The Flame Bearer

by Bernard Cornwell Narrated by Matt Bates

Overview

The*tenth installment of Bernard Cornwell's*New York Times*bestselling series chronicling the epic saga of the making of England, “like Game of Thrones, but real” (The Observer, London)-the basis for*The Last Kingdom, the hit television series.

Britain is in a state of uneasy peace. Northumbria's Viking ruler, Sigtryggr, and Mercia's Saxon Queen Aethelflaed have agreed a truce. And so England's greatest warrior, Uhtred of Bebbanburg, at last has the chance to take back the home his traitorous uncle stole from him so many years ago-and which his scheming cousin still occupies.

But fate is inexorable, and the enemies Uhtred has made and the oaths he has sworn conspire to distract him from his dream of recapturing his home. New enemies enter into the fight for England's kingdoms: the redoubtable Constantin of Scotland seizes an opportunity for conquest and leads his armies south. Britain's precarious peace threatens to turn into a war of annihilation. Yet Uhtred is determined that nothing-neither the new adversaries nor the old foes who combine against him-will keep him from his birthright.

*“Historical novels stand or fall on detail, and Mr. Cornwell writes as if he has been to ninth-century Wessex and back.”
-Wall Street Journal

Editorial Reviews

Time

Our hero is Uhtred, a good-hearted lout with a pleasantly sour disposition; he’s like a 9th century Han Solo.

Wall Street Journal

The most prolific and successful historical novelist in the world today.... Mr. Cornwell writes as if he has been to ninth-century Wessex and back. . . . Much has changed since the ninth century, but some things, and some feelings, are timeless.

USA Today

Bernard Cornwell ranks as the current alpha male of testosterone-enriched historical fiction…. Cornwell offers dramatic battle scenes with big swinging swords. There is also treachery, male bonding, plenty of historical nuggets and a skillful examination of the powerful role played by religion in the Dark Ages.

Bookloons.com

The battle description might well be Cornwell’s best yet, which is saying something. Fans do not want to miss this episode.

Glen Seeber

Fascinating.... Blends historic fact with fiction seamlessly.

New York Journal of Books

As with all his previous books Cornwell grabs your attention right off the bat. His masterful style pulls you right in.

Lee Scott

The final battle is one for the ages, bursting with gory detail and flush with savage death as the wolves of the shield wall smite his enemies.

Margaret Flanagan

Rousing...will not disappoint.

Library Journal

09/15/2016
Treachery and trickery mark the tenth volume in Cornwell's always exciting "Saxon Tales," set in tenth-century England. Uhtred Uhtredson has his sights set on his ancestral castle of Bebbanburg, now in the hands of his cousin. But who are those mysterious horsemen observing him watching? Why does his son-in-law, King Sigtryggr of Eoferwic (York), then demand his immediate return? Changing alliances among the Danes, Saxons, Scots, and others, and a mad self-ordained bishop, crisscross the story. Meanwhile, Uhtred marches to and sails fro in order to protect his liege lady, support his royal relative, and regain his home. While the various "Aethelsomebodies" may confuse readers unfamiliar with early Anglo-Saxon history, Uhtred successfully engages a combination of rough humor, occasional introspection, and gut instinct. The book's final battle reveals the thin line between success and failure in war. VERDICT Historical and military fiction aficionados will enjoy Cornwell's vivid, fast-paced novel, as he mixes historical figures and tactical movements with an assortment of lifelike fictional characters. [See Prepub Alert, 5/2/16.]—W. Keith McCoy, Somerset Cty. Lib. Syst., Bridgewater, NJ

Kirkus Review

Sept. 7, 2016
Cornwell (Warriors of the Storm, 2016, etc.) draws another rollicking Saxon tale from the period when “the scepter’d isle,” soon to be “Englaland,” was plagued by Norse and Dane raiders.Supported by the coffers of father-in-law Lord Æthelhelm, Saxon King Edward rules Wessex and East Anglia. Edward’s sister, though ill, controls Mercia. Half-Dane, half-Saxon, a worshipper of the old gods, Lord Uthred has allied with, and resisted, both. Now Uthred turns to his own interests: Northumbria and his fortress, Bebbanburg, stolen long ago by his uncle. Wryly told, the novel unfolds from Uthred’s point of view, with back story filled in as he plots to seize Bebbanburg. He also must outwit Constantin, king of the Scots, scheming behind Hadrian’s Wall, and Norseman Einar the White, blockading from the sea. In this volume, Uthred, called the Wicked by his foes, proves the most nuanced character, sometimes doubt-ridden and ruthless, always loyal and fierce. As Uthred slips north toward Bebbanburg’s Sea Gate and unleashes his warrior “wolf pack,” blood and gore drip from the pages. Familiar characters—Uthred’s loyal lieutenant, the Irish warlord Finan, or his one-eyed son-in-law, Sigtryggr—play minor roles. The duplicitous cousin holding Bebbanburg is seen from afar, as is King Edward waiting to pluck Bebbanburg and Northumbria from the chaos, but mad Bishop Ieremias joins the fun. As always, Cornwell reinforces credibility with ancient place names—modern York was then Eoferwic—and the blow-by-blow details of shield warfare in a period when “armies” numbered a mere 50 to 500 warriors. No lit-fic pretensions here: historical fiction rendered, with little expansion, via battles and royal intrigue and portraits of day-to-day life circa 1000 B.C.E.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170066674
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	11/29/2016
Series:	Last Kingdom (Saxon Tales) Series , #10
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos