The first installment of Bernard Cornwell’s 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 television series coming to Netflix in Fall 2016.
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 … 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.
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I finished watching The Last Kingdom series on Netflix, which is an 8-episode BBC adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s historical novel series, The Saxon Stories. I loved it and I just started reading the first book! Has anyone read the series or anything else by him?
If you are going to become invested in a lead character in a series that is going to run to ten or more books, you have to create one that engages with the reader from the offset. Bernard Cornwell manages that with Uhtred, a small boy who sees his future snatched away from him, and his past ripped to shreds on the battle field.
I love history, …
Cornwell’s writing is instantly accessible and a great introduction to Viking/Dane historical fiction. The story will keep you turning the pages, the detail is carefully researched, and there are some solid characters.
Whether you watch the TV adaptation (which seems to play fast and loose with the order of events) or not, this series is …
Just finished this book and will look for the 2nd book deal. The book starts in A.D. 866. The fight between the English and the Danes. Warriors and Vikings. It reminded me a little like the fantasy of Game of Thrones only with more historical fiction. The story follows Alfred of England who is not fictional. The other characters are. Good …
I came at these because of the NF series. The actor who plays Uhtred is swoon-worthy, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I was not disappointed. I ripped through the first 7 of these books like a bat out of hell, and I’m honestly…i swear a part of me was in a shield wall. Just a little part of my soul, transplanted to some place in time that …
This story was well-researched, historically correct and vastly amusing. I felt as if I were along for the ride with Uhtred. I immediately bought the next book.
Uhtred, the main character, is an amusing and fabulous unwilling hero. He eventually becomes a champion for a king he does not like yet maintains his allegiance to the enemy who raised …
I’ve usually enjoyed Cornwell’s books, and I like following his series. I’ve enjoyed following the adventures of Uhtred and entering the alien world of Saxon/Danish Britain. As an Englishman, it’s fun to discover the origins of many of our place names.
Well written…
Bernard Cornwell writes historical novels with rather standard hero at the center. The novels are very well researched and provide an interesting way to pick up history. I put most of his works into the low to mid 4-star range. They read quickly, and I consider them to be enjoyable guilty pleasures. If read serially, however, they become very …
No one writes close-action combat like Bernard Cornwell. No one. His ‘The Last Kingdom’ is, perhaps, the best proof of this. Not that his many other books are lacking, but this saga of Uhtred, a Saxon raised as a Norseman and then coerced into fighting for King Alfred’s vision of a united England, is that rare series you can read every few years …
This book, and subsequently the rest in the series, are easily among my favorite reads. I picked it up over 10 years ago, knowing nothing about it and was hooked immediately. Cannot recommend enough.
This book was a random pick off the shelf in my house. My husband had owned the book and I decided to give it a shot one day. Whoa—was I shocked. Uhtred pulled me right in and I couldn’t stop reading it. 5 whopping stars to Cornwell. He and Gabaldon have my heart for historical fiction.
One of my favorite authors. I have read the whole Saxon Chronicles series, and the first book is a top choice.
The story is interesting and well written, but there were SO MANY battle scenes to slog through. I’m not sure whether I’ll tackle the rest of this series.
It didn’t rate a 4 for me, but I would have given it 3 1/2 if I could have.
I love all of the warlord chronicles, saxon tales, Archer tales…such fun!
Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom introduced me to Uhtred of Bebbanburg, one of my all-time favorite characters. Born a Saxon but raised a Viking, Uhtred finds his loyalties torn between Alfred, the new Saxon king, and the Danes he loves like a brother. Yet as the war between the Saxons and Vikings threatens to determine England’s fate, Uhtred …
“DESTINY IS ALL!”
Escape to ninth century Britain for a while and try this series by Bernard Cornwell. Action-packed and well-written, this series is set in the Saxon England of King Alfred. As the king and his heirs desperately try to keep the marauding Vikings out of Wessex, they are ably assisted by Uhtred, son of Uhtred – a saxon warrior who …
GREAT CHARACTERS AND HISTORICAL FICTION
The whole series is great!!!