I have read a lot of Anglo-Saxon fiction and non-fiction and it is my favourite period of English/British history. So I had high expectations of this book. I was sure it won't be as good as The Last Kingdom, because that would be a high standard to set. Sadly, even without that, the book was disappointing and boring at times.

This tale of Anglo-Saxon England is a very hard sell. Putting aside all the problems I have with the portrayal of Anglo-Saxon England itself, the characters in this book are both clunky and stereotypical. There is nothing new here - if you've read The Last Kingdom books you need to steer well clear of this poorly envisaged attempt at telling the story of Alfred's flight from the invading Vikings. Somehow, and I'm not sure how, the author has managed to make the Viking invasion 'boring'!
It's as though the author has been given a list of things he needs to include in the book and has gone out of his way to include them a) an unsure novice worrying about his faith b) a bereaved warrior c) a religious (and quite delusional) King Alfred d) cold weather e) mud f)an enemy in the midst of the allies g) an old bishop etc etc.. It's beyond tedious and I'm only half way through it.
The author, along with his A-Z list, has also decided, or been told, that the 'modern' reader can't cope with 'proper' Anglo Saxon names and so they're hideously mangled or just downright ignored.
The only woman in the story is forced into sexual slavery for absolutely no reason I can fathom and has a very un-Anglo Saxon sounding name and while the author may be trying to reveal the nature of Anglo-Saxon society and how it functions, so far every attempt has backfired, and been weakly portrayed.
I am trying to finish the book, in the hope it has some redeeming features, but I'm struggling because as soon as something almost 'good' happens the author fails to follow up on the opportunity. I do not know how this novel has any 5 star reviews - I have my suspicions.
Overall this novel is not a good addition to the Anglo-Saxon historical fiction already available.