I feel like Alfred the Great is one of those people we’ve probably all heard of.. but know really little about and it was just waiting for the right person to ignite the passion in a story about the man and McKay certainly knows how to do that with a bang!

Firstly, don’t worry If you’ve not had chance to read the first book in the series.. while I’m of course going to tell you to grab a copy it’s most certainly not needed to understand the tale and characters as the author does a outstanding job of laying the foundations of the tale and building as he goes, everything fits perfect so just when you want a bit of background on a character and their motivations etc it’s there.. so beautifully woven it’s almost effortless to read.

Alfred has been defeated and betrayed but he’s not out of the fight yet.. it’s time for Alfred to shine. Where book 1 dealt with Alfred’s rise and fall from power book2 deals with the fall out, and most importantly his personal growth as he tries to maintain but also grow his support to take back the land from the Dane invaders!

What I really loved was while there’s more than enough action for the fans it’s tempered with a more personal side as we see him struggle with his own health, those of his friends, guilt at the cost of war and most importantly to him.. wishing to keep his family safe. It’s a perilous time but I loved the human touch given to Alfred with those special moments with his family. Those pages really made you understand that being King isn’t always a good thing.. sometimes it’s clear being born into royalty could have been seen as a curse.. power and fame yes.. but the pressure.. the utter fear of betrayal or worse death.. yeah no thanks.

Alfred soon sets about attacking the Danes in hit and run attacks.. bringing them down little by little. For him and his men this is quite fun actually and you can feel the excitement they feel enacting revenge on the invaders.

The Danes won’t sit by for too long though and it’s a race for Alfred to complete his new fortress before the Danes mount their attack.

I’ll try to write as spoiler free as I can but this Is where the tale really gets juicy.

As Alfred’s power grows and the Danes are chased from his land we see the compassion the King has, allowing conversion to Christianity rather than death. It’s a pivotal moment for Alfred and shows what kind of man he is.

The decision is costly.. it does work but at the same time Alfred is blind to those who may see his compassion as a weakness and use that against him.

When Danes return to Alfred’s lands they are in for a shock as the men of Wessex have been busy rebuilding and strengthening…not only on land but also the sea defences and I particularly loved the ship-based fighting scenes.

The Danes don’t really want to give up and as time goes on it’s clear Alfred needs to look closer to home for his enemies as betrayal seems to be a shadow that’s chasing him.. this Shadow comes out into the light towards the end of the book in some very hard hitting moments.. most certainly the wow factor chapter.

Alfred didn’t help himself though.. sometimes he made enemies without even meaning too but it’s the poison spoke from others that clearly seals the deal and sets the next instalment up to be the most exciting yet.

There’s also times where those who betrayed him need to be forgiven and brought back into the fold for the benefit of everyone and you can see how shrewd Alfred and his advisors would have need to be to manage this.

Development wise this plot had everything, we explore the connections Alfred has made, even down to the lowest man.. Alfred has earned their respect and he’s loyal to his men too, he hates to see them fall in battle but does everything within his power to see them safe and repaid in full for their support.

Alfred shines in this book in many ways, but none stand out more than his reforms, not only does he look to the security of the land but he looks at education too, so many dismiss the need but Alfred can see its importance to the future of his kingdom.

To say it’s a 5* read is an understatement so lets go ahead for a David’s Book Blurg first and say its a 5* PLUS read!..it just ticks so many boxes and is so beautifully executed.

The one only downside is only that I wish the publisher could offer hardbacks of the series.. if any series deserved to be in hardback its this one.