Benjamin R. Merkle

I really enjoyed this book. The format is very easy to read and comfortable to hold. There are side notes where a little more history or clarification of a term is helpful. I found this more interesting than just footnotes at the bottom of a page. The story is well told and clear, in spite of describing a time and culture very different and new to me.

The story is a good one. The history of Christianity in England, the invasions of the Vikings, and the efforts of the people to fight the Vikings is one I am vaguely aware of. This book provided very good detail about the events and the people. The efforts of King Alfred the Great to implement defenses for his country, literacy in the vernacular for his people, and a love of learning and the virtues of nobility in the country are worth studying.… (más)

The White Horse King is the true story of Alfred the Great, king of Wessex, who lived in the late ninth century. He defended his country against Viking invaders, introduced a mini literary renaissance, and revamped the legal system of Wessex.

I’ll be honest and say I was disappointed, a bit. While the author does a great job of describing the Viking raids, and of describing the battle scenes that the Angle-Saxons fought against them, he skimps a little bit on the actual “biography” part of the book. I got a great picture of life in Saxon England as a whole, but I got a very small picture of Alfred himself and what he was like. Plus, his grasp of medieval Christianity and the effect it had on people’s lives, seemed to be a bit weak.

As a historical source, it’s a good introduction to the period, but on the other hand, I would have preferred a book that was less simplistic. I also found the sidenotes to be off-putting, taking up nearly half a pages (thankfully, they disappear partway through the book). And the notes themselves are a little History 101-ish (such as a description of who the Vikings were of the Roman occupation of Britain). Again, it might be good for someone who doesn’t know much about the period, but I was looking for something much more substantial.

As a side note, I often found the writing to be repetitive. Take this example: “The king… was unrelenting in his attack. He fought on fiercely and unrelentingly.” (125). The author’s writing style is engaging, but there are some stylistic mistakes. Still, I think this is a decent work of popular history. It’s not for someone looking for more insight on Alfred the Great’s character.… (más)

I have to admit that ancient history is my thing. Ancient history full of Viking battles and warriors on horses with spears is even better! This is the story of the life of Alfred the Great who was the king of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 899. The White Horse King is the story of how Alfred the Great defends Wessex against the Viking invasion. The story is full of rampaging Vikings and fierce battles fought by men wielding battle axes and spears. This book was really hard to put down and I devoured it in two sittings. Not only is it a great read, it's loaded with historical information too! Each chapter begins with a poem or quotation because Alfred the Great loved poetry even though he never learned to read until he was a grown man. The book also contains a number of maps and pictures to help illustrate the story and a biography so you can find additional reading about Alfred the Great. All in all, a great adventure that actually teaches you something. If you are a history buff, you're certain to love this book… (más)

Often when I am reading, I come across anecdotes of King Alfred the Great, but I have never read a book about him. Until now. The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great was the right book to read. It was a kind of get-you-up-to-speed book. If you don't know anything about King Alfred, this book will tell you what you need to know to follow along with any conversation about King Alfred the Great..

The author, Benjamin Merkle, is washed in the knowledge of his subject and his subject is King Alfred. The title, The White Horse King, alludes to the battles King Alfred fought to rid Wessex, the kingdom he ruled in England, of the tides of Vikings that kept rolling into England, and that is what this book is about. And therein lies the strengths and weaknesses of the book.

Merkle describes the battles in good detail, and he has a way of describing them to to build the tension. He weaves in description that accentuates the action. The battles are exciting to read. If anything pertains the battles and , the reader knows about it. If something doesn't pertain to the battles, the reader will not know about it. Some may call this focused writing, but it gives the reader a flat picture of the period. It is difficult to taste, smell and see the life at the time. Although that is not the point of the book, it was the culture King Alfred was fighting for.

Benjamin Merkle has given us a story that is ancient but thoroughly modern, secular but Christian to its core. He doesn't apologize for King Alfred's Christianity. It was all a part of his battles to repel the Vikings. Nor does he sermonize. Alfred's life is the sermon.

"Alfred concluded that the Vikings were not the cause of England's overthrow. They were the result. The Anglo-Saxons' own lethargic apostasy had been the cause of the fall of the various Anglo-Saxon nations. If Alfred was to have a victorious defense policy, clearly armies and burhs were not enough. If Wessex wanted to be successful in her ongoing struggle with the plundering Danes, then the nation must devote itself to a revival of Christian learning and Christian worship." p. 180.

Wring a book is a struggle between telling too much and not enough. Merkle errs in the latter, and because of this, it is a highly readable and quickly read book, but in the end one still wants to know more about King Alfred the Great.… (más)