The Pale Horseman

The second installment of Bernard Cornwell’s bestselling series chronicling the epic saga of the making of England, “like Game of Thrones, but real” (The Observer, London)—the basis for The Last Kingdom, the hit BBC America television series.

This is the exciting—yet little known—story of the making of England in the 9th 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 the 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 new-found loyalty and love for his native country and ruler.

As the last unvanquished piece of England, Wessex is eyed hungrily by the fearsome Viking conquerors. Uhtred, a dispossessed young nobleman, is tied to the imperiled land by birth and marriage but was raised by the Danish invaders—and he questions where his allegiance must lie. But blood is his destiny, and when the overwhelming Viking horde attacks out of a wintry darkness, Uhtred must put aside all hatred and distrust and stand beside his embattled country’s staunch defender—the fugitive King Alfred.

New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell’s The Pale Horseman is a gripping, monumental adventure that gives breathtaking life to one of the most important epochs in English history.

“Cornwell’s characters are vividly drawn, betrayals lurk around every corner, the humor is as sharp as the swords, and the action is non-stop.” —NPR

“Bernard Cornwell does the best battle scenes of any writer I’ve ever read, past or present.” - George R.R. Martin

“Historical novels stand or fall on detail, and Mr. Cornwell writes as if he has been to ninth-century Wessex and back. Much has changed since the ninth century, but some things, and some feelings, are timeless.” - Wall Street Journal

“Superior entertainment that is both engaging and enlightening....Historical adventures as smart and vigorous as Cornwell’s are in short supply.” - Washington Post

“[Soaked] in nasty political intrigue, ripsnorting battles, and pungent blasphemy.... Glorious.” - Entertainment Weekly

“For readers who find contentment in reading historical novels featuring clanking swords and battlefield carnage, Bernard Cornwell should be at the very top of your list.” - USA Today