The Empty Throne: A Novel (Saxon Tales) by…

The Empty Throne: A Novel (Saxon Tales) (edition 2016)

by Bernard Cornwell (Author)

Series: The Saxon Chronicles (8)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
988	19	21,086	(4.09)	21
Britain, early 10th century AD: a time of change. There are new raids by the Vikings from Ireland, and turmoil among the Saxons over the leadership of Mercia. A younger generation is taking over. Æthelred, the ruler of Mercia, is dying, leaving no legitimate heir. The West Saxons want their king, but Uhtred has long supported Æthelflaed, sister to King Edward of Wessex and widow of Æthelred. Widely loved and respected, Æthelflaed has all the makings of a leader -- but could Saxon warriors ever accept a woman as their ruler? The stage is set for rivals to fight for the empty throne. Uhtred is still suffering from the wounds he received in battle. To recover his strength he needs to find the sword that caused the injury, but lost amid the battle's blood and mud, how could it be traced and who among the Vikings or Saxons might be holding it? In the end it is one champion, one hero, who will destroy the new Viking threat to Mercia and ultimately decide the fate of England.… (more)

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Member:	yeremenko
Title:	The Empty Throne: A Novel (Saxon Tales)
Authors:	Bernard Cornwell (Author)
Info:	Harper Paperbacks (2016), Edition: Reprint, 320 pages
Collections:	Your library, read, Read but unowned, 2016
Rating:
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The Empty Throne by Bernard Cornwell

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Fin Gall (The Norsemen Saga, #1) by James L. Nelson (caimanjosh)
caimanjosh: Fans of this book (and any others in his Saxon Tales) will quite enjoy Fin Gall. Both are Viking-era historical fiction with good characterization, a strong sense of historical detail, and are cracking good reads. Fin Gall takes place in Ireland rather than England, so those tired of medieval England might find the setting change refreshing.… (more)

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Another one I forgot to update but this might be one of my favorite books in the series. A lot of times some series start to lose their luster after a ton of entries…not this one. (

)

MrMet | Apr 28, 2023 |

Britain, early tenth century AD: a time of change. There are raids by the Vikings from Ireland, and turmoil among the Saxons over the leadership of Mercia. A younger generation is taking over.
When Ethelred, the ruler of Mercia, dies, he leaves no heir. The West Saxons want their king, but Uhtred has long supported Ethelfraed, sister to King Edward of Wessex and widow of Ethelred. (

)

creighley | Aug 8, 2022 |

Book #8 is the Saxon Tales series. Most of the action that takes place here is in Mercia and tells how King Alfred's daughter, Lady Aethelflaed, comes to assume the Mercian throne. Stiorra, Uhtred's daughter, rides off into the sunset with Dane, Sigtryggr, with Uhtred's understanding. There were fewer battle scenes in this book and hence it gained another half star. IMHO, Cornwell seems to be a master of the historical fiction. 325 pages (

)

Tess_W | May 1, 2022 |

Uhtred is deathly ill from the wounding he suffered in /The Pagan Lord/. Still, he is near the frontline defenses when political intrigue and assassination threaten Alfred’s dream of a united England.

In this story, Mercia still fights to vanquish the pagans from its borders. Athelred, severely wounded in the same battle as Uhtred, succumbs to his injury. His seat in Mercia is in contention, as he has no male heir. Edward, as the king in Wessex, makes his next move to absorb Mercia. His greatest obstacle is his sister, the Lady Athelflaed. Uhtred’s sworn oath to her leads him to use his talents to place her in the throne. At the same time, he must fulfill his oath to protect Edward’s eldest son Athelstan.

Another enjoyable voyage through medieval Britain as we watch the birth of England. (

)

AMKitty | Jan 23, 2022 |

Ha! I thought this series had plateaued a book or so ago, only to continue ploughing through then, and now this - really well done. The plot here moves beyond some of the formulaic plotting of the preceding book or two. I enjoyed how Uhtred’s children now play a role in the story.

I think I’ve caught up to where the action of the TV series left off, so now time to forge ahead. (

)

jimgosailing | Nov 18, 2021 |

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Belongs to Series

The Saxon Chronicles (8)

Is contained in

The Saxon Tales Collection: Books #5-8: The Burning Land, Death of Kings, The Pagan Lord, and The Empty Throne by Bernard Cornwell

Bernard Cornwell Warrior Chronicles Series 8 Books Set (The Pagan Lord, Death of Kings, The Lord of the North, Sword Song, The Burning Land, The Pale Horseman, The Last Kingdom, The Empty Throne) by Bernard Cornwell

The Last Kingdom Series 11 Books Collection Set (1-11)(Death of Kings,Warriors of the Storm,The Pagan Lord,The Empty Throne,The Last Kingdom,The Lord of the North,Sword Song,The Burning Land... by Bernard Cornwell

Has the adaptation

The Last Kingdom: Season 4 by Stephen Butchard

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Canonical title

The Empty Throne

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2014-09-16

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Uhtred of Bebbanburg

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Viking Age

Middle Ages

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The Empty Throne

▾Book descriptions

Britain, early 10th century AD: a time of change. There are new raids by the Vikings from Ireland, and turmoil among the Saxons over the leadership of Mercia. A younger generation is taking over. Æthelred, the ruler of Mercia, is dying, leaving no legitimate heir. The West Saxons want their king, but Uhtred has long supported Æthelflaed, sister to King Edward of Wessex and widow of Æthelred. Widely loved and respected, Æthelflaed has all the makings of a leader -- but could Saxon warriors ever accept a woman as their ruler? The stage is set for rivals to fight for the empty throne. Uhtred is still suffering from the wounds he received in battle. To recover his strength he needs to find the sword that caused the injury, but lost amid the battle's blood and mud, how could it be traced and who among the Vikings or Saxons might be holding it? In the end it is one champion, one hero, who will destroy the new Viking threat to Mercia and ultimately decide the fate of England.

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