Lords of the North

The Saxon Chronicles, Book 3

By: Bernard Cornwell

Narrated by: Tom Sellwood

Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

The year is 878, and the Saxons of Wessex, under King Alfred, have defeated the Danes to keep their kingdom free. Uhtred, the dispossessed son of a Northumbrian lord, helped Alfred win that victory, but now he is disgusted by Alfred's lack of generosity. Uhtred flees Wessex, going north to search for his stepsister in the formidable stronghold of Dunholm.

Uhtred arrives in the north to discover rebellion, chaos, and fear. His only ally is Hild, a West Saxon nun fleeing her calling, and his best hope is his sword. Needing other allies, he chooses Guthred, a seemingly deluded slave who believes he is a king. Together they cross the Pennines to where a desperate alliance of fanatical Christians and beleaguered Danes form a new army to confront the terrible Viking lords who rule Northumbria. Instead of victory, Uhtred finds betrayal. But he also discovers love and redemption as he is forced to turn once again to his reluctant ally, Alfred the Great.

A breathtaking adventure, Lords of the North is also the story of the creation of modern England, as the English and Danes gradually become one people, adopting each other's languages and fighting side by side.

Ready for battle? Don't miss the rest of the Saxon Chronicles Series, including The Last Kingdom (Book 1), The Pale Horseman (Book 2), and Sword Song (Book 4).

©2007 by Bernard Cornwell (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Cornwell...breathes life into ancient history with disarming ease, peppering it with humor and even innocence." (Publishers Weekly)

Great story

Narration wasn’t as good as Johnathan Keble, but still very good. Some of the pronunciations were odd in comparison.

Great again!

I loved the story and characters, as I did in first two novels. The narrator was different, but I thought he was great! Highly recommend if you were a fan of first two books!

Another Great One

Love the Last Kingdom show so it’s great to listen to the book to get more details the show couldn’t put on screen.

Narrator is terrible but the story is great.

Continues the dashing & exciting story

Very much enjoyed this book as a continuation of the series. This is historical fiction at its finest!

Looks heavy--but it's not!

This is the first book of Lords of the North that I've listened to because the first two are available only in the abridged format (Are you listening, Audible? Abridged is yuck!).

I enjoyed the detail of Cornwell's Agincourt, so I was expecting more of the same for this book, set in my favorite period of British history. I wasn't expecting Lords of the North to be at all humorous, but I was pleasantly surprised. Uhtred is disappointed in Alfred the Great's lack of generosity--Uhtred helped Alfred drive back the invading Danes, but because he was pagan, Uhtred was rewarded only by being made the lord of Five Hides, an estate of questionable value and little prestige.

He leaves Five Hides to take back Bebbanburgh castle, rightfully his, from his uncle. "And that was when the stupidity began," he says early on. He gets into one crazy mess after another, throwing his lot in with the deluded slave/king Guthred and a band of religious fanatics--that doesn't turn out well, and the craziness keeps on coming.

Uhtred is looking back on his life through this volume, and as he laughs at the stupidity of his younger self, we laugh with him. This isn't a strictly comic novel, however--we get plenty of political plotting and a great deal of fighting (some of which is quite violent and might be a turn-off for some readers). I also got all the historic detail I was hoping for.

I see that some other reviewers aren't happy with the narrator. If I'd started with book one and a different narrator, I might feel the same way, but as it is I think Tom Sellwood was a great choice. His Northumbrian accent is spot on (enough so that it might be an issue for readers not used to northern British accents). But the best part is that he's actually acting--I really got a sense of Uhtred being an older man looking back on the follies of his youth.

Overall, highly recommended for readers who like battles, adventure, and even a few laughs.

Great book. Terrible Narration

I don’t usually write reviews but like others I have to warn fans. The book itself was very good. Mr. Cornwell is an excellent writer. The story was engaging and great fun. That being said I liked the first two books more. I’m pretty sure it’s because I couldn’t stand Guthred. He was so annoying. But we got introduced to Finan! Love him!
Now for the bad. The narrator is terrible! I’m sorry maybe he would be good for a different book but he was not good at all. I had to stop listening and buy the ebook. I love reading so it wasn’t a hardship but I planned on listening during my commute. I know there is a version with Jonathan Keeble out there. Please Audible license that one!

unimpressive narration

Enjoy the series, but not Sellwood. He can't even pronounce Thyra correctly. What a disappointment! Jamie Glover is infinitely better in his narrations.

Jonathan Keeble, please.

The story is still good, but the narrator is flat. Bring back Jonathan Keeble, please. He makes the story live.

Wish they were all unabridged!

This is a fantastic epic story. Tom Sellwood really makes the story come to life. I only wish he narrated the whole series and that it was all available unabridged. I would gladly pay for it.

Cornwell excels in plot twists!

This book is yet another excellent chapter in the life of Uhtred of Bebbanburgh and the birth of England. The plot twists along the way are well written and make for an enjoyable reading experience.

The narrator leaves much to be desired as his pronunciations of Ragnar and Ivarr sound as if he’s gnawing a bone. Other than that, the narration is excellent, though lacking if one is used to Jonathan Keeble’s narration of previous books and other series by Cornwell. The narrator, when speaking as Guthred, sounds exactly as I would have expected him to sound, and matches the voice in my imagination perfectly.

I am looking g forward to the next book in the series, realising that it is narrated by yet another person other than Keeble, which is disappointing, mainly because this series of books is being told by Old Uhtred, and Keeble’s gravelly voice was perfect for the narration of an old warrior. Tom Sellwood sounds much to young for an 80 year old warrior.