The pale horseman (Abridged ed)

Continuing the outstanding success of "The Last Kingdom", this is the second installment of Bernard Cornwell's fantastic series, following the fate of Alfred the Great, and the forging of Britain.

Uhtred, Northumbrian born, raised a Viking and now married to a Saxon, is already a formidable figure and warrior.

But at twenty he is still arrogant, pagan and headstrong, so not a comfortable ally for the thoughtful, pious Alfred.

But these two, with Alfred's family and a few of Uhtred's companions, are apparently all that remains of the Wessex leadership after a disastrous truce.

It is the lowest time for the Saxons. Defeated comprehensively by the Vikings who now occupy most of England, Alfred and his surviving followers retreat to the trackless marshlands of Somerset.

There, forced to move restlessly to escape betrayal or detection, using the marsh mists for cover, they travel by small boats from one island to another, hoping that they can regroup and find some more strength and support.

They seek refuge in Athelney, a tidal swamp to which Alfred's kingdom has shrunk. Uhtred finds himself torn between his Danish foster brother and the winning Vikings, and his growing respect for the stubborn leadership of Alfred.

He must decide whether to rebuild the Saxons' strength from his watery base and help them to take on the Vikings once more. "The Pale Horseman" is a splendid story of divided loyalties and desperate heroism, with a wonderful range of characters from Vikings to British kings in their Cornish fortresses, from political but passionate priests to enduring fishermen and farmers desperately striving to survive as the battle sweeps over them.

Uhtred and Alfred, Vikings and Saxons, are a winning combination for Bernard Cornwell.