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In THE LAST KINGDOM, his previous novel of ninth-century England, Bernard Cornwell reminded us that "Viking" is in fact a verb and not a proper noun. The people we now think of as Vikings were then known as the "Danes," the same individuals who now populate Denmark and Minnesota. Viking is not who they were, it was what they did --- and what they did was wage war, wreak havoc, and generally make hairy nuisances of themselves to the outside world. Going Viking meant you were going for mead and plunder and battle and the blood of enemies congealing in a pool at your feet. It was something we'd now call a lifestyle choice.
The second book in Cornwell's ninth-century trilogy is THE PALE HORSEMAN --- referring both to the deadly horseman of the Christian apocalypse and a fictional Danish warrior, Svein of the White Horse, who leads one of the invading forces into Saxon England. The narrator is Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a displaced Saxon noble whose Northumbrian holdings were overrun by the Danes and treacherous relatives when he was young. In the first book he was captured by the Danes and grew to be a fierce warrior in the shield wall. This novel follows Uhtred dealing with his split loyalties --- both to his pagan gods and Danish training, and to Arthur, King of the West Saxons, who is trying to rid England of Danish influence and unify the country under one crown.
In his heart, Uhtred would rather leave civilization behind. It has brought him nothing --- a loveless marriage, a debt-ridden estate in Devonshire, and the enmity of the Church and his fellow Saxons (who nickname him "Uhtred the Wicked"). On the other hand, going Viking can get Uhtred the silver he needs to pay off his debts and the fame he needs to raise a battle host to storm the castle that is his birthright.
If you think all of this sounds too crude and violent for your taste, you are almost assuredly right. (The bit about the congealing blood of the enemies probably gave it away.) You'd be much closer to the mark, however, if you said that it all sounds too formulaic --- that it's a typical tale of personal ambition set against the backdrop of war and battles. The pattern and even the plot twists will be familiar to everyone who's read Cornwell's novels about the Napoleonic Wars or (for example) C.S. Forester's Hornblower series.
However, two factors contribute to making THE PALE HORSEMAN readable and enjoyable for those who aren't already fans of the genre. First, Cornwell is a superb amateur historian and devotes special care to making sure that his work reflects the history of the time about which he writes. This is a special challenge for the ninth century, given the paucity of contemporary sources and the linguistic challenges of dealing with Middle English. (Cornwell limits this, wisely, to place names and provides a handy translation guide at the front of the book.)
Cornwell's scholarship is most evident in the character of Alfred the Great, who the narrator Uhtred often treats as a creature of contempt. Alfred is portrayed as an effective yet reluctant war leader, but one whose judgment is often sacrificed to his faith. Alfred's Christian piety leads him into superstition, and he is occasionally manipulated by his bishops --- who tend to do things such as assume that God will drop fire on the heads of the invading Danes. (The impious Uhtred gulls Alfred into approving one particular stratagem by claiming it is based on the parting of the Red Sea by Moses.) Cornwell's focus on Alfred's religion marks him as a man of his time and anchors us in the ninth-century mindset.
The other factor, thankfully, is that Cornwell's books are simply fun. THE PALE HORSEMAN is a blood-soaked romp of swords, shields, daggers, duels, pagan shadow queens, and all sorts of other treats for the reader (not to mention that the descriptions of ninth-century battles tend to drive out the dreary realities of twenty-first century war). The Uhtred character is a little too stolid to be compelling, but he's always in the thick of battle, and Cornwell takes second place to no one in explaining both the strategy and carnage of historic battlefields.
For those who like mixing their action and adventure with sound historical research and scholarship, THE PALE HORSEMAN is as welcome as a long draught of mead or a bag of silver coins. And if you have enough of those Danish butter cookies left over from the holidays to enjoy while you're reading, so much the better.
--- Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds, who writes the "Northbound" blog at http://www.txreviews.com/blog and is hard at work on his second novel.
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