I was so excited that I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I anxiously await each book in this series. The Saxon Stories are Cornwell's best. Uhtred is a full character with a sense of humor, a bit of kindness and all to human flaws. I love this series so much we named the stray cat that walked out of the woods starving and fur-less and into our hearts Uhtred because he was a warrior overcoming great odds.