Uhtred the Ready - at last (The Lords of the North - Bernard Cornwell)

Name: samueltyler

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Product:	The Lords of the North - Bernard Cornwell
Date:	03/05/07 (311 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great adventure, cracking pace

Disadvantages: Still typical Cornwell

It must be sad being Bernard Cornwell. For the past 20 odd years you have been able to write about one character and see them progress through their life. For Cornwell, Sharpe must have been like an old friend that just happened to produce vast quantities of cash whenever a book was released. Through these 20 years Cornwell has produced several other series of books in the vain hope of recapturing the magic of a long running set of books. Unfortunately, none have gone longer than four books (Starbuck) and most become trilogies. I believed this trilogy fate was the most likely outcome for Cornwell’s latest books about Uhtred, a Dark Ages’ warrior who is fighting to reclaim his birthright. After the first two lacklustre titles I was pretty glad to be finished with the series. However, much to my dismay it turns out that Uhtred is actually going to star in a continuing series of books. Could the third book ‘The Lords of the North’ do anything to improve my opinion of the series?

Uhtred is back and this time he has set his mind on regaining is land in Northumbria and sets off North without the permission of King Alfred. It is not long until Uhtred comes across old enemies as he has to rescue a group of slaves from Sven, a man that he blinded in one eye. As fate would have it one of the slaves claims to be the true king of Cumbria and wishes for Uhtred to help him reclaim his throne. This chance meeting of a slave puts him on a path that will see him become rich, become enslaved and have to fight hounds from hell.

I am glad to say that after two pretty mediocre books the Uhtred books have finally hit their stride. Perhaps it took me too books to warm to the character of Uhtred as he is not particularly sympathetic. In fact, in many situations he is as cold and as violent as any of his sworn enemies. The only real difference between Uhtred and someone like Sven is that he has a just motive and that once he swears allegiance to someone he is bound to his word.

The previous two books suffered from being far too similar to many other Cornwell outings and in particular his ‘Grail Quest’ books. They basically saw some injustice happen to Uhtred and him seeking revenge. Essentially like most Cornwell books. To be honest ‘The Lords of the North’ also follows this pattern, but Cornwell has managed to add far more life into the book. Gone are the pious thoughts of King Alfred, instead we are left with the morally ambiguous Uhtred’s wishes alone to decide his fate. This means that the book has far more spontaneity and as a reader you never know what he may do next – unlike the cautious Alfred, who dominated Uhtred’s actions in previous titles.

There is nothing startlingly original about this tale, but it’s amongst Cornwell’s faster books and is full of adventure. Fate plays a huge part and if you stop and think about it too much you will realises that it is ridiculous. However, the action is so relentless and fun that you are able to forgive Cornwell his ‘pie in the sky’ writing style.

The main reason why the third book finally hit the right groove is that the character of Uhtred and the world he inhabits has come of age. He may be arrogant, selfish and greedy, but at least we know about his motives. It has taken Cornwell two books to create a vivid world of warring Lords, raiding Vikings and competing religions. There is now a vast playground for Uhtred to play in. He has made enough enemies that every move he makes affects someone. Cornwell is able to finish this novel in a large set piece and still know that there are plenty more enemies out there for Uhtred to face. The books are finally starting to feel like epic adventures.

Cornwell’s confident and well worn writing style is also on assured course here. Few authors manage to write over 30 books and still have the reader wanting to come back for more. Yes, he may be visiting old ground and his style is quite farfetched, but this is fun reading and not academic text. I would not advise people to jump straight in to the series here, but instead force themselves to read the first two books, as bland as they are, so that they get a full understanding of the different factions. ‘The Lords of the North’ is a fun novel that gives you a feeling of adventure. It is unlikely to win any awards, but for sheer smile factor there is little that can beat it.

Author: Bernard Cornwell
Price: amazon uk - £3.49
play.com - £5.00

Summary: The best in the Uhtred series so far and a good sign of things to come