British Justice in the Dock - and guilty as hell

The conditions in Wandsworth (and by extension in all British prisons) are truely appalling and seem to be designed to promote re-offending, mental illness, incapacity, failure.

A bit more than a small pleasure to read

It rattles along like one of those old south london suburban trains. Although the end is clearly telegraphed at the beginning and it is obvious that the conception will not turn out to have been immaculate, we are not sure exactly who is going to die, or exactly who the father was until the final chapters. Fortunately the ending is not a tacky romantic happy ending and the aftermath remains to be pondered on.

Along the way the suburban way of life in those days is well evoked; everyone with their eyes firmly on the ground and no-one looking around to question their circumstances - except perhaps Martha, and she is not painted in a sympathetic light. The shadows of wartime experiences are still deep, the consumption boom hasn't really started, convention rules.

Thank god for the sixties, what a shame about the eighties.

A Gripping Yarn

I greatly enjoyed this tale and found it engrossing and convincing in its painting of Danish/Viking life, perhaps slightly less convincing in the scenes in Wessex - was Alfred really running a kingdom effectively ruled by the church and priests.

But that's a minor quibble, and Uhtred's story and character is the centre of the tale and is a pleasure to ride along with.

I'm tempted to read the sequel - but there seem to be 12 more of them!