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The Pale Horseman  By  cover art

The Pale Horseman

By: Bernard Cornwell
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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Publisher's summary

The is the exciting - yet little known - story of the making of England in the ninth and 10th centuries, the years in which King Alfred the Great, his son and grandson defeated the Danish Vikings who had invaded and occupied three of England's four kingdoms.

At the end of The Last Kingdom, The Danes had been defeated at Cynuit, but the triumph of the English is not fated to last long. The Danish Vikings quickly invade and occupy three of England's four kingdoms - and all that remains of the once proud country is a small piece of marshland, where Alfred and his family live with a few soldiers and retainers, including Uhtred, the dispossessed English nobleman who was raised by Danes. Uhtred has always been a Dane at heart, and has always believed that given the chance, he would fight for the men who raised him and taught him the Viking ways. But when Iseult, a powerful sorceress, enters Uhtred's life, he is forced to consider feelings he's never confronted before - and Uhtred discovers, in his moment of greatest peril, a newfound loyalty and love for his native country and ruler.

The is the exciting - yet little known - story of the making of England in the ninth and 10th centuries, the years in which King Alfred the Great, his son and grandson defeated the Danish Vikings who had invaded and occupied three of England's four kingdoms.

©2005 Bernard Cornwell (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about The Pale Horseman

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Great Book, Great Read...but NO AUTHOR'S NOTES!

I've read every book in this series but there's a slight problem (and I've noticed this in Cornwell's "Sharpe Series" also).

Cornwell includes notes in his books at the very end. I was reminded of this when browsing a copy of "The Pale Horseman" at the library. For some reason, the author's notes aren't read at the end of the book or, at least, not consistently!

Is this just a case of the reader/performer not turning the page after reaching, "the end"?!

Seriously! Can you really call the book "unabridged" at that point?! :)

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49 people found this helpful

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Keeble embodies Uhtred.

Excellent plot engine design. more or less real historical events/people from a period of time left beshadowed by a lack of records given breath by a fictional characters account of what it may have been like to be a Saxon and a Dane. Think Flashman. but with greater margin for invention. Keeble perfectly embodies the characters, their language, if not always on point, illicit the feel and imagery. Very disappointed that alternate narrators chosen for subsequent books. the others aren't anywhere near the mark.

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13 people found this helpful

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If you’re not reading/listening to this you’re wrong

This must be my 12th time going through this series is one of the best books I have ever read or listen to.
The story of the birth of England is amazing the characters are full of life, the battle scenes are nothing but full of images with words.
You fall in love with the characters; you cry with them you laugh with them you enjoy their days with him. Do yourself a favor and pick up this series starting with the last Kingdom.

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12 people found this helpful

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ONLY Jonathan Keeble should narrate this series.

NO OTHER PERSON THAN JONATHAN KEEBLE SHOULD NARRATE THIS SERIES. Pay Keebles whatever he wants and get rid of the others.

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11 people found this helpful

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"Ale, women, sword, and reputation" - Uhtred

Alfred thought life was complicated, but Uhtred thought it was simple. He said so much, and then explained it all: "Ale, women, sword, and reputation".

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4 people found this helpful

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Fabulous narration!!

Could easily keep up with the many characters due to the excellent narration. The storyline was of course great.

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4 people found this helpful

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Amazing.

Imagery is flawless. You can see every battle as it happens and you can not help but feel everything the characters go through. The apotheosis of great historical fiction

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4 people found this helpful

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Love it!

Great series watching the TV show on Netflix, I highly recommend listening to the books.

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3 people found this helpful

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Excel ten story, top notch narration!

Again, this narrator brings the story to life in a way that makes it hard to "put this book down!"

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Finest performance I’ve ever heard

The story is fantastic & even more thrilling than the first book. Jonathan Keeble’s performance is astounding. He can do so many different voices & accents to make this story become so vibrant.

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2 people found this helpful