Ok, this is the sort of book that I had in mind when I was reading Lords of the Bow by Iggulden a couple of months ago. Cornwell is a master at writing the sort of prose that puts you right at the scene:

Then all, suddenly, was quiet.

Not really quiet, of course. The river hissed where it ran through the bridge, small waves slapped on the boat hulls, the guttering torches on the house wall crackled and I could hear my men’s footsteps as they clambered ashore. Shields and spear butts thumped on ships’ timbers, dogs barked in the city and somewhere a gander was giving its harsh call, but it seemed quiet.

Sword Song is the fourth book in the saga of Uhtred, a Saxon with a dangerous affection for the Danes who have invaded England during the time of Alfred. Unfortunately for Uhtred, he’s sworn to support Alfred and is therefore forced to do things that he’d rather not. Such as helping Alfred, tolerating Christianity, seizing London for his evil cousin, and fighting against friends.

This is probably one of the best books that Cornwell has written, the character is engaging and the scenes/events are very well played out. There’s even a romance in it which is not something that you’d really expect. Definitely looking forward to the next bit to come along.

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Well, I was very pleasantly surprised to get my hands on this book after really enjoying the first one, Medicus. This time around, we follow our hapless doctor/sleuth as he generously takes his slave/housekeeper/girlfriend up to the northern reaches of the Empire to revisit her familial homeland. Unfortunately, some of said homeland happens to be inhabited by tribes hostile to Rome and its minions of which our hero is one.

This time around, our story has branched way out from the earlier one where our doctor seems to be battling more the medical bureaucracy than crime. He’s now not only dealing with a gruesome murder but also backstabbing Romans, indifferent superiors, rebellious tribes, and conniving businessmen. He also has to work through his feelings for a slave girl who seems to care little for what he thinks and just does what she wants. (Sell her, you fool!)

It’s a bit of a meander through all of this but it’s still quite pleasant. Enough so that you tend to forget that a crime has been committed and you’re more engrossed in the day-to-day grittiness of survival on the frontier.

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The news that Sam’s Club in Canada was closing down was a bit abrupt but not a surprise to me. I’ve been a member off and on since 2005 and the signs were plain that the venture was in trouble. They never expanded beyond the first six stores and there were never any lineups at the checkout. The selection was ok as was the pricing but nothing like Costco or Club Price.

So, given that I had a $25 gift card in my wallet and a hankering for savings, S and I drove over there this morning to see what there was to see. There was also that feeling of anticipation and excitement that you get when you go to a closing-down sale; what will be there…what sort of bargain…how many other people will I have to beat out and so on? Mmmmm…

Frankly, there was not much beyond the usual assortment of products and the pricing was about the same. S went gaga over a couple of items and I loaded up on chips, Spam meat, and a couple of other odds and ends. The real surprise that made the trip worthwhile was the fact that they gave me back my entire membership fee in the form of another gift card! Cha-ching! Totally taken by surprise. I had expected a pro-rated amount to cover the time left on my membership which I calculated at just enough to do my laundry for next week.

S has vowed to go back in about a week when the real liquidation sale starts and I guess I will be tagging along. I just hope that I don’t end up with $47 worth of Spam.

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