Sword Song by Bernard Cornwell is the 4th book in the Saxon Stories series. As always, this book continues the chronicles of Uhtred of Bebbanburg. The year is 885 and Uhtred has given his oath to Alfred and lives with his wife, Gisela. There is peace, but peace is very fragile. There are rumors that a man has come back from the dead and predicts the next king of Mercia. Aethelflaed is the daughter of Alfred and is married to Aethelred of Mercia. When she is kidnapped, Alfred sends Uhtred to bargain for his daughter but also to maintain peace.

This book has a bit of a different feel from the previous three, especially the first half. I got to see a different side of Uhtred. Since there is a tentative peace, Uhtred could spend more time with his wife and children. I found I very much enjoyed seeing the softer and, dare I say, more mature side of his character. I enjoyed watching him play with his children, and his concern over his pregnant wife is very moving. I was also touched by his concern for Aethelflaed, Alfred’s daughter, whom Uhtred has known since she was a child. However, fans of Uhtred’s warrior spirit can he is still absolutely lethal on the battlefield.

Cornwell does an excellent job mixing actions such as a kidnap conspiracy with its strategic importance of how the Vikings could have won with the ransom.

If you like vivid historical fiction, you cannot find anyone better than Bernard Cornwell. Each series is more exciting than the last, and you are taken on an incredible journey that propels you to the next book. His writing is excellent and his scenes are explicit. I can place myself in every setting he describes! Battle scenes are graphic and sometimes gruesome, but I imagine this is exactly what it must have been like back in that period of time.