The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Winning lines from the book:
On Vikings (Danes) as "savage pagans":
"When folk speak of the Danes these days they have an idea that they were all savage pagans, unthinking in their terrible violence, but most were like Svein and feared losing men. That was always the great Danish fear, and the Danish weakness." (p.79)
On reputation:
"And that too was the truth, that a man cannot step back from a fight and stay a man. We make much in this life if we are able. We make children and wealth and amass land and build halls and assemble armies and give great feasts, but only one thing survives us. Reputation. I could not walk away." (p.137)
On harsh realizations:
"There comes a moment in life when we see ourselves as others see us. I suppose that is part of growing up, and it is not always comfortable." (p.155)
On taking notes:
"Beocca was not writing. He knew when he was hearing nonsense and he was not going to waste scarce ink on bad ideas." (p.206)
On one of the reasons why King Alfred the Great was able to unite England:
"Battle, for most of us, was a hammering rage, nothing clever, a killing orgy, but Alfred saw it as a competition of wisdom, or perhaps as a game of tall that took cleverness to win. That, I am sure, was how he saw our two armies, as tall pieces on their chequered board." (p.336)
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