Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.11.2012, Page 15

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Lögberg-Heimskringla • 15. nóvember 2012 • 15
Part of the Saxon series, prolific author Bernard Cornwell has written
a story of the chaos that was
England in the 9th century,
before there was really an
England. Separate warring
kingdoms, Mercia, Wessex, and
East Anglia, are full of betrayal,
chaotic rule, greed, battles, and
yearly invasions by Vikings,
who rule two of the areas.
Uthred of Bebanburg, the
main character of the book and
the series, must fight a winter
battle following the death of
King Alfred of Wessex, in order
to keep the Danes from taking
over the country altogether. It is
a colourful, exciting book, and I
found it very interesting to read
about ancient times before the
birth of England. The battles
themselves are fascinating, such
as putting shields up across a
bridge, so that only so many of
the enemy could cross.
I found especially
interesting, the fact that the
Viking Danes were more
powerful than anybody else at
this time, even the Saxon line
of King Alfred. As it says in
the book “yet to kill
one Dane is to resurrect
a dozen. Their ships
would keep coming
across the sea, because
the Danes would never
rest until the emerald
crown was theirs, or
until we had crushed
them utterly.”
Uthred has
promised King Alfred
that he will support
the claim of his
grandson Edward as
his successor. He has
grave doubts, however,
as there are other
Saxon claimants to the
throne. His paramour,
Althelflaed, is one
of them. A powerful
leader, Aehtelflaed
has developed into a
definite candidate for ruling.
It is gratifying to see a strong
woman as a major character
in what may very well be
considered “a man’s book”.
As the many family members
of Alfred fight between
themselves, Uthred makes a
decision – to follow Alfred’s
wishes and fight on for a unified
crown in all three territories.
Between the Saxons there is
betrayal and plotting, and the
Danish force on the other side
is stronger than ever.
Interesting as well in this
book is the mix-up of Christian
and pagan values, rampant in
the age. Uthred is Saxon, but has
been raised by Ragnar the Dane
after the death of his family. He
therefore follows the pagan ways
of the Vikings, although the
Christian faith is rising among
the Saxons. Uthred always
wears Thor’s hammer, whereas
other characters frequently wear
crosses. Another interesting and
powerful woman in the book is
a mysterious witch who adds a
certain creepiness to the story
of the mixture of the religions,
even beyond the Danes’ pagan
religion. It is she who says
“Seven kings will die, Uhtred
of Bebbanburg, seven kings and
the women you love”.
It is a confusing time and a
time full of battles and killing
for the possession of Alfred’s
emerald crown. It is exciting
and leaves you, at the end,
wondering what is to follow.
It would be worth reading the
earlier books of the series about
the Danes and other Vikings in
pre-England. Although all is
well at the end of the book, it is
clear that it is not permanently
so. There is bound to be a
seventh in this series.
Bernard Cornwell is the
British author of many books.
Perhaps the most famous are the
Sharpe books, which have been
made into films. His writing has
been almost entirely historical
fiction. He was born in 1944,
the son of a Canadian airman
and a British woman, member
of the Auxiliary Air Force. In
June 2006, Cornwell was made
an Officer of the Order of the
British Empire in the Queen’s
80th Birthday Honours List.
He has become an American
Citizen, and now lives on Cape
Cod in Massachusetts. For
the writing of this series and
the Death of Kings, he relied
heavily on the various versions
of The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles,
filling out or fictionalizing
several lesser descriptive parts
of the narrative of that work.
Photo Mystery:
Lögberg-Heimskringla features this series
of photographic mysteries in conjunction with
the Nelson Gerrard’s “Silent Flashes” project,
which explores early photography among
Icelandic immigrants and their descendants in
North America.
Any successful solutions will be
published.
To obtain further information on the
“Silent Flashes” project or to provide input,
contact Nelson Gerrard at (204) 378-2758 or
eyrarbakki@hotmail.com, or by mail at Box
925, Arborg, Manitoba R0C 0A0.
Check out the “Silent Flashes” website and
photo archive at www.sagapublications.com.
Do you know these
people?
This stylish young lady photographed (in
Alberta?) shortly after 1900 had connections
with the Hillman family at Markerville,
possibly a neighbour, friend, or even a
relative. It comes from Donna (Johannson)
Nelson of Markerville, Alberta.
Bernard Cornwell
Death of Kings
HarperCollins Publishing
UK General Books
(Oct 18 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0007331789
ISBN-13: 978-0007331789
Review by
Judy Sólveig Wilson
Nanaimo, BC
REVIEW Death of Kings, Bernard Cornwell
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