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Killer of Kings (The Bernicia Chronicles Book 4) Kindle Edition

by Matthew Harffy (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,172 ratings
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AD 636. Anglo-Saxon Britain.
Beobrand has land, men and riches. He should be content. And yet he cannot find peace until his enemies are food for the ravens. But before Beobrand can embark on his bloodfeud, King Oswald orders him southward, to escort holy men bearing sacred relics.

When Penda of Mercia marches a warhost into the southern kingdoms, Beobrand and his men are thrown into the midst of the conflict. Beobrand soon finds himself fighting for his life and his honour.

In the chaos that grips the south, dark secrets are exposed, bringing into question much that Beobrand had believed true. Can he unearth the answers and exact the vengeance he craves? Or will the blood-price prove too high, even for a warrior of his battle-fame and skill?
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Previous page
  1. Book 4 of 10
    The Bernicia Chronicles
  2. Print length
    386 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book
  6. Publication date
    June 1, 2017
  7. File size
    5405 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“PRAISE FOR THE BERNICIA CHRONICLES SERIES:

'Murder, betrayal and vengeance fuel tribal warfare and personal combat. Beobrand is the warrior to follow' David Gilman.

'Historical fiction doesn't get much better than this' Angus Donald, author of The Outlaw Chronicles.

'Matthew Harffy's tale of England in the Dark Ages is nothing less than superb'” ―Historical Novel Society

About the Author

Matthew Harffy grew up in Northumberland where the rugged terrain, ruined castles and rocky coastline had a huge impact on him. He now lives in Wiltshire, England, with his wife and their two daughters. Matthew is the author of the critically acclaimed Bernicia Chronicles and A Time for Swords series, and he also presents the popular podcast, Rock, Paper, Swords!, with fellow author Steven A. McKay.

Follow Matthew at @MatthewHarffy and www.matthewharffy.com.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01M9D3EQP
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book; 1st edition (June 1, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 1, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5405 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 386 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,172 ratings

About the author

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Matthew Harffy

Matthew Harffy

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Matthew Harffy lived in Northumberland as a child and the area had a great impact on him. The rugged terrain, ruined castles and rocky coastline made it easy to imagine the past. Decades later, a documentary about Northumbria's Golden Age sowed the kernel of an idea for a series of historical fiction novels. The first of them is the action-packed tale of vengeance and coming of age, THE SERPENT SWORD.

Matthew has worked in the IT industry, where he spent all day writing and editing, just not the words that most interested him. Prior to that he worked in Spain as an English teacher and translator. Matthew lives in Wiltshire, England, with his wife and their two daughters.

For all the latest news and exclusive competitions, join Matthew online:

www.matthewharffy.com

twitter.com/@MatthewHarffy

www.facebook.com/MatthewHarffyAuthor

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
3,172 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

VAM
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Entertainment!
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2021
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If one reads for pleasure and enjoys historical fiction with interesting characters, plenty of action, and intriguing time and place, this well written series is for you. I have thoroughly enjoyed the four books that I have read to date, and look forward to the next volume.
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EdgeWise
4.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2017
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Great read. I have been a avid fan of Harffy's ever since reading the first book in this series The serpent sword. This is a great book about the Saxon people who have settled in England and gives a good glimpse into the violent and hard times that were the early dark ages of England, before King Alfred the great. The story is told through the eyes of Beobrand a young warrior who comes to Northumbria to from Kent. This particular book is the 4th in the series. You definitely want to start with the first, Serpent sword. Anyways this book finds Beo riding south from Northubria on a errand for his king through hostile territory, this book like the first three is full of action, blood feuds and the roaring clash of the shield wall and it grabs your attention from beginning to end. I really enjoy his development of the main character Beobrand and how Beo is constantly at odds with his inner demon his anger, temper and quickness to resort to violence with out thinking of the consequences, and how he fears that he is just like his father was, a mean bully who loved to hurt people, and that he will become just like him or maybe he already is just like him. Anyways this is a action packed story of the sword song and about a blood feud and how far some will go to claim it. If you enjoy Bernard Cornwell then you will love this series!
3 people found this helpful
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Marilyn
5.0 out of 5 stars another great adventure
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2023
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It was easy to immerse myself straight into this third story about Beobrand. I’m still wondering who the men in the prologue were though.
But anyway, where is Beobrand when we meet him? He’s in trouble again albeit not of his making. He’s on a mission to deliver monks and gifts to King Sigeberht, but ends up involved in a battle of which he shouldn’t be a part. While he’s so far, Rowena is becoming more and more upset with Reaghan. Bad things are brewing back in the homestead. These characters are so real. I feel like I really know them.
So there was excellent storytelling of these two different situations. I was always excited to get back to the story to see what would happen next to our beloved characters. So many questions I had. Will Beo ever get revenge against Wybert? Is Reaghan safe without Beo around? Will more close friends lose their lives in these battles? Is Nelda still interfering in Beo’s life and will she get her revenge?
These are answered and I can’t imagine what’s next!
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JGD
5.0 out of 5 stars Another great installment in this compelling series.
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2017
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I've enjoyed all the Bernicia Chronicles novels and this one was no exception. An exciting trip through Anglo Saxon England in the 7th century, full of action, brutal battle scenes and memorable characters. Well researched and well written it's very hard to put down until the final page. If you like Cornwell or Giles Kristian you'll love this!
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Another good installment.
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2023
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Another good book in the series. A little disjointed in the middle third but that is a very minor criticism. I will get the next book.
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B Daven
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must read series!
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2021
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This is one of the most addictive, page turning historical fiction series I've ever read. The characters' emotions are felt by the reader, and the suspenseful and realistically written battle scenes are top notch.
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C. David Bridges
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting story, distracting use of language
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2020
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this is a tale about a little known period of English history. It seems to be part of a series, but I have not read anything else by this author. I have to confess my irritation at the way the author makes his characters speak. They just don't seem genuine and it is distracting . I assume the author has spent some time researching the words and spelling, and I am sure some of it is authentically used. But some of it isn't quite right at all.
One person found this helpful
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Arthurian
5.0 out of 5 stars This series is a great summer read. I loved it.
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2017
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Because I got this on my kindle, read it for free program, I just assumed that you get what you pay for. I started with book 1 and read all four chronicles in 10 days. I really liked them. I would have liked them at $10.00 per book, if you are fascinated by the middle ages, you will like this series.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Robin Isard
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
Reviewed in Canada on August 25, 2022
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This is a hard book to review without throwing out spoilers. I don’t like doing that generally, as it kills the suspense for anyone wanting to read it. In short, this is a great book!

Killer of Kings brings closure to some of the threads running through the previous books, going all the way back to The Serpent Sword. Beobrands travels even take him back to his home village, and this book brings the first books together the way the last book in a trilogy does (even though there are four books). That’s not to say there isn’t anything to look forward to: there are definitely irons left in the fire, and I’m really looking forward to seeing where Beobrand goes next!

The storytelling is very tight and polished, which is one of the reasons it’s hard to write a review without giving away the character’s fates. Harffy doesn’t waste a sentence. I will say there’s the usual dynamic action that one expects from a Matthew Harffy book.

Highly recommended!
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Tonto Kowalski
5.0 out of 5 stars Beobrand is in thick of it (again)
Reviewed in Germany on May 9, 2023
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Beobrand gets send on a diplomatic, or rather ecclesiastical, mission. He is tasked with escorting monks and holy relics to the king of another kingdom. And promptly gets drawn into defending said kingdom from attack. At the same time, back home, an old enemy of his is plotting revenge.

Dark, brutal, gritty and full of atmosphere. Harffy is able to create a sense of the life the people were leading in the 7th century: short, tough and brutal. Gripping fiction, looking forward to more. Very interesting to see the development and growth of the main character over time.
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Clemens Schoonderwoert
5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Slayer of Royals!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 14, 2021
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This tremendous historical novel is the 4th volume of the fantastic "Bernicia Chronicles" series from the author, Matthew Harffy.

Story-telling is once more of a top-notch quality, all characters featuring in this great tale, whether they are real historical or wonderful fictional, come superbly to life, while the atmosphere and inhabitants of Albion in the Dark Ages are amazingly well pictured by the author.

Right inside the book you'll find two well-drawn maps, one of Albion in AD 636, and of Northumbria, divided in Bernicia and Deira, and its various neighbouring kingdoms.

At the beginning of the book you'll notice a list of Place Names that will play an important part in this wonderful historical adventure.

While at the back of the book you'll encounter a very well documented Historical Note, where the historical details are superbly explained by the author.

This book is mainly situated in the year AD 636, and we find our main protagonist, Beobrand, in various parts of Albion, first of all he's being sent south on a mission to escort two clerics, his friend Coenred and the elder Gothfraidh, to deliver two relics towards East Angeln as gifts to the former King and warrior, but now holy man and future Saint, Sigeberht, and the now King Ecgric, and while travelling there he will rescue a nun, Edmonda, and bring her safe and sound to East Angeln, and afterwards to Cantware.

What is to follow is a fabulous action-packed adventure in which at first Beobrand and his gesithas will participate in the Battle at the Great Dyke with King Ecgric and the reluctant Sigeberht against the hordes of the pagan King Penda of Mercia, secondly we will see Beobrand as a confident but also as an uncertain individual when encountering in his home-town of Hithe his old friend Alwyn and his family, a visit to his former lover Udela and her hostile husband Scrydan will turn violently against Scrydan and Beobrand has to leave that place in haste, while also the meeting with his father/uncle Selwyn will be bittersweet for Beobrand, while thirdly and finally he will get his blood-price by ending the blood-feud that existed between himself and his adversary of old, Wybert, as a revenge for the horrible violations Wybert did towards Beobrand's now dead wife, Sunniva.

Highly recommended to all lovers of Bernard Cornwell's Uhtred series, for this Beobrand is equally cunning, fearsome, loveable, courageous, insecure, superstitious and loyal to his Kings, Lords, his friends and gesithas, and all these human features will make this series just as formidable and enjoyable as the Uhtred series, and so to come back to this episode I like to call it: "An Amazing Slayer of Royals"!
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antony brennan
5.0 out of 5 stars The story lines are compelling and there are twists and turns and shocks built in to every one.
Reviewed in Australia on June 6, 2017
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He does not think of himself as a hero, yet in the ale houses they sing of his battles and activities from his first skirmishes up until his present actions in recent battles.

Harffy writes him well, develops his character as he grows into the hardened warrior he has become. Kings, Eorls and Lords know his name and his fame. Although torn and tormented within he is a champion amongst men.

As with the previous novels Beobrand fights mostly for the honour and safety of others. The story lines are compelling and there are twists and turns and shocks built in to every one.

Harffy' Bernicia tales are great reading. He brings the period alive with a gritty realism, he fills it with people you can believe existed.

We have to wait until next year for the next edition. Hurry up Harffy, it's tool long.
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Astrid
4.0 out of 5 stars Killer of Kings - englisch gelesen! geht so halbwegs
Reviewed in Germany on April 20, 2023
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Ich habe die 1. drei Bände von Harffy gelesen, war natürlich neugierig, wie es wohl weitergeht.... aber! ich habe heraus gefunden, dass es bis jetzt 9 (NEUN!!!) Bände insgesamt gibt, ab Band 4 alle in englischer Sprache. Also habe ich Band 4 englisch bestellt, wer halbwegs englisch kann, für den ist es wenig Mühe, die Folge zu lesen, obwohl natürlich Wörter vorkommen, die mir nicht geläufig waren, bezogen sich allerdings meist auf die Schlachten, also venrachlässigbar!
Ich habe nur 4 Sterne vergeben, da es nicht mehr so spannend und packend weitergeht wie in den ersten 3 Bänden, aber doch irgendwie unterhaltsam, obwohl oft so grausam. Auch löst sich endlich das Rätsel um seine Herkunft, was mich ja dazu bewogen hat, diese Serie weiterzulesen!
Ich habe den deutschen Verlag, der die ersten 3 Bände herausgegeben hat, angeschrieben, leider ist an eine Übersetzung der weiteren Bände nicht gedacht, schade!
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