This book starts a few years after the last book. Uhtred is married with two kids and another on the way. He’s pretty unhappy for most of the book. He longs to do anything but serve Alfred. The entire book is spent in and around London. I thought this would be the first of this series that I didn’t give five stars to but in the end I did enjoy it just as much as the previous books. ( )

Another very enjoyable book, gotta go to the library tomorrow and pick up the next couple. ( )

El guerrero Uhtred, ahora casado, con dos hijos y propietario de tierras, parece destinado a gozar de una paz semejante a la que hay en Inglaterra, donde el reino danés del norte y el reino sanón de Wessex inician una nueva etapa de paz. Pero los vikingos siguen al acecho en Londinium, dispuestos a conquistar Wessex, para lo cual precisan la ayuda del su viejo camarada Uhtred. Por su parte, el rey Alfredo el Grande confía en que sea él quien encabece una operación destinada a expulsar a los vikingos, lo que llevará a Uhtred a enfrentarse de nuevo a su ambivalente identidad, y a poner en la balanza su origen vikingo y la lealtad a su rey; en cualqueir caso, su ardor guerrero pesará más que la placidez familiar.

»I only need repent, they say, and I will go to heaven and live for evermore in the blessed company of the saints.
And I would rather burn till time itself burns out.«
(Same here!)

“Sword Song” is yet another great entry in this series! Uthred is supposed to capture Lundene - London - for King Alfred as a wedding present to Aethelflaed and Aethelred.

Of course, Uthred prevails but only after a lot of water (and blood) runs down the Thames…

At least, though, for a while Uthred can truthfully state »We were so happy.« - a very much deserved state of mind for both Gisela and him.

We get to see some more humour in this book as well…

»I killed that ship’s crew to save myself having to kill hundreds of other Danes.”
“The Lord Jesus would have wanted you to show mercy,” she said, her eyes wide.

She is an idiot.«

I would have immediately read on in Uthred’s story but I don’t want to burn out my reading interest in him so I’ve temporarily gone on a different reading path!

Meanwhile, four stars out of five for this book!

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Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam ( )

The year is 885, and England is at peace, divided between the Danish kingdom and the Saxon kingdom of Wessex. Uhtred has land, a wife, and children, and a duty to King Alfred to hold the frontier on the Thames. New Vikings have invaded the decayed Roman city of London with dreams of conquering Wessex…with Uhtred’s help. Suddenly forced to weigh his oath to the king against the dangerous turning tide of shifting allegiances and deadly power struggles, Uhtred-Alfred’s sharpest sword-must now make the choice. ( )