Death of Kings, by Bernard Cornwell

I've enjoyed following this series that tells the tale of the beginnings of Saxon England through the eyes of Lord Uhtred, a Viking warrior who comes to serve King Alfred the Great.  This story, the sixth in the series, begins in 899 A.D., the year of Alfred's death. King Alfred's death takes place at the beginning of this story, and so we follow Lord Uhtred, now a middle-aged warrior, as he defends the fledgling England from invading Danes and other rivals for the throne, which has been awarded to Alfred's son, Edward. Uhtred is a fun character, all man and thoroughly pagan, which makes his devotion to Alfred, the Christian, very unusual.  The stories are filled with lots of gritty battles, but are also solidly steeped in the political intrigues of the day.  Uhtred, the Danish pagan, also allows Cornwell to show the contrast between the beliefs of the Danes and the Christian views, at times to humorous effect.  Cornwell is a very convincing writer, and brings this period to life.  320 pages