Reviews

Warriors of the Storm by Bernard Cornwell

topdragon's review against another edition

5.0

The ninth book in the “Saxon Chronicles” series (or the “Saxon Stories” or the “Saxon Tales”, or “The Last Kingdom” series…take your pick) is another great entry. The Saxons are slowly closing in on King Alfred’s dream of uniting the four primary regions into a single Saxon kingdom of England. Similarly, Uhtred of Bebbanburg is inching closer to his goal of reclaiming his birthright and wresting back control of Bebbanburg from his cousin. This novel sees Uhtred having to face a formidable enemy, Ragnall Ivarson, a Northman who has recruited Northumbrians and Irish mercenaries to invade to the South in an attempt to take over Mercia.

All of the elements of a Bernard Cornwell historical adventure are here to be enjoyed. We have great battles with swords, shields, pikes, and more spilled blood than you can measure. We have clever tactics, showing off Uhtred’s reputation as one of the greatest warriors in all the land, to include desperate measures to turn imminent defeat into glorious victory. (We also get to see him take matters into his own hands despite the orders of those above him - absolutely true to his character). We have the on-going conflict between Christians and those that follow the old gods. And we have humor in just the right places - sometimes subtle and sometimes of the knee-slapping variety.

I’ve been watching the “Last Kingdom” television series as I read these novels. Each season of the show covers, roughly, two books. The show and the books differ in many ways but I really enjoy both of them. Sometimes, due to the many similar names of the characters, I find it is easier to watch the shows first before delving into the books. Makes it easier to tell the difference between Aethelred, Aethelflaed, Aethelhelm, Ælflæd, Æthelstan, Ælfwynn, and Ælfweard, as an example.

Only four more novels to consume. Looking forward to each of them.

roko's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

lahariel's review against another edition

dark inspiring tense medium-paced

3.75

alyssafraley's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

christina_a_f's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

King Finan!!!

fricktion's review against another edition

adventurous informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

schmieg330's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

5.0

savorthepages's review against another edition

adventurous tense

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

loveinkind's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

stormlightreader's review against another edition

4.0

I've read reviews that complain of tiresome writing and following an aging warrior, but if you're going to invest in a series, you need to accept that the writing is likely to become fairly formulaic and yes, the main character is going to age.

I am very much a series person. I like changing places and adding new characters, but ultimately following a character, or group of characters. Warriors of the Storm was a good instalment in the series, with some great character development and appearances.

It was great to get some of

Finan's backstory but it wrapped up too quickly for my liking

. However, getting some more on what

drove Finan from Ireland

was good. We got some friction between

Uhtred and Æthelflaed,

which makes sense since they tend to disagree (and we didn't really see friction between them in the show).

Æthelflaed

does so much more in the books and that's so good to see.

Even though her position as queen is disputed by a lot of male characters

, it's what you'd expect given the time period the books are set in and this didn't feel like it was addressed as much in the show. Stiorra is incredible in the books! I like her in the show but in the books she is fantastic!

Stiorra kills Brida in the show and the books but in the books it's even more wildly done

. Excellent scene.

Overall, it felt like a bit of a filler but better than The Pagan Lord and still enjoyable.