Benjamin MerkleWhite Horse King

There's not a lot of biographies about Alfred the Great, at least for e-readers. There is this jewel, however, that reads like a novel, partly because he had such an interesting and meaningful life. Growing up he never knew a time when his world wasn't being ravaged by Vikings, who regularly took slaves and destroyed everything in their wake. Everyone feared them, they seemed unstoppable. Their victims paid them the dane-geld just to go away, but that only worked for a short time.Alfred was pious but practical and forward-thinking. How he succeeded in ultimately stopping the Viking hordes from taking over the entire country is riveting reading, but he never rested on his laurels or stopped working for the betterment of his people. He truly was a great King..

I enjoyed The Last Kingdom TV series on BBC America and was pleased to find how closely the series followed the history as presented in The White Horse King. The book is easy to read and for the most part moves quickly. Not a stodgy history book.

This book was a complete page turner from beginning to end. The author keeps you captivated within the storyline until the very last page. This book uncovered so much detail and history from King Alfred's time. The many trials and tribulations and moments of mercy was just an amazing read. He laid the foundation for the fortifications of his cities, literacy, and law for his time. As relentless as the Viking Raiders were to overcome England, so were the efforts of King Alfred to continuously deter their advances. 5 Stars and recommended reading for anyone curious about early English history and its many important foundational elements that culminated into the well established country of England.

I found the first few chapter of, The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great , by Benjamin Merkle, to be rather dry. I continued on as I had a review to write, I'm glad I did. ::grin::King Alfred united Anglo-Saxon England against a Viking invasion, led the English into battle against the Danish hordes, created a renaissance of literature and the arts, reformed the legal system, and set the stage for a revival of Christian worship. But that's not what made him great. Benjamin Merkle unravels the tale of how a great man came to power during one of the most difficult periods in English history, how he led his nation through them, and how he laid the groundwork for England's coming triumphs on the global stage.I have taught about the Vikings raids every four years - but I had never gotten beyond the information provided in our text books. I was sickened by descriptions of Viking brutality and torture. I'll probably not be able to watch "How to Train Your Dragon" again. King Alfred shines in the midst of this setting. I was amazed as I read of his truly Christian response towards enemies. I found inspiration in Benjamin's description of Alfred's battle technique. The picture of warriors, lined up side by side, shields interlocked and moving forward stays with me. When one would get wounded, another would step into his place. As long as all held their place the shieldwall was virtually impenetrable. Centuries before John Wycliffe, Alfred was translating the Bible into the Anglo Saxon language. Alfred laid the ground work for a united England."...he was a fierce warrior, a devout Christian ever thirsting for wisdom, deeply committed to justice, a lover of mercy, and a king who gave himself for his people. He was practically a myth and a much-needed reality. He was the king of the Whitehorse- Alfred the Great."I recommend this book if you are a lover of history, if you are looking for a "hero" for young boys, and/or if you are a teacher.Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

LOVE this book. Merkle does a fantastic job in writing a bio about a king that is action packed! Wow!Alfred “The Great” laid the foundation for what is now England and without him So much about England would not be what it is !!!I learned something new on every page! He writes with such passion about Alfred that many times I would remind myself that this book was indeed a non fiction bio not a fictional story about a hero king (even though it’s overwhelmingly clear from Merkle’s Precision research it is all true! ) I also found myself using my kindle highlighter and taking down so many notes when reading this book, even though I was just reading it for pleasure. I am a 42 yr old actor & momthet who simply loves history!He really brings the battles between the Vikings and Saxons to life. Not only with descriptions of the physical wars, but also the mental, political, and religious inclinations of both sides.It was one of those books that when it was done, I wanted to know more and wished I could hop on a plane to go visit all the places that were mentioned in the book!

A well written book about the truly great king of early England. The author wrote this book as a side interest while pursuing graduate work and I must say he did an excellent job combing through both the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and Asser's biography of Alfred. If your looking for an exhaustive scholarly work then this may not be the book for you but if you are looking for a readable overview of who the great king Alfred was and the things he accomlished that earned him the title Great then look no further.

Many modern citizens of the world know very little regarding Britain's very early history. Although this book deals with only one aspect of that history, it gives a picture of the era as well as a detailed account of Alfred the Great. It details many of the accomplishments of the man. It is detailed but moves quickly, keeping your attention. For us unscholarly types, it gives a flavor of the era and satisfies, for me at least, a desire for further knowledge. Highly recommended.

This is a very readable, enjoyable account of Alfred's life, deeds and legacy. I reccommend it to any fan of Anglo-Saxon, English or European history.

The book itself is very good but the experience of reading it is spoiled by the insertion of random numbers throughout the text, for example "The hole that serves as a mouthpiece is found 47 on top of the stone" or " They meant pagan in 12 its most popular sense".Awful transcription which has obviously not been proof-read.

Well written and explanatory.

5 stars. This is one of my favorite biographies and historical books. Ben Merkle has amazing talent, and creates a real, living, breathing Alfred, heroic and flawed. I loved the thrilling, realistic battle accounts and the beautiful imagery. the prince book is beautiful and definitely worth purchasing! I love the White Horse dividers and the front. The synopsis is beautiful and masterly done.Personally, I am not bothered by gore, but if you are sensitive to it, you might want to skip some scenes. The battle scenes are described so that you feel as if you are there and you can visualize it all, but they are not terribly bloody. However, I might not be the best judge of that. ;)This book deals with Vikings, but while it doesn't mince matters, it doesn't focus on gritty details either. It's all narrated in a humorously ironic way which shows you the funny side and radically lessens what would be the horror of it. The religion throughout was Catholic; sometimes I felt vaguely as if Merkle was looking very slight fun at Alfred's religiousness, but that could just be me being sensitive.[Content warning: a graphic & gory account of an execution; 1 mention of fornication with nuns; incest (1), rape (3), & adultery (1) very briefly mentioned in passing; 2 very slightly crude remarks by the Vikings; information (2) that Alfred's brother married his stepmother; 3 mentions of unclothed berserkers; 1 mention of killing an adulterous spouse. Most of this, excepting the execution & the incestuous marriage, can be easily marked out.]All in all, I give this 5 stars and recommended to all history buffs over 14 who can handle moderate gore.A Favourite Quote: “This is the story of the only English king to be known as ‘the Great.’ He was a seasoned warrior, a scholar, a poet, a law-giver, an architect of towns and ships, and a zealous Christian. Alfred was great because Alfred was a great king.”A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “It is the epitome of seclusion: cold and grey, the air chilled by wind and wave-spray, filled with the cry of gulls and a palpable sensation of northernness.”A Favourite Humorous Quote: “Here the Vikings attempted to dig in and wait out the siege. However, the Anglo-Saxon army—helped out by the Welsh who were equally uninterested in a visit from the Danes—were much better prepared than the Vikings to outlast a lengthy siege.”