-
Blood and Blade
- The Bernicia Chronicles, Book 3
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $20.24
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Killer of Kings
- The Bernicia Chronicles, Book 4
- By: Matthew Harffy
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beobrand has land, men and riches. He should be content. And yet he cannot find peace until his enemies are food for the ravens. But before Beobrand can embark on his bloodfeud, King Oswald orders him southward, to escort holy men bearing sacred relics. When Penda of Mercia marches a warhost into the southern kingdoms, Beobrand and his men are thrown into the midst of the conflict. Beobrand soon finds himself fighting for his life and his honour.
-
-
Good yarn - character flaw
- By Anonymous User on 09-25-19
By: Matthew Harffy
-
Kin of Cain
- A Bernicia Tale
- By: Matthew Harffy
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 2 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Terror stalks the hills, moors and marshes of Bernicia. Livestock and men have been found ripped asunder, their bones gnawed, flesh gorged upon. People cower in their halls in fear of the monster that prowls the night. King Edwin sends his champions, Bassus, Octa and band of trusted thegns, to rid his people of this evil. Bassus leads the warriors into the chill wastes of the Northern winter, and they soon question whether they are the hunters or the prey.
-
-
ancient
- By bernard snipe on 05-08-20
By: Matthew Harffy
-
A Time for Swords
- A Time for Swords, Book 1
- By: Matthew Harffy
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 17 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lindisfarne, AD 793. There had been portents - famine, whirlwinds, lightning from clear skies, serpents seen flying through the air. But when the raiders came, no one was prepared. They came from the North, their dragon-prowed longships gliding out of the dawn mist as they descended on the kingdom's most sacred site. It is 8th June AD 793, and with the pillage of the monastery on Lindisfarne, the Viking Age has begun. While his fellow monks flee before the Norse onslaught, one young novice stands his ground.
-
-
Overall a Good Story. I was SUPER IRRITATED as each person could
- By K. Wilson on 08-29-21
By: Matthew Harffy
-
Wolf of Wessex
- By: Matthew Harffy
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
AD 838. Deep in the forests of Wessex, Dunston's solitary existence is shattered when he stumbles on a mutilated corpse. Accused of the murder, Dunston must clear his name and keep the dead man's daughter alive in the face of savage pursuers desperate to prevent a terrible secret from being revealed. Rushing through Wessex, Dunston will need to use all the skills of survival garnered from a lifetime in the wilderness.
-
-
Great Read.
- By J.J. on 03-19-20
By: Matthew Harffy
-
God of Vengeance
- The Rise of Sigurd 1
- By: Giles Kristian
- Narrated by: Philip Stevens
- Length: 15 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Norway, AD 785. It began with the betrayal of a lord by a king.... King Gorm puts Jarl Harald's family to the sword but makes one fatal mistake - he fails to kill Harald's youngest son, Sigurd. His kin slain, his village seized and its people taken as slaves, Sigurd wonders if the gods have forsaken him. Hunted by powerful men, he is unsure who to trust, and yet he has a small band of loyal followers at his side.
-
-
Fine adventure tale
- By Brother Adrian on 03-04-17
By: Giles Kristian
-
Blood Eye
- By: Giles Kristian
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a thrilling adventure of brotherhood, warfare, and treachery, Giles Kristian takes us into ninth-century England, a world of darkness, epic conflict, and an unforgiving God served by powerful priests. On ships shaped like dragons, bristling with oars and armor, Jarl Sigurd and his fierce Norsemen have come in search of riches. And riches they are promised, by an English ruler who sends Sigurd and his wolves to steal a holy manuscript from another kingdom.
-
-
Ridiculous Premise
- By colter on 01-03-21
By: Giles Kristian
-
Killer of Kings
- The Bernicia Chronicles, Book 4
- By: Matthew Harffy
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beobrand has land, men and riches. He should be content. And yet he cannot find peace until his enemies are food for the ravens. But before Beobrand can embark on his bloodfeud, King Oswald orders him southward, to escort holy men bearing sacred relics. When Penda of Mercia marches a warhost into the southern kingdoms, Beobrand and his men are thrown into the midst of the conflict. Beobrand soon finds himself fighting for his life and his honour.
-
-
Good yarn - character flaw
- By Anonymous User on 09-25-19
By: Matthew Harffy
-
Kin of Cain
- A Bernicia Tale
- By: Matthew Harffy
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 2 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Terror stalks the hills, moors and marshes of Bernicia. Livestock and men have been found ripped asunder, their bones gnawed, flesh gorged upon. People cower in their halls in fear of the monster that prowls the night. King Edwin sends his champions, Bassus, Octa and band of trusted thegns, to rid his people of this evil. Bassus leads the warriors into the chill wastes of the Northern winter, and they soon question whether they are the hunters or the prey.
-
-
ancient
- By bernard snipe on 05-08-20
By: Matthew Harffy
-
A Time for Swords
- A Time for Swords, Book 1
- By: Matthew Harffy
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 17 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lindisfarne, AD 793. There had been portents - famine, whirlwinds, lightning from clear skies, serpents seen flying through the air. But when the raiders came, no one was prepared. They came from the North, their dragon-prowed longships gliding out of the dawn mist as they descended on the kingdom's most sacred site. It is 8th June AD 793, and with the pillage of the monastery on Lindisfarne, the Viking Age has begun. While his fellow monks flee before the Norse onslaught, one young novice stands his ground.
-
-
Overall a Good Story. I was SUPER IRRITATED as each person could
- By K. Wilson on 08-29-21
By: Matthew Harffy
-
Wolf of Wessex
- By: Matthew Harffy
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
AD 838. Deep in the forests of Wessex, Dunston's solitary existence is shattered when he stumbles on a mutilated corpse. Accused of the murder, Dunston must clear his name and keep the dead man's daughter alive in the face of savage pursuers desperate to prevent a terrible secret from being revealed. Rushing through Wessex, Dunston will need to use all the skills of survival garnered from a lifetime in the wilderness.
-
-
Great Read.
- By J.J. on 03-19-20
By: Matthew Harffy
-
God of Vengeance
- The Rise of Sigurd 1
- By: Giles Kristian
- Narrated by: Philip Stevens
- Length: 15 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Norway, AD 785. It began with the betrayal of a lord by a king.... King Gorm puts Jarl Harald's family to the sword but makes one fatal mistake - he fails to kill Harald's youngest son, Sigurd. His kin slain, his village seized and its people taken as slaves, Sigurd wonders if the gods have forsaken him. Hunted by powerful men, he is unsure who to trust, and yet he has a small band of loyal followers at his side.
-
-
Fine adventure tale
- By Brother Adrian on 03-04-17
By: Giles Kristian
-
Blood Eye
- By: Giles Kristian
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a thrilling adventure of brotherhood, warfare, and treachery, Giles Kristian takes us into ninth-century England, a world of darkness, epic conflict, and an unforgiving God served by powerful priests. On ships shaped like dragons, bristling with oars and armor, Jarl Sigurd and his fierce Norsemen have come in search of riches. And riches they are promised, by an English ruler who sends Sigurd and his wolves to steal a holy manuscript from another kingdom.
-
-
Ridiculous Premise
- By colter on 01-03-21
By: Giles Kristian
-
The Lords of the Wind
- The Saga of Hasting the Avenger, Book 1
- By: C.J. Adrien
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Orphaned as a child by a blood feud and sold as a slave to an exiled chieftain in Ireland, the boy Hasting had little hope of surviving to adulthood. The gods had other plans. A ship arrived at his master's longphort carrying a man who would alter the course of his destiny and take him under his wing to teach him the ways of the Vikings. His is a story of a boy who was a slave, who became a warlord, and who helped topple an empire.
-
-
Heading is said to be both optional & required!
- By shopper on 12-06-20
By: C.J. Adrien
-
The Last Kingdom
- By: Bernard Cornwell
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story is seen through the eyes of Uhtred, a dispossessed nobleman, who is captured as a child by the Danes and then raised by them so that, by the time the Northmen begin their assault on Wessex, Alfred's kingdom and the last territory in English hands, Uhtred almost thinks of himself as a Dane.
-
-
Bernard Cornwell is one of my favorite authors.
- By M.R. Thomsen on 06-19-15
By: Bernard Cornwell
-
Fin Gall - A Novel of Viking Age Ireland
- Norsemen Saga Series #1
- By: James L. Nelson
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For centuries, the Vikings have swept out of the Norse countries and fallen on whatever lands they could reach aboard their longships, and few could resist the power of their violent onslaught. They came at first to plunder and then to settle, an encroachment fiercely resisted wherever they went. Such was the case in the southern lands of Ireland. En route to the Viking longphort there, known as Dubh-linn, Thorgrim Night Wolf and Ornolf the Restless stumble across an Irish ship.
-
-
Tolerable with this trick
- By Victoria on 05-10-16
By: James L. Nelson
-
Master of War
- Master of War Series, Book 1
- By: David Gilman
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 19 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1346: For Thomas Blackstone, the choice is easy - dance on the end of a rope for a murder he did not commit, or take up his war bow and join the king's invasion of France. As he fights his way across Northern France, Blackstone will learn the brutal lessons of war - from the terror and confusion of his first taste of combat, to the savage realities of siege warfare. Vastly outnumbered, Edward III's army will finally confront the armored might of the French nobility on the field of Crecy.
-
-
Winnie the Pooh and Richard Sharpe as Filibuster
- By YL on 05-08-20
By: David Gilman
-
Viking Slave
- Dragonheart, Book 1
- By: Griff Hosker
- Narrated by: Marston York
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A young Saxon boy and his mother are captured in a Viking raid. Fate transforms his destiny and, thanks to an ageing one-armed warrior, he wins his freedom and becomes one with the Vikings. Clan rivalries force Dragonheart and his new Jarl to sail the seas searching for a new home. Landing on the Isle of Man, they must fight for their very survival with enemies old and new seeking their destruction.
-
-
finally!
- By vaas on 04-06-22
By: Griff Hosker
-
Excalibur
- By: Bernard Cornwell
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Excalibur, we follow Arthur and Derfel to that enormous struggle and incredible victory. It not only throws the Saxons back, but reunites Arthur and Guinevere. He might hope now to be left alone, to have a time of peace after gaining a great victory, but new enemies arise to destroy all he has achieved. First is Mordred himself, the crippled king who owes everything to Arthur and now tries to kill his benefactor. Mordred's ally is Nimue who has come to hate her mentor, Merlin.
-
-
An Original Story from a legend?
- By Laurel on 04-08-15
By: Bernard Cornwell
-
Lord Edward's Archer
- By: Griff Hosker
- Narrated by: Marston York
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
13th Century, Wales and England. To young Gruffyd, life has been unkind. Eking out a meagre living with his father, he has learned very quickly how to look after himself in the hostile borderlands. His father, an archer, has taught him well, and at 17 Gruffyd is a keen and able bowman. Young, loyal and skilled, it’s not long before Gruffyd finds himself following in his father’s footsteps, working as an archer in the bordering castle. But tragedy strikes when his lord commits a devastating deed, and Gruffyd is forced to make a life altering decision.
-
-
Well told story and superb narration but.....
- By Brother Adrian on 06-06-20
By: Griff Hosker
-
God's Hammer
- Hakon's Saga, Book 1
- By: Eric Schumacher
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 935 A.D., and the North is in turmoil. King Harald Fairhair has died, leaving the High Seat of the realm to his murderous son, Erik Bloodaxe. To solidify his claim, Erik ruthlessly disposes of all claimants to his throne, save one: his youngest brother Hakon. Erik's surviving enemies send a ship to Wessex, where the Christian King Athelstan is raising Hakon. Unable to avoid his fate, he returns to the Viking North to face his brother and claim his birthright, only to discover that victory will demand sacrifices beyond his wildest nightmares.
-
-
A story of the Vikings and the Christians
- By Carolynn on 11-14-18
By: Eric Schumacher
-
Crécy: The Age of the Archer
- Sir John Hawkwood, Book 1
- By: Griff Hosker
- Narrated by: Marston York
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A hero’s journey begins in an exhilarating new series by Griff Hosker. In 1335 the Black Death was just 13 years away from England, but there were other threats and dangers. Young John Hawkwood is forced to leave his home and seek a life in London. There he learns how to survive and, more importantly, how to fight. Leaving his life as an apprentice tailor he follows the army and King Edward to fight the Scots. He has a skill: he can not only use a bow, but he can use a sword and his mind.
-
-
If you like Bernard Cornwell
- By the don on 03-17-21
By: Griff Hosker
-
Blood on the Blade
- New World, Book 1
- By: Griff Hosker
- Narrated by: Marston York
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Erik and his family are Norse who live on the island of Orkneyjar. Their world is thrown upside down when the King of Norway colludes with their jarl to take over their home. They flee to the land north of Mercia. Hoping for a life free from the tyranny of a King, they have to fight Danes and Saxons. When King Harald of Norway sends ships to destroy them, the Clan of the Fox is forced to flee to the newly discovered land of ice and fire. They travel beyond sight of land into an uncharted ocean to face a future which is uncertain.
-
-
EPIC!
- By Damon Edwards on 10-11-19
By: Griff Hosker
-
Blood on the Crown
- Struggle for the Crown, Book 1
- By: Griff Hosker
- Narrated by: Marston York
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Will, son of Harry, is about to join one of the freebooting mercenaries who serve the Black Prince in Gascony and Spain. Soldiers of fortune, they fight for pay and for loot. Circumstances mean that he comes to the attention of the heir to the English throne, Prince Edward, and is chosen as the bodyguard for his sons, Edward and Richard. When the Black Prince dies before his father and his elder brother, Edward, also dies, a young Richard of Bordeaux becomes heir to the throne, and Will has a greater responsibility than he expected.
-
-
Held my interest
- By Yvonne T, Griffin on 06-10-20
By: Griff Hosker
-
The Crown Tower
- The Riyria Chronicles, Book 1
- By: Michael J. Sullivan
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Michael J. Sullivan garnered critical raves and a massive readership for his Riyria Revelations series. The first book in his highly anticipated Riyria Chronicles series of prequels, The Crown Tower brings together warrior Hadrian Blackwater with thieving assassin Royce Melborn. The two form a less-than-friendly pairing, but the quest before them has a rare prize indeed, and if they can breach the supposedly impregnable walls of the Crown Tower, their names will be legend.
-
-
Fell in love with these characters all over again
- By Cayce on 03-14-14
Publisher's Summary
635AD. Anglo-Saxon Britain. A gripping, action-packed historical thriller and third instalment in The Bernicia Chronicles. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell.
Oswald is now King of Northumbria. However, his plans for further alliances and conquests are quickly thrown into disarray when his wedding to a princess of Wessex is interrupted by news of a Pictish uprising.
Rushing north, Oswald leaves Beobrand to escort the young queen to her new home. Their path is fraught with danger and uncertainty, Beobrand must try to unravel secrets and lies if they are to survive.
Meanwhile, old enemies are closing in, seeking brutal revenge. Beobrand will give his blood and blade in service to his king, but will that be enough to avert disaster and save his kith and kin from the evil forces that surround them?
More from the same
What listeners say about Blood and Blade
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Colin - dEAD HANDS WOODwORKING
- 08-01-20
Solid
A good, quality historical fiction armed with a shield of violence, a sword of death and clad in chain mail of sex.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Pete
- 04-04-20
still good
Author keeps a good pace to his story telling. mixes in a good amount of historical facts into his characters. doesn't hold back on bad things happening to characters. Into the next book.
-
Overall
- Rick
- 12-13-18
A rousing tale
Battle, love, betrayal, and the demands of an oath to a king proves a worthy addition to this series of Albion - not yet England - in the mid 7th century. It sits worthy along inside Cornwell's story of 10th century England. Excellent series.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 04-20-18
an entertaining series.
Listened to this book while I worked outside around my ranch. It made the time go quickly.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- KES
- 02-03-18
another entertaining adventure through time
I am a fan of Harffy and I appreciate his love of history. one criticism I have is he puts refined language into the mouth of his hero in such a way I find unbelievable for the son of a churl.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Will LINDENGRASS
- 09-15-17
DISAPPOINTING
Should have listened to reviews on #3
Read book 2 because book 1 was enjoyable. Book 3 because 2 was exciting. Book4???? Will wait for reviews.,
Blood and Blade was a major bore . Guess it was a diff writer? Main character confuses himself and reader. Ever have the wind knocked out of you? Did you JUMP UP right away and leave the field or lie there gasping for breath?
Here you immediately respond with sword and shield and kill the other guy!!! Right. More than once.
Plus 3 adds nothing to 1&2
Don't waste your time ,,,
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Daretha
- 08-25-17
Battles and Badasses !!
Love the battles .....Beobrand brings all the things to the book that I look for... courage, strength, love, leadership over all BA!
I stumbled on the series! Thank you Mathew Harffy !!!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- FuzzyLogicRiceCooker
- 03-08-17
great book !!!
What made the experience of listening to Blood and Blade the most enjoyable?
I read part of the book in book form and listened to part of it in audiobook form. This way I could read when I had time and could continue reading where I left off by listening in audio form. Since the audiobooks are unabridged, I would just pick up on the last chapter from either book or audio form.
What did you like best about this story?
I loved how the Beobrand character evolved from the youth that he started out in Book One of the series: The first 2 novels in the series were as enjoyable as this third book in the series.
Which scene was your favorite?
Close to the ending with the beautiful description of the snow surrounding the castle. Followed by, Beobrand's final battle with Torran Nathair in the "cloak size fighting space" surrounded by snow.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
The book absorbed my attention and could be so intense that I would not recommend driving while listening or even waiting for a bus because the bus might drive by while you become immersed in the story.
Any additional comments?
I look forward to Book 4 in the series due out by Summer 2017.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jonathan Ross
- 01-25-17
Couldn't put it down
I just love this whole series. Great author and awesome narrator. What else could you want?
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carpe Librum
- 12-20-16
Transports the reader to the 7th century
What did you love best about Blood and Blade?
Another great story by Matthew Harffy! If you have read the first two books in the Bernicia Chronicles, you already know that this one is going to be packed with action, perfectly described battle scenes, and the sort of bantering that only takes place between men who risk their lives together. What makes this series stand out is that all that testosterone is balanced by Beobrand's deeper search for love and meaning in his life. His character continues to develop in this story as he serves King Oswald.
When we first met Beobrand in The Serpent Sword, he was young and impetuous, full of righteous indignation, and attempting to discover if he could be a better man than his father had been. Some of that struggle continues, but he has also been through much of the refining fire of life that has formed him into a man who others depend on despite his youth. He is still impetuous, and to some extent still trying to figure out what the future, or the gods, or the One True God, have in store for him. Whatever it is, he will face it head-on with sword in hand.
Besides the ongoing battles for supremacy in the land that would become England, Beobrand has personal demons that make him a more complex character than what one typically finds in this type of story. He misses his wife, isn't sure what to do with his infant son, and has feelings for a woman that leave him feeling confused and guilty. If I have any criticism of this wonderful novel, it would be that I would have loved to see Beobrand with his son more and Reaghan less. It struck me as odd that little Octa, Beobrand's only remaining link to Sunniva, was rarely on his mind, while the girl he barely knew rarely left it. Yet, this is a minor point an is only my personal opinion.
What makes this book - this entire series - amazing is that Harffy transports the reader into the 7th century. The lifestyles, the beliefs, the struggles, the raw reality of it. The reader may not always find themselves agreeing with Beobrand, but they will always be cheering for him.
What other book might you compare Blood and Blade to and why?
Comparable to Cornwell's Saxon Stories but with deeper and more complex characters.
Have you listened to any of Barnaby Edwards’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I have not listened to this narrator previously but enjoyed the spot-on production of this book. Could only have been better had the author read it himself.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Eddie
- 03-29-17
This series just gets better and better
What made the experience of listening to Blood and Blade the most enjoyable?
This is the 1st time I have listened to an audio book coupled with a kindle edition and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The narrator has done a great job bringing these characters and this world to life and I will certainly be looking for the next in the series.
What did you like best about this story?
I love the way Beobrand has grown over these books and how the characters from his past return as they try to extract their sworn vengeance as he tackles new quests while always looking over his shoulder for the troubles he has left behind.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I hate the author for disposing of some of my favourite likeable characters throughout the series but the fact that he is not afraid to do so mean you are never sure who will survive and this greatly enhances the book as you go through the many twists, turns peaks and troughs in Beobrands life.
Any additional comments?
The storyline here is fantastic and this is certainly the best in the series so far but as each book gets better and better I am really excited to see where this series will go next and do not want to see this series ever end.
I am so glad that I came across this author.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- P. Craine
- 10-09-17
Good old Beo
Another enjoyable book with more to come (thank the Gods)
I have no choice now but to read the next book.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Kurtis
- 12-25-16
A tale about the real Kings and Lords in the North
I liked Bernard Cornwall's Anglo Saxon Chronicles, but I loved this.
History brought to life.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Simon
- 12-31-17
Harffy Keeps Crunching Bones!
If I can enjoy three books in a row from the same series then the author and narrator must be doing something right. In this case they are doing a lot right and Matthew Harffy continues to deliver fast moving, skin-splitting, bone-cracking action in this the third of what I hope is a long-running series. Beobrand is once again put to the test as Harffy continues his skillful weaving of real history with his own bloodthirsty fictions. He once again has to deal with a host of enemies and difficulties and once again their resolution won’t make easy listening for the squeamish.
Possibly there will be a challenge for Harffy in avoiding it turning a little formulaic. Personally I’m quite okay with a good formula done well anyway and there is enough inventive scenario building in each novel to keep me interested.
All that said it has worked well enough for other more renowned authors so I’ll raise a horn of mead for this one any day of the week!
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- 11thc girl
- 03-20-20
A great tale!
The author's strength lies in his talent to tell a great tale. He has created great characters that are 3 dimensional, well developed as one would expect in a third book and empathic. Harffy has the talent to weave an excellent story mixed with the factual events that happened during the years the book his set. Beobrand is a character that one can easily warm to, tormented by his past, he evokes all the qualities in a hero, including the fact that he is flawed, does make mistakes and regrets the things he has to do in the name of honour and justice. The characters that surround him are also likeable, well developed individually, including the villains! One thing I really appreciated that there are NO SHIELD MAIDENS! yay! Not that I dislike the odd creation of a shield maiden or two, I am just fed up with the idea that has developed over the recent years that shield maidens were a thing, attending warrior 'schools' and even instructing men how to fight. The female characters are pretty true to the time in Harffy's Bernicia stories. they're not weak or subservient, but they are well embedded in their places in society.
Harffy's ability to use entertaining dialogue that animates the narrative is also one of his strengths as an author. In places however I felt the writing could have been better edited with occasional repetitiveness and too much explaining of characters inner thoughts and motives which the author is capable of showing through the action of his characters. Nonetheless, the presentation of this book makes it a great listen, read by the talented narrator who brings the book alive.
I am looking forward to the next instalment which is coming soon! Book 4 Killer of Kings!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Gordon Davis-Day
- 01-15-17
It gets better
It was a great follow up to book 2 and though it has been awhile since I have read it I felt like from the off set I was where I had left off, I feel that I have learned about some figures in history I never new about which is why I always appreciate the explanation in the author's notes. I couldn't see why there was a need for a fifth book but after hearing this it made total sense with new characters introduced we will get to hear about them, and this I look forward to, Barnaby Edwards has done a great job with engaging the listener especially with using regional dialects but if you have children about that you are cautious in the event they are swear sensitive. Don't however let this put you off from the Audio, insults were not uncommon in such times as they are today.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Mr Andrew Lush
- 02-09-22
Another good listen
Good follow up story read excellently by Barnaby Edwards. Good series to relax with.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- staghound
- 04-06-21
Another gripping tale in this series..
By now you can see I'm a fan of this series, interesting characters, historical context, and an imaginative glimpse into life in these times. It's fast paced and you wonder how the hero, Beobrand, can cope with the demands placed on him. They were tough men clearly,! A tale well told that draws you in, sit back and enjoy!
-
Overall

- Mrs. A. Kaye
- 11-14-20
Boys stuff
Sword and adventures as our hero conquers and kills all. Undemanding. But good, to relax too
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amazon Customer
- 06-03-20
Overall a good read
This is the second book in the series I have read.
The narration is good, the plot is enjoyable. However there is quite a bit of repetition of thought and at numerous points resemblance of a Mills and boon novel.
As I would presume this type of book is read mainly by the male half of the population looking for action/escapism novel with historical background, this for me devalues the read.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 04-13-21
Good Yarn
Characters are developing, some humor is being included and the plot and dialogue is improving. Going to have a crack at the next in the series.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Jevon
- 03-20-20
Epic!!
Pretty well spellbound by Harffy’s story and style throughout this series so far! Well woven scenes and visuals of that era, characters with many colours that he would have you second-guess, empathise and adore! Love the historical insights to the land and language! Looking forward to pushing forward in the epic, illustrious adventure!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 02-23-20
Transportted back to 6th century.
Particularly like the character development and camaraderie. Terrific narrator and an author who clearly loves the period and is expert in it.
I'm hooked. Up there with the best.