The Last Kingdom

Bernard Cornwell

Mar 2009 · Saxon Tales Book 1 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

The first installment of Bernard Cornwell’s New York Times bestselling series chronicling the epic saga of the making of England, “like Game of Thrones, but real” (The Observer, London)—the basis for The Last Kingdom, the hit  Netflix series.

This is the exciting—yet little known—story of the making of England in the 9th and 10th centuries, the years in which King Alfred the Great, his son and grandson defeated the Danish Vikings who had invaded and occupied three of England’s four kingdoms.

The story is seen through the eyes of Uhtred, a dispossessed nobleman, who is captured as a child by the Danes and then raised by them so that, by the time the Northmen begin their assault on Wessex (Alfred’s kingdom and the last territory in English hands) Uhtred almost thinks of himself as a Dane. He certainly has no love for Alfred, whom he considers a pious weakling and no match for Viking savagery, yet when Alfred unexpectedly defeats the Danes and the Danes themselves turn on Uhtred, he is finally forced to choose sides. By now he is a young man, in love, trained to fight and ready to take his place in the dreaded shield wall. Above all, though, he wishes to recover his father’s land, the enchanting fort of Bebbanburg by the wild northern sea.

This thrilling adventure—based on existing records of Bernard Cornwell’s ancestors—depicts a time when law and order were ripped violently apart by a pagan assault on Christian England, an assault that came very close to destroying England.

Ratings and reviews

Enjoyable. If your a fan of Game Of Thrones, this is in that realm but a step below it (except this is loosely based on actual historic events). This is a single person narrative so your not dealing with five different story lines at once. I enjoyed it and look forward to the rest of the series

Love this series but large portions of chapters are missing on play books. It will skip 20 pages at a time, paid ten dollars for it feel ripped off!!

I'm not sure how I came across these books but it was when I was looking into old Roman books. I've always been fascinated by Vikings so when I looked into the author, these caught my eye. I began reading this Monday and today is Thursday, I just bought the 3rd book and plan on finishing it by Tom while at work. This and the pale horseman have both been amazing books and I see myself spending a lot of money on the rest of his books in the near future.

About the author

BERNARD CORNWELL is the author of over fifty novels, including the acclaimed New York Times bestselling Saxon Tales, which serve as the basis for the hit Netflix series The Last Kingdom. He lives with his wife on Cape Cod and in Charleston, South Carolina.