• The Burning Land

  • The Saxon Chronicles, Book 5
  • By: Bernard Cornwell
  • Narrated by: John Lee
  • Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (4,459 ratings)

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The Burning Land  By  cover art

The Burning Land

By: Bernard Cornwell
Narrated by: John Lee
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Publisher's summary

In a clash of heroes,the kingdom is born. At the end of the ninth century, King Alfred of Wessex is in ill health; his heir, an untested youth. His enemy, the Danes, having failed to conquer Wessex, now see their chance for victory. Led by the sword of savage warrior Harald Bloodhair, the Viking hordes attack. But Uhtred, Alfred’s reluctant warlord, proves his worth, outwitting Harald and handing the Vikings one of their greatest defeats. For Uhtred, the sweetness of victory is soon overshadowed by tragedy.

Breaking with Alfred, he joins the Vikings, swearing never again to serve the Saxon king. Instead, he will reclaim his ancestral fortress on the Northumbrian coast. Allied with his old friend Ragnar--and his old foe Haesten--he aims to invade and conquer Wessex itself. Yet fate has different plans. The Danes of East Anglia and the Vikings of Northumbria are plotting the conquest of all Britain. When Alfred’s daughter pleads with Uhtred for help, he cannot refuse her request. in a desperate gamble, he takes command of a demoralized Mercian army, leading them in an unforgettable battle on a blood-soaked field beside the Thames.

In The Burning Land, Bernard Cornwell, “The reigning king of historical fiction” (USA Today), delivers a rousing saga of Anglo-Saxon England--an irresistible new chapter in his thrilling Saxon Tales, the epic story of the birth of England and the legendary king who made it possible.

©2010 Bernard Cornwell (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about The Burning Land

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,104
  • 4 Stars
    1,048
  • 3 Stars
    239
  • 2 Stars
    38
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Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
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    3,083
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

MapLady

I was REALLY disappointed with this book. The narrator is SO different than the ones that came before that I found it distracting. His pronunciation of the place names, and people, are so different that it makes it seem like a completely different story instead of one in a series.

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66 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I got used to Jonathan Keeble

Would you listen to The Burning Land again? Why?

Yes - I enjoyed the story and the narrator was ok.

What did you like best about this story?

It is very descriptive just like the earlier books of the series. There was an allusion to something I never expected - if it is indeed true, then I am stunned and disappointed in the element of the storyline, but everything else was great.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

No. The narrator's dynamics (in particular, his emotion) was not up to snuff. There was an event in this story which would have crushed Uhtred's heart (1st person narrative) - you never felt the anguish that should have been there.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Audio publishers - if you have a great narrator, commit the series to them. They know the books, the characters, and have established the listener's expectations. It's like book publishers changing the author of a long running series (Fleming, Ludlum, Clancy) - readers lose interest because it just isn't the same.

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54 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

lee no keeble

the story is as good as the rest, but the narrator is not nearly as good as john keeble.

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51 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Story! Wonderful Narrator!

I have enjoyed this series so much that I have even bought the books directly from England and had them shipped to me so I wouldn't have to wait for the next installment! Uhtred of Bebbanburg is a wonderful, rough and rowdy character to view these tales through. These books have also drawn me to research the history that they are based on. I must say, I'm impressed with the quality of the historical accuracy and the overall texture of the stories.
Trust me, if you like history in the slightest you will be engrossed in the writings of Bernard Cornwell. This books is yet another spectacular example of his fine skills as a storyteller.

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43 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Narrator ruins it

Would you be willing to try another one of John Lee’s performances?

Absolutely not.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

After Jonathan Keeble, this narrator is a huge disappointment. When Keeble reads, you imagine Uhtred sitting by a fire and telling you his life story. It's lively. There's emotion and passion and humor. When this guy reads, you imagine someone with a book in his hand, reading quickly and flatly, as if he just wants to get it over and done with. He reads battle scenes as if reciting a grocery list. No sense of rising excitement -- no sense of excitement at all, in fact. Apparently trading sword blows with Danish Vikings is a ho-hum sort of thing, judging by the reading. The text says "'Shield wall!' I yelled." ... but the narrator doesn't even bother to raise his voice on the words "Shield wall." Seriously? Did the words "I yelled" not provide a clue on how to read the sentence?

The story is good, but I doubt I'll be able to endure 11 hours of this flat, passionless delivery. Makes me wonder who listens to some of these readers and decides to hire them.

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38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Stop switching the damn narrator!

The story was pretty good, but this is the third narrator so far. It is hard to imagine a viking warlord sounding like a British gentleman. So, now I'm left wondering if it is even worth continuing this series or not.

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Changing narrators frequently is NOT a good idea

Adjusting to the reading speed and voice patterns of different narrators is one thing, but it is a different matter to have to struggle to recognize the names of key protagonists, which some narrators read completely differently. It is very annoying and takes away from the listening experience of the otherwise great story.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great Story but...

I love all of these books! This is a great continuation of the story of Uthred. I do miss the previous narrator. It was hard to get used to the different style of reading. Once I got used to the new narrator I was able to enjoy the story. Overall I loved it!

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Mr Miyagi meets William Shatner

Horrible narrator... I ended up asking for a refund and skipping this book. I have no idea why Lee was chosen but may Odin show mercy.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

why did they change the narrator

John Lee did a good job it is just hard to a just after hearing the same narrator in previous books ( Jonathan keeble)

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17 people found this helpful