19 NOVEMBER 1898, Page 27

King Alfred's Viking : a Story of the First English

Fleet. By Charles W. Whistler. (Thomas Nelson and Sons.)—The author of this tale has gone back to a period of our history which is not so well known as it deserves to be, and has succeeded in rendering it attractive to his readers. The central figure of the book is King Alfred, with whom, however, Mr. Whistler has hardly been as successful as he has with some of his other characters. He re- mains a somewhat shadowy personage. In one or two scenes the author shows considerable power over the supernatural, notably in the account of the opening of Sigurd's tomb, and that of " Odin's Hunt," at the end of the book.