Partly due to a nasty virus that laid me low over the Christmas period, I felt in need of some TLC and treated myself to one of my favourite authors ... Bernard Cornwell, and so I reached out for the 11th instalment in The Last Kingdom series. War of the Wolf sees Lord Uhtred, now having reached the grand age of 60, looking forward to enjoying life after winning back his ancestral home at Bebbanberg. But with enemies on all sides - some old and some new - the chances of a quiet time with the family are very slim indeed. When Uhtred is called to come to the aid of the beseiged Lord Aethelstan, he has no choice but to stick to his old oath of protecting him - but when he discovers that Aethelstan wasn't in any real danger, it becomes clear that this was a mere ruse to get him away from Bebbanberg and out into the open. And as if the politics of the Saxons who surround the ailing King Edward aren't enough, Uhtred has a new Viking foe to face, led by a formidable leader who has already killed his beloved daughter. Uhtred may have lost some of his strength and speed, but it is always dangerous to underestimate someone whose cunning and courage have never waned. This is a cracking story and I raced through it at a great rate of knots. Yes, after the 11th outing for Uhtred, the story arc may feel a little familiar, but that's almost part of the charm. When you can't face anything too heavy, and you need a bit of escapism, it's a comfort to know that there's an author out there who never fails to deliver ... as long as you don't mind a bit of gore!
My STAR rating: FOUR.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; audio CD; ebook.
Length: 352 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from library.
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