The Last Kingdom
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4.5 • 80 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
*A brand new companion to the Last Kingdom series, Uhtred’s Feast, is available to pre-order now*
Welcome to The Last Kingdom
Discover the first book in the epic, bestselling series that has gripped millions.
A hero will be forged from this broken land.
In a land torn apart by conflict, an orphan boy has come of age. Raised by the Vikings, deadly enemies of his own Saxon people, Uhtred is a fierce and skilled warrior who kneels to no-one.
Alfred – Saxon, king, man of god – fights to hold the throne of the only land still resisting the pagan northerners.
Uhtred and Alfred’s fates are tangled, soaked in blood and blackened by the flames of war. Together they will change history.
Reviews
'Cornwell is a virtuoso of historical fiction.' Sunday Telegraph
'Bernard Cornwell is a literary miracle. Year after year, hail, rain, snow, war and political upheavals fail to prevent him from producing the most entertaining and readable historical novels of his generation.' Daily Mail
‘A phenomenal storyteller’ Daily Express
'Cornwell's narration is quite masterly and supremely well-researched.' Observer
About the author
Bernard Cornwell worked for BBC Television for seven years, mostly as a producer on the Nationwide programme, before taking charge of the Current Affairs department in Northern Ireland. In 1978 he became editor of Thames Television’s Thames at Six. Married to an American, he now lives in the United States.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Cornwell leaps back a millennium from his Richard Sharpe series to tell of the consolidation of England in the late ninth century and the role played by a young (fictional) warrior-in-training who's at the center of the war between Christian Englishmen and the pagan Danes. (Most of the other principal characters Ubba, Guthrum, Ivar the Boneless and the like are real historical figures.) Young Uhtred, who's English, falls under the control of Viking ber-warrior Ragnar the Fearless when the Dane wipes out Uhtred's Northumberland family. Cornwell liberally feeds readers history and nuggets of battle data and customs, with Uhtred's first-person wonderment spinning all into a colorful journey of (self-)discovery. In a series of episodes, Ragnar conquers three of England's four kingdoms. The juiciest segment has King Edmund of East Anglia rebuking the Viking pagans and demanding that they convert to Christianity if they intend to remain in England. After Edmund cites the example of St. Sebastian, the Danes oblige him by turning him into a latter-day Sebastian and sending him off to heaven. Uhtred's affection for Ragnar as a surrogate father grows, and he surpasses the conqueror's blood sons in valor. When father and adopted son arrive at the fourth and last kingdom, however, the Danes meet unexpected resistance and Uhtred faces personal and familial challenges, as well as a crisis of national allegiance. This is a solid adventure by a crackling good storyteller. will take special interest in the personal angle here. Four-city author tour.
Customer Reviews
GREAT FUN!
“Our ancestors took this land. They took it and made it and held it. We do not give up what our ancestors gave us. They came across the sea and they fought here, and they built here and they're buried here. This is our land, mixed with our blood, strengthened with our bone. Ours!”
The Last Kingdom is the first book in Bernard Cornwell's epic Historical Fiction series The Saxon Stories. We get a 1st person account on the early life of Uhtred son of Uhtred a Saxon noble taken and captured by the invading Danes his brothers killer, after his homeland is conquered. Then he is raised among the Danes as one of their own to manhood.
I really enjoyed this yarn. The writing is sharp and gets sharper yet from the middle to the end of the novel.
It is the story of Uhtred and his conflicting loyalties towards the Danes and the Saxon's and the struggle within him that he dealt with.
I loved the contrast of the Danish society to that of the Saxons. Very good writing. Visceral, savage, bloody,
battles. You can almost smell the sweat, blood, and dirt, and hear the clash of sword, shield and axe, as the Dane and Saxon forces clashed in their shield walls. Beautifully written. Vivid.
I will definitely be buying the remaining books in the series today in fact. For I need to know what becomes of Uthred son of Uthred. Uthred Ragnorson! Uthred the GiftGiver! Uthred the Avenger! Uthred the WidowMaker!
Destiny is everything.
Such a good classic adventure read!
Finally delved into this series after longing to for so long, and it didn't disappoint! The bond between Uhtred and Earl Ragnar truly shines, adding depth and emotion to the narrative. We're treated to more of Uhtred's upbringing among the Danes, shedding light on his character and the internal conflicts that shape him. And can we talk about Uhtred's sword, Serpent-Breath? Absolutely love that detail! While I craved a bit more action at times and found the pacing slow, the focus on character development was necessary and appreciated. Plus, discovering details not included in the show made the experience even more enjoyable. Destiny is all🗡️! Also me reading the author’s notes : HIS ANCESTORS!? That just made everything way cooler!