My Review of The Final Reckoning by Chris Bishop

Blurb

Despite Alfred's great victory at Edington, Wessex is far from secure.

With the threat of an imminent Viking attack, Matthew, now a warrior, is sent to fortify and defend the ford at Leatherhead. There, hopelessly outnumbered, he faces his sternest test as he and a small band of barely trained Saxon warriors strive to hold out long enough for help to arrive or resolve to die trying.

In a time ravaged by political uncertainty, Matthew is placed in intense personal danger as he is also ordered to investigate the tyranny of the Ealdorman's stepson and dispense justice as he sees fit.

With his life still threatened by the wound to his chest, what is asked of him seems more than any man should endure as he faces . . . The Final Reckoning  

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My Review:

The Final Reckoning is Book 3 in Chris Bishop's Shadow of the Raven series but worked perfectly well as a stand alone novel.  I can vouch for this as The Final Reckoning was my first exciting encounter with Matthew, the protagonist. Bishop does a fantastic job of keeping new readers aware of relevant characters and events from the past without ever overshadowing the present narrative. The author writes in such a way as to suggest that Matthew carried the past with him, as we all do, and uses this to enhance our understandingand enjoyment of the The Final Reckoning.

The story is told through a first person narrative which is enjoyable as Matthew is such a likable character whom the reader immediately warms too. In a time of status he's meritocratic and judges people according to their character as opposed to their station in life. This endears to both those he meets and the reader too.

Universal themes dominate the novel. One example is when Matthew is torn between personal duty and fealty to Alfred and the dilemma seemed both realistic and heartfelt. Even a lord has to do what is expected of him and subjugate his own desires.

Matthew's friendship and trust in Aelred, amongst others, is by far my favourite part of The Final Reckoning. The dialogue between them was natural, moved the story along effectively and had me rooting for them both to survive an expected Viking invasion that dominates the narrative. 

I look forward to returning to the beginning of Matthew's adventures sometime soon.

Thank you to Kelly at Love Books Groups for inviting me on the tour and providing an ebook.