War Lord (The Last Kingdom, #13) by Bernard Cornwell (Goodreads Author)

War Lord by Bernard Cornwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am going to miss Uhtred, he has been threatening to die of old age for the last few books but the book leaves him alive and Lord of the North.

The book begins with King AEthelstan trying to take Bebbanburg away from Uhtred, Constantine (King of the Scots) wants Bebbanburg too and Anlaf claims to be King of Northumbria and Uhtred's overlord. Both Constantine and Anlaf try to get Uhtred to swear fealty to them and join them in the fight against King AEthelstan, but Uhtred stubbornly clings to his oath to protect King AEthelstan, even though at times it appears that AEthelstan has betrayed him and at one point it even looks as if AEthelstan is going to lay siege to Bebbanburg. In fact he uses this belief to attack Constantine.

In the end Constantine and Anlaf join forces and it's only with Uhtred's help that AEthelstan is able to hold on to his crown and he rewards Uhtred with a wife he doesn't want and all of Northumbria to rule.

Uhtred's oldest son Bishop Oswald is killed when assassins sneak into the Saxon camp and try to assassinate King AEthelstan before the Battle of Brunanburh. Oswald was in the King's tent alone.

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