Bernard Cornwell

A fragile peace reigns in Wessex, Mercia and East Anglia. King Alfred's son Edward and formidable daughter, Aethelflaed, rule the kingdoms. But all around the restless Northmen, eyeing the rich lands and wealthy churches, are mounting raids. Uhtred of Bebbanburg, the kingdoms' greatest warrior, controls northern Mercia from the strongly fortified city of Chester. But forces are gathering against him.

His blood is SaxonHis heart is VikingHis battleground is EnglandAnd while Uhtred might have regained his family's fortress, it seems that a peaceful life is not to be - as he is under threat from both an old enemy and a new foe. The old enemy comes from Wessex where a dynastic struggle will determine who will be the next king. And the new foe is Skoll, a Norseman, whose ambition is to be King of Northumbria and who leads a frightening army of wolf-warriors,...

Britain, early tenth century AD: a time of change. There are new raids by the Vikings from Ireland, and turmoil among the Saxons over the leadership of Mercia. A younger generation is taking over.

In the middle years of the ninth century, the fierce Danes sotrmed onto British soil, hungry for spoils and conquest. Kingdom after kingdom fell to the ruthless invaders until but one realm remained. And suddenly the fate of all England--and the course of history--depended upon one man, one king.

With his 'Grail Quest', 'Warlord' and 'Sharpe' series Bernard Cornwell has cemented his position as a virtuoso of historical fiction. 'The Pale Horseman' is a novel of heroic deeds, bloody battles and the struggle to unite Britain in the face of a common enemy.

After the siege of Soissons, Nicholas Hook, and English archer and outlaw, is enrolled in the archer company of the doughty Sir John Cornwaille, a leader of Henry V's army. Sickness and the unexpected French defiance at Harfleur reduce the once surperb army to near-shambolic condition. Henry stubbornly refuses to accept defeat and, in appealing weather, leads his shrunken force to what appears to be inevitable disaster-the Battle at Azincourt.

In the heart of Elizabethan England, Richard Shakespeare dreams of a glittering career in one of the London playhouses, a world dominated by his older brother, William. But he is a penniless actor, making ends meet through a combination of a beautiful face, petty theft and a silver tongue. As Williams star rises, Richards onetime gratitude is souring and he is sorely tempted to abandon family loyalty.So when a priceless manuscript goes missing, suspicion...

As the ninth century wanes, Alfred the Great lays dying; his dream of a unified England in danger and his kingdom on the brink of chaos. While his son, Edward, has been named his successor, there are other Saxon claimants to the throne-as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north. Uhtred, the Saxon-born, Viking-raised warrior, whose life seems to shadow the making of England itself, is torn between his vows to Alfred and his desire to reclaim...

"Uhtred of Bebbanburg is a man of his word. An oath bound him to King Alfred. An oath bound him to AEthelflAEd. And now an oath will wrench him away from the ancestral home he fought so hard to regain. For Uhtred has sworn that on King Edward's death, he will kill two men. And now Edward is dying. A violent attack drives Uhtred south with a small band of warriors, and headlong into the battle for kingship. Plunged into a world of shifting alliances...

When Richmond landowner Washington Faulconer snatches young Nate Starbuck from the grip of a Yankee-hating mob, Nate is both grateful and awed by this idealistic rescuer. To repay his generosity, he enlists in the Faulconer legion to fight against his home, the North, and against his abolitionist father. When the regiment joins up, ready to march into ferocious battle at Bull Run, the men are prepared to start a war. . . but they aren't ready for...