Danes and Saxons

9 February 2007



Cornwell Excels with Lords of the North

Bernard Cornwell has had more than his share of books published, and most novelists would be grateful for the kind of reviews he receives. His saga of Richard Sharpe, set in the Napoleonic Wars, won him accolades right, left and center. Now, he has released the third in his Saxon Tales, a volume called Lords of the North. It will rightfully be successful.

The main challenge for Mr. Cornwell in this series is making the time familiar to modern readers. Even in English history classes, Alfred the Great is not given much time, lecturers jumping usually from the Romans to 1066 in one fell swoop. Part of the problem is England, per se, was a geographical idea rather than a political entity. In addition, those things that make up Englishness hadn’t been invented yet (the English language for example). As a result, the story with its odd place names (Eoferwic, for the City of York) and character names (Uhtred, Kjartan, and Beocca) reads like a fantasy novel.

What saves the work from being another swords and shields work of the imagination is Mr. Cornwell’s understanding of the details of life in those times. The general squalor of pre-industrial, rural life is captured in all its dirty awfulness. A more primitive morality, such as killing prisoners who may someday escape and raise an army, is on full display. Above all, there is the clash of cultures, Dane versus Saxon, an historical fact but also a parable for moderns.

In keeping true to the times about which he writes, Mr. Cornwell never shies from violence, as he believes that war is a messy business. The usual decapitations, maulings and gory deaths are there. However, as there is no gunpowder involved in ninth century England where the story occurs, one must settle for sword wounds and the ensuing infections. This is not meant to sound flippant, but rather, one hopes that other authors who write of violence will not sanitize it, which leads to a desensitized reader.

Although this is the third of the Saxon Tales following The Last Kingdom and The Pale Horseman, Mr. Cornwell has written a book that stands alone without making the casual reader feel as if any catching up is necessary. He has exhibited this in his other works to great effect, and the result is a stronger piece of fiction all around. His body of work may not rival Dickens’ or Tolstoy’s a century from now, but it is hard not to like his storytelling. While fans of Richard Sharpe may need a moment or two to move their calendars back a millennium, there is much of quality in this they will recognize.

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.


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