Promotional Information

/ Key title Continuing the outstanding success of The Last Kingdom, The Pale Horseman is the second installment of Bernard Cornwell's fantastic series, following the fate of Alfred the Great ,and the forging of Britain. / The Pale Horseman was a top 5 bestseller in hardback / With his staggering Grail Quest, Warlord and Sharpe series Bernard Cornwell has cemented his position as a virtuoso of historical fiction / This new novel, of heroic deeds, bloody battles and the struggle to unite Britain in the face of a common enemy, will delight all his fans and recruit many new readers to his fantastic writing / With large-scale promotion and advertising this is set to be a major summer bestseller / Competition: Conn Iggulden, Patrick o'Brian

About the Author

Bernard Cornwell was born in London, raised in Essex and worked for the BBC for eleven years before meeting Judy, his American wife. Denied an American work permit he wrote a novel instead and has been writing ever since. He and Judy divide their time between Cape Cod and Charleston, South Carolina.

Reviews

Praise for The Pale Horseman: 'Bernard Cornwell is a literary miracle. Year after year, hail, rain, snow, war and political upheavals fail to prevent him from producing the most entertaining and readable historical novels of his generation.' Daily Mail 'Cornwell's narration is quite masterly and supremely well-researched.' Observer 'It is stirring stuff, and few writers are better qualified than Cornwell to do justice to the excitement of the times...Ninth-century Britain and a master of storytelling -- it is a marriage made in heaven.' Sunday Telegraph 'Cornwell's mastery of historical sources and his aptitude for battle scenes is well established...the language, and particularly the dialogue, is raw and unarchaic, rich in insults and Anglo-Saxon expletives.' Times Literary Supplement More praise for 'The Pale Horseman': '!as an unsentimental, psychologically astute portrait of fighting men, it has all his old verve and polish.' The Sunday Telegraph 'This is sweeping, atmospheric, old-fashioned story telling' The Times 'It is a compelling yarn, cleverly suffused with period detail, which evokes the brutality and earthiness of medieval life, and leaves you hungry for more.' Mail on Sunday

Praise for The Pale Horseman: 'Bernard Cornwell is a literary miracle. Year after year, hail, rain, snow, war and political upheavals fail to prevent him from producing the most entertaining and readable historical novels of his generation.' Daily Mail 'Cornwell's narration is quite masterly and supremely well-researched.' Observer 'It is stirring stuff, and few writers are better qualified than Cornwell to do justice to the excitement of the times...Ninth-century Britain and a master of storytelling -- it is a marriage made in heaven.' Sunday Telegraph 'Cornwell's mastery of historical sources and his aptitude for battle scenes is well established...the language, and particularly the dialogue, is raw and unarchaic, rich in insults and Anglo-Saxon expletives.' Times Literary Supplement More praise for 'The Pale Horseman': '!as an unsentimental, psychologically astute portrait of fighting men, it has all his old verve and polish.' The Sunday Telegraph 'This is sweeping, atmospheric, old-fashioned story telling' The Times 'It is a compelling yarn, cleverly suffused with period detail, which evokes the brutality and earthiness of medieval life, and leaves you hungry for more.' Mail on Sunday

The ninth century witnessed the beginning of deadly raids and incursions along England's coastlines and waterways as Danes went a-Viking in search of riches of gold and silver and, most important, land. Opposing the invaders was the king of Wessex, Alfred the Great. Best-selling author Cornwell (Sharpe's Escape) explores this tumultuous period through the eyes of a Saxon nobleman's son. Ten-year-old Uhtred joins his father in battle to save their land of Northumbria from invasion. During the conflict, in which his father is killed, Uhtred is captured by the Danes and spends the next several years as the adopted son of war-leader Ragnar. Even after returning to his own people, Uhtred finds his loyalty torn. He despises the priest-ridden, sickly King Alfred and admires the Viking warriors who raised him. As a third-generation Dane, this reviewer can't help but root for the Danes right along with Uhtred. It doesn't hurt that Cornwell has clearly made them the more sympathetic and interesting characters. Another great historical series in the making, this is highly recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/04.]-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Municipal Libs., AK Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.