SWORD SONG

Uhtred of Bebbanburg's mind is as sharp as his sword. A thorn in the side of the priests and nobles who shape his fate, this Saxon raised by Vikings is torn between the life he loves and those he has sworn to serve. Warrior, pagan, scourge of the Vikings, despite being offered a crown of his own, Uhtred is a man of his word, and he gave it to King Alfred of Wessex who dreams of an England free from Vikings. So when the king orders him to take London from the Danes and hand it to his foolish son-in-law Aethelred, Uhtred agrees, reluctantly. For Aethelred's wife is the king's spirited daughter Aethelflaed, and her fate is entwined with Uhtred's, and fate will not be denied. A masterly read in a series which really makes history come alive. The Last Kingdom is now a major BBC TV series. 365pp, paperback.