I was wondering if the series would ever “outlive” its original protagonist? Uhtred is getting exceptionally old for this period in Britain. You have mentioned several times that this series is about the unification of England into one nation and Uhtred is just a spectator to it. If that is the case the series may become a bit stagnant if they are written from the perspective of so old an individual. The first section of The Empty Throne was written from the perspective of Uhtred the Younger. Was this foreshadowing a later, more permanent transition? When I recently re-read the series I noticed that the series has finally progressed beyond the point where Uhtred began telling his story. Now that he has regained Bebanburgh and a younger generation of Englishmen are ready to push towards unification, is he going to pass the torch on to his younger namesake?
Craig Edgar