Sword Song is the fourth book in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories series, which follow a Saxon named Uhtred as his life intersects with that of Alfred the Great. Uhtred is raised by Danes after his father is killed, and he learns to love both peoples, although his heart leans towards the Danes, and frankly, after the description throughout the books of the way the earlier Christian church treated people, I can't says as I blame him.
Anyways, if you've ever read a Cornwell novel ,you know he can give you a wealth of detail without bogging you down in useless pedantics. Although the battle scenes are written to show the reality of war, rather than its granduer or false glory, one can't help but be awed by people who willing chose to attack a shield wall, for example. I've read most of Cornwell's books, but I don't know if it's the time period or the nautical flavor (the Danes were seafarers, you know), but these are at the top of my list. The first book in the series is The Last Kingdom and you really need to start at the beginning to understand everything.
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