THE BURNING LAND

When he reads a monk's dubious account of a historic battle against the Danes, Uthred, a pagan serving a Christian king, tells listeners what really happened, with a beautiful Danish hostage ultimately coming between him and his king. Stephen Perring's voice is thoroughly modern but has enough hints of ninth-century England to make a lost pronunciation of London seem natural. Just about every emotion, from anger to playfulness, comes into the first-person account, and Perring brings each of those moods naturally into Cornwell's mesmerizing yarn. Listeners should be aware that this is a bloody account of a violent time in English history. But those looking for historical adventure won't be able to stop listening until the end. J.A.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2010]