The Pale Horseman

Written by Bernard Cornwell

Narrated by Jonathan Keeble

The second book in the epic and bestselling series that has gripped millions.

A hero will be forged from this broken land.

As seen on Netflix and BBC around the world.

A Saxon raised by Vikings. A pagan fighting for a Christian King. The conflict at the heart of a hero will be played out in the fight for England.

It is 877. Across the kingdoms of Britain the Danes are gaining strength. Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a pagan warrior, must decide who he will align with: the Vikings who raised him or Alfred, King of the West Saxons.

As the Danes make for Wessex and threaten to destroy the kingdom, Uhtred will forge an uneasy alliance with the king, to lead the last remaining Saxon army in a battle that will be a fight for the very existence of England.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9780007582778

Bernard Cornwell

BERNARD CORNWELL is the author of over fifty novels, including the acclaimed New York Times bestselling Saxon Tales, which serve as the basis for the hit Netflix series The Last Kingdom. He lives with his wife on Cape Cod and in Charleston, South Carolina.

Reviews for The Pale Horseman

[n.w.moors-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This second book of The Saxon Stories sees Uhtred doing some roving before he ends up in the swamp with Alfred, one of the more famous incidents in Alfred's long rule. Uhtred is still more pagan than Christian, much to Alfred's dismay. He gets in trouble, falls in love, and fights the Danes when he isn't allying himself with them.Mr. Cornwall is one of the great historical fiction authors and his abilities are on display in The Pale Horseman. Uhtred has a dry sense of humor that contrasts sharply with Alfred's piety and often makes me laugh. The battle scenes are amazing; the reader can feel the fear and battle lust in the fighting. Another great book in a wonderful series.

[benjaminhahn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Pale Horseman reads fast and is highly entertaining during the battle scenes, but these characters are predictable, particularly because Uhtred is narrating the whole story in past tense so I know he is never in danger of dying. There are times when I worry though. Everyone around Uhtred dies, except for the highly obnoxious people. Plus Uhtred, like Durfel, isn't very intelligent so I'm constantly yelling "you idiot, this is the most obvious trap of all traps". So far, I am not to all impressed with King Alfred's ability to lead. When does this "great" moniker start coming into play. It's all in good fun. Raiding, shield walls, pillaging, sex, killing some priests, sailing, more killing. The good life?Give this to your male friend who doesn't have the patience for Neal Stephenson or G.M. Fraiser. I'm thinking your rugby playing, pint downing, rarely reads type friend. This just might get him interested in a bit of English history and give you something to talk about at the pub when your bored of sports.As always with Cornwell, I do appreciate his short historical notes section in the back, but I would very much like to see an extended list of related reading attached. This thrown bone is small and unsatisfying.

[philip100 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very good book.

[crashmyparty · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I finished this last night, and I'm still not really sure what I think. On the one hand, I am absolutely fascinated by historical fiction and how vastly different it is from our world today - and this novel seemed believably accurate. On the other hand, Uhtred and every single other man in this novel, except perhaps Alfred, were brutes. I know that's just the way it was, but still. There was none among the characters with much compassion, except the pious men for whom it was about staying in God's good books.It was well written, but still don't think I enjoy reading this kind of brutality. No thanks!

[marysgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A solid adventure historical. Cornwell knows his way around a battle.

[bruderbane · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"A young man stumbled back of Osric's fyrd and vomited. Two dogs ran to eat the vomit." Gross but oh so Cornwell. He always takes the time to delineate with the minutiae of life while two armies stand off in the rain, cold and mud with the fate of a future England at stake. Cornwell has proven over and over again to be a fantastic thrilling author, with titillating combat and an array of characters that truly entrance the reader. With the second book in the Saxon series Cornwell continues to captivate. I can’t wait to read the next novel.

[janesteen_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Where I got the book: audiobook on Audible.Uhtred son of Uhtred’s adventures continue, with the wily English (but a bit Viking) warrior becoming more deeply enmeshed with King Alfred, the Wessex king he despises but whose interests he always ends up serving. The story starts off with Uhtred making his own action, as he’s bored and decides to go raiding. He ends up with considerable wealth, the witchy Iseult and BIG TROUBLE with Alfred for going rogue. But then fortunately the Danes attack, and Uhtred ends up helping Alfred out of a desperate situation—at great personal cost.It was incredibly easy to sum up the story, and that fact in itself should give me pause. But no matter—Cornwell makes a straightforward plot into an entertaining series of battles, maneuvers and deceptions that pull you nicely into a world where the Anglo-Saxon English are desperately fighting off the invading Danes. Fighting is lovingly described blow by blow, while women are given about as much attention as a dog or horse (which is a pity because I think Cornwell could have done a whole lot more with Iseult. Now there’s a character just WAITING for Philippa Gregory.) But this is Cornwell being true to his style of story—adventure stories (mainly) for and (almost exclusively) about men, with enough historical realism and details to make you want to dive for a history book about the period (and isn’t that the point?) I love the frequent references to place-names—some of which are easily matched up with their modern counterparts while other are tantalizingly less easy to place—and laughed at the inclusion of the most famous legend about Alfred.To me, the main drawback about these stories is that they’re too short. I find myself longing for more intricacy and detail. In addition, I wasn’t crazy about the Uhtred-goes-raiding first part of the book, which seemed a bit too like padding for my liking. But hey, I’m trying to find out what makes the blood-and-battles male side of historical fiction tick, and perhaps some of Cornwell’s ability to cut the yapping and get on with the fighting could be a useful asset to some other writers I could name, who err on the side of talking and let all their battles be fought offstage.

[justabookreader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Pale Horseman is book two in the King Alfred novels following The Last Kingdom.This is my third Cornwell series and my tenth book of his overall which means nothing if you know anything about Cornwell as an author. He’s an extremely prolific writer and I’ve barely touch his long list of titles. It makes me happy knowing I still have all that reading ahead of me.Uhtred, the Saxon raised as a Dane, is once more a pain in King Alfred’s side. Knowing Uhtred would go back to the Dane’s given the chance, he attempts to keep a leash on him but roping him in with religion and responsibility does nothing for Uhtred’s mood. Bored with a farmer’s life, he goes out raiding and meets up with a Dane named Svein who has ambition, ships, and men to back up his wild claims. Svein impresses Uhtred but he still isn’t ready to run back to the Danes, even if that’s where his heart is. Uhtred doesn’t like King Alfred but when the Danes attack, Uhtred finds himself by King Alfred’s side arguing with him over leadership and war skills. Though he never expected it, he is now doing everything he can to keep Alfred on the throne.As a main character, Uhtred is wonderfully hateful and I mean that in a good way. He’s selfish, impulsive, violent, and a warrior through and through. He’s what I picture a Saxon raised among war faring Danes to be like. He hates his king but stands by him even going so far as to give him his oath; whether he likes to admit it or not. Loyalty means much to Uhtred but he struggles with it. He owes it to Alfred as his king but would sneak away to the Danes if he could and the thought crosses his mind more than once. When the opportunity comes up, he doesn’t go, surprising even himself but when the fight comes he avoids his friends not wanting to face them.I know very little of Alfred’s actual history other than his being very smart and pious. This story is told by Uhtred so his portrayal is less than flattering. Being a pagan also shapes many of Uhtred’s views --- his wife whom he once ran home from a battle to be with is now someone he can’t stand to be around. Her religion is a main a sticking point between the two. He finds a new woman, a pagan priestess, to replace her and while you know he enjoys her company, you also wonder if he does it just to show he’s still pagan and not willing to bend the knee to both Alfred and his religion.Cornwell is as graphic as ever in the thick of the battle scenes --- bones, flesh, and teeth crushing loudly and violently. It’s a rough time, around 870 A.D. or there about, so at least he is true to the period; something I always appreciate about his writing even if I don’t always revel in it.It’s taken me a number of months to return to this series, not for lack of want, but because of other books that have come into my life. In fact, two additional books have been published in this series since I began reading Cornwell’s books. I don’t plan to let that much time pass between now and the next book.

[ragwaine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Better than the first one. Still no revenge but just kept me more interested. A little repetitous with the "Fate is inexorable" thing.

[ko40370 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bernard Cornwell cements his place as my favorite author. Supremely entertaining novel.

[ladycato · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the sequel to The Last Kingdom, which I reviewed a few days ago. I had problems with that book because the protagonist, Uhtred, was an unsympathetic jerk. The historical detail was great, but I'm not too keen on reading about drinking, whores, and swordplay, even if it does play to accuracy. However, I still pressed onward with the trilogy..... and almost stopped a few chapters in. Uhtred, torn between being a Saxon by birth and a Dane in spirit, decided to masquerade as a Viking and do Viking things. Ugh. However, he did slowly mature as the book progressed. King Alfred insists that the Danes can be brought to Christ and does his utmost to promote peace. The Danes, however, do not agree. When Alfred is forced to flee and Uhtred grudgingly becomes his champion, the entire future of Wessex - and England - hang in the balance.I much preferred this book to the predecessor. This one had actual character development. I still didn't like Uhtred, but I no longer wished for his manbits to be ravaged by syphilis. Cornwell is a superb writer. His battle scenes sometimes are almost too heavy in detail, but it's interesting stuff. However, I have no gripping desire to read the next book in the trilogy. If I can find it for cheap somewhere, I'll buy it, but I'm in no rush. I won't be keeping either The Last Kingdom or The Pale Horseman.

[neilsantos_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I feel a lot of similarity between this and his Arthur series, Uthred is very similar to Derfel, just a little more bloodthirsty and a little less cuddly. Uthred is probably an accurate representation of a 21 year old Saxon warrior, this doesn't make his especially likeable however. Hey, there's a reason these are called the Dark Ages. But he does have a suitably early period outlook on life. "Ale, women and reputation, nothing else matters." I know people that are living this. I enjoyed it, I'd rather see a new 18th century series from Cornwell though. (Not Sharpe, that one should stay put to bed).

[joycepa_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Second in The Saxon Chronicles trilogy.This middle book is concerned with Alfred’s desperate attempt to stave of defeat by the Danes, after they break the truce negotiated earlier and invade Wessex. Alfred is forced to hide in the marshlands of Wessex, while the Danes run rampant over the rest of his kingdom. Uhtred, the young narrator of the story, aids Alfred despite Uhtred’s inherent dislike of Alfred and especially Alfred’s Christian piety, which Uhtred views as excessive and dangerous to the welfare of the kingdom.Based on historical reality, Cornwell does his usual outstanding job of creating a believable world with believable characters. His battle descriptions are superb. In my opinion, he has no peer in the historical action-adventure genre. Highly recommended.

[tweety30_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Utred trying to save his home.... A great Read..

[Brian Hardy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am a great fan of this author’s work and I reckon this is one of his very best.

[bookczuk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bernard Cornwell lives part of his year here in Charleston. If you time it right, you can walk along one of our Charleston streets, and hear a madman ranting in an attic room -- only it's not a madman, it's a literary wonder named Cornwell, ranting and raving in the creation of a scene for whatever novel he's working on. In fact, carriage tour guides look forward to driving by his house, as he sometimes throws things from the windows as he creates his scenes. You know it's been a first rate tour if your carriage is thus blessed.Cornwell once again brought the sights, smells, and sounds to life from the days of Alfred the Great, when the land was torn by war. While I never particularly really liked the main character, or any of the others, I still followed the story with great interest. This is no dry history book, but vibrates with earthiness that I have no doubt is grounded in reality of the time. I remain amazed at Cornwell's amazing skill at depicting a battle, with accuracy and intricacy, holding this reader's interest for each slash and parry. I'm not a blood and guts sort of girl, but these battles are fascinating to me.I've heard Mr Cornwell fo readings, and know that he is a skilled actor as well as a gifted writer. He also spends part of his year up in New England, where he participates in Summer Stock. Though I was initially disappointed he did not read this particular version of the book, the voice actor was really good. This book is is the second book in the Saxon series focusing on England essentially before it was England. It's a time in history that fascinates me. I wish that Cornwell had been writing back in the days when I was studying history at Uni, or when I was living in England for part of that course of studies. His writing would have been good course requirements for any History major.

[starmist_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Exquisite historical detail makes The Pale Horseman come to life. The characters breathe. Very readable as a stand alone book even though it is one of a planned trilogy. This time of history, such an intense time of transition and turning points, is beautifully captured by Cornwell. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

[john257hopper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first half of this book did not appeal, being full of slaughter and Uhtred's endless agonising over whether he remains loyal to his Saxon roots or to his acquired Danish loyalties, but rather weak on plot. The second half was better on plot, rising to an exciting ending, though I still do not like Uhtred's character.

[dhrobbins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In the second of this series Uhtred assumes a much more sarcastic tone when relaying the events - and his caustic judgements - to the reader. If you read the first in this series, you will note that this book continues with Uhtred's struggle to regain his lands and balancre his love of the Danes with supporting Alfred, who is still oppressive with his Christian outlook. This tension, coupled with Uhtred's roguesh amore fate, drives Uhtred from rebellious adventure back to supporting Alfred in his quest to protect England from the Danes.

[creighley_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Uhtred is an arrogant warrior by now standing between the Danish warriors he respects and the pious Christian king whom he dislikes. This is the story of how Alfred, forced to be a fugitive in a few miles of swampland, fights his enemies against overwhelming odds .

[voodooyeager · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is the second of the Saxon Series. It follows the first very well and ties in many of the characters. I enjoyed the way that Cornwell introduces new characters and scenes. He is very good at descriptive narrative. There are a few times where it becomes repetitive, but all in all, a great book

[fiverivers_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The prose in The Pale Horseman is hurried, rambling, with historical inaccuracies and cardboard characters, all of it in need of an editor. Agreed there is little historical record of England's Alfred the Great; however, it is known he overcame a Danish invasion against staggering odds, unifying the squabbling tribes of Saxons, Mercian and some Britons. Yet Cornwell chooses to portray Alfred as an indecisive, toady of the Church, who only gained his kingdom and victory because of some swaggering, selfish, testosterone-ridden fictional Saxon hero. Doesn't wash.Add to that a propensity for run-on sentences, two glaring technical faux-pas (that linen bowstrings are unusable when wet, and arm-rings worn over chain mail), and you have a recipe for a frustrating and disappointing read.

[Domagoj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Uthred Ragnarson. Book is better than Harry Potter series.

[kukulaj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My second Bernard Cornwell novel - after the first in this series. It's about as much fun watching the writer at work as it is following the tale itself. He gives us little reminders and explanations, details repeated or summarized that we might have learned in volume 1 or even earlier in this book. The tale gets a little complicated sometimes so Cornwell is careful to help us stay on track. But even when you see him at work like this, it's never distracting. I am no historian, never mind any expert on Alfred and his time. But the historical note at the end makes it clear that Cornwell has done his homework. What a grand fun way to learn a little history! Mostly I read these dense academic books that take me weeks to crawl through. This book is a grand page turner that keeps up me into the wee hours. Started yesterday, finished today!

[jackmassa · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Cornwell whips up another rousing historical adventure tale with a straightforward warrior protagonist and the usual cast of sniveling, conniving cowards always twisting the truth to make him look bad.

This time the setting is the 9th Century Saxon-Danish wars at the time of Alfred the Great, and the action is more bloody and gruesome than in other Corwell novels I've read. Not for the fastidious.

[kuniyoshi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I got this book at a library sale back in 2007, and just finally got around to reading it. Even though it's the second book in the series, it stands alone really well. This is the first work of historical fiction with which I have ever been impressed. Cornwell does an excellent job making a blood-thirsty warrior play out in a sympathetic way. While the naming conventions of the time make some of the characters a little confusing, I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter of this work.

[irunsjh · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book a lot. I think this is one of the better historical fiction series out there. The relationship between Alfred and Uthred is a believable one, and I could imagine existing in the time period.My only issue with the group was the hurried ending. I just thought it was a little contrived. Now I am sure this is what the author wanted, but to me it seemed rushed. A little more explaination after the battle would have been appreciated. But I am sure that is what the next volume in the series is all about.Highly recomended series if you are at all interested in history, war and religon.

[janicseblen · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Thie is a fast paced, well written book. I don't personally enjoy reading about battles, especially when they are graphically described. I'm not sure at this time if I will read more of Mr. Cornwell's books. Perhaps one more to see if I can get a better feel of this type of literature. He does paint an excellent/accurate picture of the timeframe of the book.

[liehtzu_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An excellent history capturing life and hardship with an accurate renditon of the relationships of the warring factions, paganism versus the new God of Rome; alas the characters suffer some as a result as does the plt which lacks a certain crispness. Still a great adventure read!

[fliss88_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Book two in the series and the intensity has been maintained. Once again Bernard Cornwell has proved his writing skills, for evoking the past, are incomparable.