Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (96)

Content

Spring

William Horwood

8.5 (2 Ratings) Rate It

Book

The adventure of a lifetime is just beginning… It has lain lost and forgotten for fifteen...

David McK (3508 KP) rated Sworn Sword (The Bloody Aftermath of 1066, #1) in Books

Jan 30, 2019 (Updated Jul 9, 2023)

Sworn Sword (The Bloody Aftermath of 1066, #1)

James Aitcheson | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

About a month or so ago, I was in my local Waterstones when I spotted two books both set around the time of the Norman Invasion but telling the tale but different angles: Hereward and this. Humming ang haaing, I eventually decided on Hereward and then, later, came across this novel for sale in Tesco's picking it up there.

Of the two books, I have to say - and despite a title that sounds like a bad b-movie ('"Sworn Sword: 1066: The Aftermath!" coming soon to a theatre near you!') - this is the better. Told in first person prose, this novel is from the point of view of a Norman Knight (whereas Hereward was from that of an Anglo-Saxon), and reminded me very much of one of the better Bernard Cornwell books in that the history covered (albeit slighlty fictionalised to fit the demands of the story) is just as interesting as the actual plot.

The first in a series of books set in the same period, I think I will be picking up more of these!

Kudos

AJaneClark (3975 KP) rated The Last Kingdom - Season 1 in TV

Apr 24, 2020

Great start!

Contains spoilers, click to show

When Anglo-Saxons are attacked by Viking forces, Uhtred, born a Saxon but raised by Vikings, finds his loyalties tested as he tries to claim his birthright and help create a new nation.

The first episode: Abducted by a Viking warlord after his father is slain in battle, young Uhtred adopts the Norse way of life until tragedy befalls his new family.

Episode 2: Caught between his scheming uncle Ælfric and pitiless Viking warlord Ubba, Uhtred goes on the run and seeks out Alfred, the man who would be king.

Episode 3: Uhtred allies himself with newly crowned Alfred, but his commitment to the nascent king jeopardizes his bond with Brida.

Episode 4: After Uhtred faces betrayal and falls into hostile hands, his Danish brother, Ragnar the Young, scrambles to save his life.

Episode 5: After rescuing Mildrith, Uhtred joins the fierce battle of Cynuit and vanquishes a forbidding foe, only to have Odda the Younger claim the victory.

Episode 6: Uhtred catches the eye of a lovely pagan queen, and his band of raiders becomes mercenaries for a Cornish king. But he soon faces the fury of Alfred.

Episode 7: Driven to hiding in the marshes after the Vikings invade Wessex, Uhtred and Alfred finally make amends and devise a plan for retaking the kingdom.

Episode 8: Calling upon Saxon forces to rally and drive the Vikings out of Wessex, Uhtred and Alfred gird for a decisive battle, but treachery awaits.

Season one of The Last Kingdom introduces us to a great cast, lots of action scenes and full on drama from the start. It is very well scripted with moments of humour, battle scenes, moments of heartbreak and drama. The great casting ensures that the actors and actresses are well suited to their roles.