Finally. The cohesive, character rich, fascinating installment I've been waiting for.

This 9th (?) Instalment of Uhtred's story is full of humour, fantastically drawn characters full and understandable. The environment, as ever, is superbly detailed, and the battle scenes are beautiful chaos.

This is in my top 3 books within the series. The story of Ida the Flamebearer is woven through Uhtred's own tale so brilliantly, and he, for once, feels real. He laughs, cries (believe it or not) and reacts as a person.

I'm excited to wrap up the series and have high hopes for the final 3 books.