The Pagan Lord

By: Bernard Cornwell

Narrated by: Matt Bates

The seventh book in the epic and bestselling series that has gripped millions.

A hero will be forged from this broken land.

As seen on Netflix and BBC around the world.

Alfred the Great is dead and Edward his son reigns as king. Wessex survives but peace cannot hold. The Danes in the north, led by Viking Cnut Longsword, stand ready to invade and will never rest until the emerald crown is theirs.

Uhtred, once Alfred’s great warrior but now out of favour with the new king, must lead a band of outcasts north to recapture his old family home, that great Northumbrian fortress, Bebbanburg.

Loyalties will be divided and men will fall, as every Saxon kingdom is drawn into the bloodiest battle yet with the Danes; a war which will decide the fate of every king, and the entire English nation.

Critic reviews

Praise for THE PAGAN LORD:

‘Bernard Cornwell is always in full command of his material and The Pagan Lord demonstrates his unobtrusive skills as a novelist… Cornwell provides his usual pleasures of a strong narrative, vigorous action and striking characterisation. Like some of his characters he remains king of the territory he has staked out as his own’ SUNDAY TIMES

Praise for Bernard Cornwell:

‘The best battle scenes of any writer I’ve ever read, past or present. Cornwell really makes history come alive’ George R.R. Martin

‘Cornwell draws a fascinating picture of England as it might have been before anything like England existed’ THE TIMES

‘He’s called a master storyteller. Really he’s cleverer than that’ TELEGRAPH

‘A reminder of just how good a writer he is’ SUNDAY TIMES

‘Nobody in the world does this better than Cornwell’ Lee Child

This is a magnificent and gory work' Daily Mail

'The historical blockbuster of the year' EVENING STANDARD

‘A runaway success’ OBSERVER

‘A master of storytelling’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

This is typical Cornwell, meticulously researched, massive in scope, brilliant in execution’ NEWS OF THE WORLD

It just gets better and better

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely... if you like bernard cornwell. He is wonderfully consistent. A great listen/read.

What did you like best about this story?

Fantastic characters, great dialogue...

Emotional and powerful

With The Pagan Lord the emotional depth and narrative cohesion of the series achieves a new level, with the story arc of Uhtred becoming more filled out and mature. It is also the first book from which the television series appears to substantially depart from the tone and meaning of the books. As good as the tv version is, The Pagan Lord version of the Saxon hero is darker, more purposeful, more empathetic and craftier. Thankfully he also spends considerably less time in “the slough of despair”….

Time & Place

Would you listen to The Pagan Lord again? Why?

Yes, I would, as in all of BC's books he captures time & place really well, you could almost smell the salt spray in the Northern seas & the smell of burning villages.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Pagan Lord?

The final battle

Which character – as performed by Matt Bates – was your favorite?

Uhtred

another gem

great writing, great story.. very glad I was introduced to this series.. if you haven't read them, you should...

Too bad the narrator changed!!

I love these books. It's a strange thing, however, when the narrator changes and suddenly everything is pronounced differently. For example, in this latest version, the narrator pronounces the "j" in "Kjartan". It made me cringe. Occasionally, it sounded like the narrator has a New York accent.

Still a great book.