In Bernard Cornwell's eighth Saxon novel, the ruler of Mercia faces imminent death with no clear successor, leaving the kingdom vulnerable to rival powers. A formidable noblewoman emerges as the kingdom's only hope, but no English kingdom has ever been ruled by a woman. Without her greatest warrior, Uhtred of Bebbanburg, by her side, she must navigate the treacherous struggle for the throne against the ambitions of West Saxons and Viking invaders alike.
