solid historical foundation teaches the uninitiated a valuable & factual history lesson, one that those who suffered the stale & tawdry efforts of a '70s comprehensive school education will find totally strange, alien, stimulating & invigorating.
To find Cornwell's writing style or subject matter 'boring' is to totally miss the point of what such authors are about, & those seeking a change of tack would perhaps be better suited to switching on their goggle box & immersing themselvesin the fineries of the many soap operas that I'm sure will more than cater for their special needs.
If you know nothing else about Cornwell, know that having read one of his historical novels you can speak confidently & with a good degree of knowledge about the history of England, such is the quality of the research & the historical accuracy that Cornwell has made a cornerstone of his writing.
Compelling, dramatic and imaginative - an excellent depiction of Alfredian England - By: J. Aitcheson, 18 Aug 2008 
"The Pale Horseman" is the second volumein Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories series. Picking up directly from where "The Last Kingdom" left offin the spring of 877, it charts the experiences of the warrior Uhtred Uhtredsson. Bornin Northumbria & raised by the Danes, he is a man of mixed loyalties who through circumstance has found himself siding with the weak-willed Alfred, king of Wessex, the only English kingdom left at that time unconquered by the invaders. Uhtred cares little for the conflict, seeking only wealth & a reputation for himself, & so it is not long before he commandeers one of his king's ships to go raiding. But the tide soon turns as Wessex itself falls prey to the Danes, & Uhtred must fight for Alfred if he wishes to avoid losing everything he has gained thus far.
As a historical adventure tale the book works very well. The battle scenes are as usual infused with pace, drama & realism - without ever becoming gratuitous. The lead-up to the climax of the novel, the battle at Ethandun, is particularly well-handled. The author has always been very good at establishing a setting & his descriptions of the landscape are always convincing, from the wild & storm-battered coast of Cornwall to the marshes surrounding Æthelingæg (modern Athelney) during winter & the uplands of Wiltshirein the spring. Enough historical detail is present, too, that it is easy to feel drawn into both the place & the erain which the novel is set, without unnecessarily burdening the narrative.
However, whereas "The Last Kingdom" had a strong narrative through-line, following Uhtred's development from childhood through adolescence into the adult world of the ninth century, "The Pale Horseman" is rather more fragmented. We follow Uhtred on various adventures throughout the south-west of England, but until the final third of the book it is difficult to feel a sense of direction or impending danger. The dialogue has a tendency to slip into modern idiom & the language & tone of the prose lacks some of the poetic quality which characterised the first bookin the series.
Nevertheless, "The Pale Horseman" is an easy, compelling & enjoyable read. While it is not as strong as the first volume, it remains a good continuation of the series.
A Great Follow-up to 'The Last Kingdom' - By: Mr England, 13 Apr 2008 The second book of the series continuing the story of Uhtred & like the 1st book it is an exellent read. Now Wessex is safe Uhtred gets bored & after killing a fellow Saxon he gathers a bunch of Saxons & steals Alfreds ship & turns it into a viking ship & goes raidingin Wales. Here he meets lots of new charcters both new friends & new enemies & he gets himself into a lot of trouble with Alfred. But then fate happens & Wessex is slaughtered by the Danes leaving Alfred livingin a swamp desperatley trying to build an army to face the Vikings & save England, & remember this book is based on what really happened. As always Bernard has given us an exellent book with a great story that will keep you coming back for more.
Alfred Stands Against the Danes - By: J. Chippindale, 30 Jan 2008 The Pale Horseman is the sequel to the best selling Last Kingdom & continues the the tale of the great warrior Uhtred, bornin Northumberland. Raised as a Viking but he is now married to a Saxon girl. He is a pagan & his alliance with the pious Alfred the Great does not sit easily on the shoulders of either man.
However after a disastrous truce with the Dane's, only Alfred's family & Uhtred & a small number of his companions are left of the leadersin Wessex & they have been driven deeper & deeper into a swamp, where they are helpless to try to gather forces to stand against the Dane's
The Vikings now hold most of England & it has been a disastrous time for the Saxons. Uhtred find himself torn between the growing respect he has for Alfred & the love he has for his Danish foster brother & the all conquering Vikings. He has to wrestle with his heart & decide whether to try & rally the Saxons & drive out the Vikings, or change sides & go to his foster brother.
