Uhtred of Bebbanburg returns in his 11th outing. This time his foes are both closer to home and farther away...In Mercia, King Edward is trying to seize control following the death of his sister Aethelflaed. Caught up in the intrigue, Uhtred tries to work his way through and somehow finds his loyalty sworn to Aethelstan, the "bastard" son of Edward. (For an explanation of whether Aethelstan is or is not a bastard, read previous volumes in this series.)
Suddenly, Uhtred faces a threat from Northumbria, where his lands lie and his son-in-law is king. Skoll, a powerful warrior, has declared himself King of Northumbria and has dared Uhtred and his followers to defeat him in battle.
Will Uhtred except the challenge? Well, this is Uhtred after all...
I must admit that I had a harder time reading this book than others in the series. Set in the 920s, Uhtred is now in his sixties in a time when men and women don't live that long. And he's always fighting! But then I remembered that the book is written in the first person so all would be well in the end. But not without a lot of bumps in the road.
Uhtred is his usual arrogant, confident, pagan self and always worth spending time with.
