Historical

The Last Kingdom

The Last Kingdom

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-12 09:54:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Bernard Cornwell
  • ISBN：000721801X
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Summary

The first book in Bernard Cornwell’s epic and bestselling series on the making of England and the fate of his great hero， Uhtred of Bebbanburg。

BBC2’s major Autumn 2015 TV show THE LAST KINGDOM is based on the first two books in the series。

Uhtred is an English boy， born into the aristocracy of ninth-century Northumbria。 Orphaned at ten， he is captured and adopted by a Dane and taught the Viking ways。 Yet Uhtred's fate is indissolubly bound up with Alfred， King of Wessex， who rules over the only English kingdom to survive the Danish assault。

The struggle between the English and the Danes and the strife between christianity and paganism is the background to Uhtred's growing up。 He is left uncertain of his loyalties but a slaughter in a winter dawn propels him to the English side and he will become a man just as the Danes launch their fiercest attack yet on Alfred's kingdom。 Marriage ties him further still to the West Saxon cause but when his wife and child vanish in the chaos of the Danish invasion， Uhtred is driven to face the greatest of the Viking chieftains in a battle beside the sea。 There， in the horror of the shield-wall， he discovers his true allegiance。

The Last Kingdom， like most of Bernard Cornwell's books， is firmly based on true history。 It is the first novel of a series that will tell the tale of Alfred the Great and his descendants and of the enemies they faced， Viking warriors like Ivar the Boneless and his feared brother， Ubba。 Against their lives Bernard Cornwell has woven a story of divided loyalties， reluctant love and desperate heroism。 In Uhtred， he has created one of his most interesting and heroic characters and in The Last Kingdom one of his most powerful and passionate novels。

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Reviews

Mary Coker ，

Very good book！！ I'm looking forward to reading the series！ Very good book！！ I'm looking forward to reading the series！ 。。。more

Kristen Kitchen ，

I watched the series on Netflix， so I had to read the books series。 I loved this first book as much as I loved the first season。 The book gives a lot more background than the series， and it is background that I enjoyed reading。 I loved the additional details about Uhtred's childhood with the Danes。 The author writes with a sarcastic humor that kept me laughing。 His characters are relatable， and he develops them logically， in such a way where you love almost all of them for who they are。 Other th I watched the series on Netflix， so I had to read the books series。 I loved this first book as much as I loved the first season。 The book gives a lot more background than the series， and it is background that I enjoyed reading。 I loved the additional details about Uhtred's childhood with the Danes。 The author writes with a sarcastic humor that kept me laughing。 His characters are relatable， and he develops them logically， in such a way where you love almost all of them for who they are。 Other than Sven and Kjarten。 There is very little possible redemption for either of those characters。 。。。more

Tijmen ，

I enjoyed the peek into the history， not only on the grand scale of the Danelaw and the English kings， but also on the small scale details about daily life for both Danes and Anglo-Saxons。 It was a good read， but my drive to keep on reading was low。 This was probably due to me not really feeling the main character。 He has a general air of arrogance and he seems a bit of twat in the way he deals with his loyalties。 He floated in between the different stories in Great Britain in a way that felt a I enjoyed the peek into the history， not only on the grand scale of the Danelaw and the English kings， but also on the small scale details about daily life for both Danes and Anglo-Saxons。 It was a good read， but my drive to keep on reading was low。 This was probably due to me not really feeling the main character。 He has a general air of arrogance and he seems a bit of twat in the way he deals with his loyalties。 He floated in between the different stories in Great Britain in a way that felt a bit hard to believe。 。。。more

Douglas Berry ，

At the top of the cover is the blurb "Like Game of Thrones， but Real！" which is quite accurate。 I discovered this story through the BBC/Netflix adaptation， also titled The Last Kingdom。 I was overjoyed to learn that this was an eleven-book-long series。 This is the story of Uhtred of Bebbanburg or Uhtred Ragnarsson， a Northumbrian Ealdorman who is captured by the Danes and raised as a son by Ragnar the Fearless。 The first half of the book covers Uthreds life as a trusted thrall and later adopted At the top of the cover is the blurb "Like Game of Thrones， but Real！" which is quite accurate。 I discovered this story through the BBC/Netflix adaptation， also titled The Last Kingdom。 I was overjoyed to learn that this was an eleven-book-long series。 This is the story of Uhtred of Bebbanburg or Uhtred Ragnarsson， a Northumbrian Ealdorman who is captured by the Danes and raised as a son by Ragnar the Fearless。 The first half of the book covers Uthreds life as a trusted thrall and later adopted son living in Danish Northumbria， learning to be a warrior and reveling in the freedom of the Danelaw。 Later， his family is betrayed and he flees south， eventually coming into the service of King Alfred of Wessex。The story is told from the perspective of an aged Uthred reflecting on his long life。 so we get occasional bits of foreshadowing， which fits with Uthred's belief that his fate was pre-ordained， "Wyrd bið ful āræd" in the books。 Uthred is a very well-written character。 He's a hero， but we see how that hero was forged。 Cornwell does an amazing job of painting 9th century Britain， using very real historical characters in context。 Uthred is of course the kind of protagonist that can easily move between these worlds for the sake of the story， but his background and lineage make his ease of movement make sense。One nice touch is at the beginning of the book is a list of place names。 Cornwell uses contemporary place names， so being able to see that Eoforwic is York really helps place the action。 And even though this is only the first book in a long series， it is a complete tale。Highly recommended， especially for RPGers looking for good color details for their settings。 。。。more

Tanya ，

It sounded good when I read the synopsis。 It was just ok。 I kept expecting more， but it was a stereotypical Viking story- all violence & war， not much else。 Just one battle after another。Not sure if this is typical of male authors as I read mostly female， but there was an incredible lack of feeling or concept of time。 It's told in the 1st person and as Uhtred speaks， he tells his story matter-of-factly， no emotion， no sense of how circumstances affect him。 The only time he shows a modicum of fee It sounded good when I read the synopsis。 It was just ok。 I kept expecting more， but it was a stereotypical Viking story- all violence & war， not much else。 Just one battle after another。Not sure if this is typical of male authors as I read mostly female， but there was an incredible lack of feeling or concept of time。 It's told in the 1st person and as Uhtred speaks， he tells his story matter-of-factly， no emotion， no sense of how circumstances affect him。 The only time he shows a modicum of feeling is the last 2 hrs when he's searching for & finds his wife & newborn son。 As for the concept of time， I just couldn't really tell when events occurred in Uhtred's life。 I thought he was 13 or 14 and then Uhtred said he was 16 at the time。 This happened a few times。 It was just hard to tell how old he was during each event。As for the narrator， I absolutely love his voice。 Deep， kind of gravelly， soothed me， but also excited me。 Unfortunately， it sounded the same throughout the book。 Hardly any inflection。I'm not reading the rest of the series。 。。。more

Mario ，

I've already watched the TV series of the same name so parts of the book were already familiar to me and I knew roughly where certain plots were heading。 But that didn't detract from my enjoyment of it and can't wait to get into the entire series。 This book was obviously a start of a series and I don't think it would be that fulfilling if you just wanted to read it as a standalone novel because there's plenty left unsaid， which is by design of course。 I've already watched the TV series of the same name so parts of the book were already familiar to me and I knew roughly where certain plots were heading。 But that didn't detract from my enjoyment of it and can't wait to get into the entire series。 This book was obviously a start of a series and I don't think it would be that fulfilling if you just wanted to read it as a standalone novel because there's plenty left unsaid， which is by design of course。 。。。more

Zennor ，

Now this is how you write a historical epic; Vikings， kings and pawns， shield wars and sea battles， hidden agendas and blood feuds， sudden deaths and changes in fate， recurring characters and religious crisis。 As soon as the prologue was finished， I knew， I knew this was going to become a favourite and it didn't disappoint at all。 Now this is how you write a historical epic; Vikings， kings and pawns， shield wars and sea battles， hidden agendas and blood feuds， sudden deaths and changes in fate， recurring characters and religious crisis。 As soon as the prologue was finished， I knew， I knew this was going to become a favourite and it didn't disappoint at all。 。。。more

Anthony Kane ，

I ripped through this book in just over 24 hours。 So gripping and one I couldn't put down。 Looking forward to continuing with this series。 I ripped through this book in just over 24 hours。 So gripping and one I couldn't put down。 Looking forward to continuing with this series。 。。。more

Leslie Ginn ，

This is an historical fiction about the Vikings or Danes raiding England in the late 800s。 This was so bloody and wonderful。 It really packs a punch， there's so much that happens in this novel even though it's much shorter than what I usually read。 I feel like so much was well detailed but never drawn out。 There's so many great characters and such a wonderful well thought plot。 This is an historical fiction about the Vikings or Danes raiding England in the late 800s。 This was so bloody and wonderful。 It really packs a punch， there's so much that happens in this novel even though it's much shorter than what I usually read。 I feel like so much was well detailed but never drawn out。 There's so many great characters and such a wonderful well thought plot。 。。。more

Jamey Hurst ，

Fantastic book。 Fans of the show will discover that the show follows the book very closely， with minor differences here and there。 Bernard Cornwell is a fantastic storyteller。

Vex ，

The story follows Uhtred as he grows up from a young boy taken by danes who he learned to loved all the way to when he enters his young adult years。 This is not my genre of book typically。 I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did because I was only reading it because my brother loves it。 But it surprised me by being a very enjoyable and fun read。 I will be looking forward to finishing the rest of the series The story follows Uhtred as he grows up from a young boy taken by danes who he learned to loved all the way to when he enters his young adult years。 This is not my genre of book typically。 I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did because I was only reading it because my brother loves it。 But it surprised me by being a very enjoyable and fun read。 I will be looking forward to finishing the rest of the series 。。。more

Shobha ，

A fun read with plenty of exciting battles and medieval lore。

Sean ，

A passionate young prince is caught between two worlds: the Anglo-Saxon kingdom that is his birthright and the invading Danish hordes who not only taught him to be a man， but to be one who values aggression。 Sired among the former， he sees a just father and honorable brother murdered by the latter， before falling under their spell as a willing captive and developing a deep admiration for their way of life。 He often straddles that line， revising his perspective and learning about the realities of A passionate young prince is caught between two worlds: the Anglo-Saxon kingdom that is his birthright and the invading Danish hordes who not only taught him to be a man， but to be one who values aggression。 Sired among the former， he sees a just father and honorable brother murdered by the latter， before falling under their spell as a willing captive and developing a deep admiration for their way of life。 He often straddles that line， revising his perspective and learning about the realities of a lengthy cultural war as fortunes change and the fates toss him about like a rickety warship on stormy seas。Set firmly in a true historical climate， with a few liberties taken for smoother， more condensed storytelling， The Last Kingdom is an exceptionally easy， well-paced read， even with so many tongue-twisting names and olde-timey locales to bear in mind。 It never slows down， constantly setting up new conflicts and foreshadowing later developments （actually， this point is sometimes a fault， as we're repeatedly fed open-ended statements that， I must assume， don't pay off for several volumes） and I just couldn't get enough。 What a world Cornwell's established and refined in just a single volume， while still maintaining that blistering pace。 I can hardly wait to return for the next installment。 。。。more

Lelanie ，

I partially read this book because I enjoyed the TV series but mostly because my husband super enjoyed it and it's fun to chat with him about stuff we both like。 It's not generally in my wheelhouse but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it。 There are 13 books and I'm definitely going to read them all。 They're like an anglo saxon war story/history lesson beach read， if there were ever such a thing。 I partially read this book because I enjoyed the TV series but mostly because my husband super enjoyed it and it's fun to chat with him about stuff we both like。 It's not generally in my wheelhouse but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it。 There are 13 books and I'm definitely going to read them all。 They're like an anglo saxon war story/history lesson beach read， if there were ever such a thing。 。。。more

B。J。 Henderson ，

The Last Kingdom is a page turner of a book。 Bernard Cornwell is a master storyteller。 Once started， I couldn't put it down。 The Last Kingdom is a page turner of a book。 Bernard Cornwell is a master storyteller。 Once started， I couldn't put it down。 。。。more

nicki t ，

I discovered these after wandering into a neat discount overstock warehouse bookstore， and now （as I’ve seen the series to present）， can only see/hear Dreymon’s Uhtred and believe you me， it’s not a bad thing。 A lot of blanks are filled in and I enjoy the slower pace。 “Destiny is all/everything” now makes sense in the context of the book， where it seemed to be out of place in the tv series。 Can’t wait to start book 2！

Thomas Gassaway ，

1st Gold Star: One cannot accurately write about 9th century Danish invasions without exploring some pretty brutal topics—murder， rape， etc。 Cornwell's portrayal is authentic while not glorifying the subject。2nd Gold Star: The protagonist， Uhtred of Bebbanburg， is not exactly relatable as a character but he is certainly interesting。 He is a classical realist that believes anything worth having can be attained by a sword。 Unrelateable。 However， his aggressive tendencies often undermine his own go 1st Gold Star: One cannot accurately write about 9th century Danish invasions without exploring some pretty brutal topics—murder， rape， etc。 Cornwell's portrayal is authentic while not glorifying the subject。2nd Gold Star: The protagonist， Uhtred of Bebbanburg， is not exactly relatable as a character but he is certainly interesting。 He is a classical realist that believes anything worth having can be attained by a sword。 Unrelateable。 However， his aggressive tendencies often undermine his own goals。 Interesting。3rd Gold Star: Anyone can die！ I hate stories where the main cast is off limits but the author grooms side characters to die in order to check a box。 The readers are never fooled。 If you don't like it when some of your favorite characters are slaughtered， don't read this book。4th Gold Star: The concept of a shield wall is fascinating。 The descriptions of the shield wall are enthralling。 The danger to all characters in the shield wall is nerve wracking。1st Gray Star: Uhtred is not a philosopher。 We get very few anecdotes about his worldview。 He comes off as a little bit of a one note character who is obsessed with re-taking his birthright of Bebbanburg。 I prefer my protagonists to be a little more complex and have some compelling things to say about the world around them。 。。。more

David Steele ，

Surprisingly dull。

olivia ！！ ，

The show is impeccable， the books are impeccable。 What more can I say？

Stacy Black ，

I found the book to be a bit slow and sometimes repetitive， but it picked up toward the end and held my interest enough to send me looking for the second one。

Paul Clement ，

Un tome très introductif avec un personnage （que l'on sent） âgé qui nous narre sa jeunesse。 Cela a créé chez moi une distance qui m'a empêché de me plonger réellement dans ce récit qui n'est pourtant pas sans péripéties。 Sympa mais pas immersif。。。 Je lirai néanmoins la suite pour voir si le récit d'années moins lointaines se montre à la hauteur de ce que j'attends réellement de cette histoire。 Un tome très introductif avec un personnage （que l'on sent） âgé qui nous narre sa jeunesse。 Cela a créé chez moi une distance qui m'a empêché de me plonger réellement dans ce récit qui n'est pourtant pas sans péripéties。 Sympa mais pas immersif。。。 Je lirai néanmoins la suite pour voir si le récit d'années moins lointaines se montre à la hauteur de ce que j'attends réellement de cette histoire。 。。。more

Alison Young ，

Really interesting， a great story of a period of history I knew nothing about。

Erik Berman ，

A great read。 Amazing characters and a story that is fascinating。

Michelle ，

Born to Saxon nobility in the mid-9th century， Uhtred goes to battle the Danes invading England and is on the haplessly losing side -- but his attempt to assassinate a Danish warlord wins the warlord's regard， and he is taken in as foster son to grow up among the Danes。 He is caught between two worlds in that he feels far more Dane than he does English， especially with the tiresome， constant praying and self-denial of the Christian English。 Nevertheless， Uhtred never forgets the lands back in No Born to Saxon nobility in the mid-9th century， Uhtred goes to battle the Danes invading England and is on the haplessly losing side -- but his attempt to assassinate a Danish warlord wins the warlord's regard， and he is taken in as foster son to grow up among the Danes。 He is caught between two worlds in that he feels far more Dane than he does English， especially with the tiresome， constant praying and self-denial of the Christian English。 Nevertheless， Uhtred never forgets the lands back in Northumbria that rightfully belong to him， and grimly gains experience in his quest to regain those lands。This is very enjoyable though I found it dragged a lot in places。 At one point I could have just as happily put it down， but I kept on and was glad I did so -- but perhaps not glad enough to pick up the next in the series。 I liked the feel of time and place， very different than other periods in which most of the historical fiction I've read has been set。 I particularly liked the almost nostalgic， bewildered account of looking back at Roman buildings and Roman roads and wondering where those times had gone， and how all the feats of architecture and engineering had ever been accomplished。 。。。more

Sara ，

Excellent read！！

Graeme Bourke ，

I read a lot of books and unfortunately most are well below the standard， that for me， is unacceptable reading。 I am not sure how you can get around this problem and it is becoming worse as the digital marketplace is flooded with mundane plots and weak storytelling。 Bernard Cornwell， with his book The Last Kingdom， the first in a series， stands head and shoulders above the rest。 A master storyteller， Cornwell is able to create vivid and realistic characters。This novel revolves around the charact I read a lot of books and unfortunately most are well below the standard， that for me， is unacceptable reading。 I am not sure how you can get around this problem and it is becoming worse as the digital marketplace is flooded with mundane plots and weak storytelling。 Bernard Cornwell， with his book The Last Kingdom， the first in a series， stands head and shoulders above the rest。 A master storyteller， Cornwell is able to create vivid and realistic characters。This novel revolves around the character of Uhtred whose Saxon father is a local lord in England at the time of the encroachment of the dreaded and feared Danes， a curse from the north。 At the tender age of nine， Osbert， as he is first known， was the second son and witnessed the delivery of his elder brother’s head to his father by the Danes。 It is then that Osbert becomes Uthred， the only surviving son and now heir to the fortress of Bebbanburg and all its lands。Of course， his father wants revenge and goes off to fight the Danes。 Uhtred is present when his father is slain by the Danes。 Showing bravery beyond his years， or foolhardiness， he attacks the Dane leader with sword but is fended off rather easily。 He is taken by the Danes and raised by them。As a young man he learns the way of the Northmen， learns how to fight and makes friends and enemies。 His destiny is finally determined when he meets Alfred the future King of England。What Cornwell creates here is a character who is torn between his home， his true people and the Danes who raised him。 He accepts the pagan gods of the Danes and is thus thrown into conflict with Christianity。 He also has his home， Beddanburg Fortress stolen from him by his uncle who attempts to have him assassinated as Uhtred is the rightful heir。 Put these three plots into a melting pot and it is inevitable that there will be fire and brimstone。It is in this novel that we come across the Norse words: wyrd bio ful araed， which loosely means-fate is inexorable。 Cornwell uses this brilliantly to further enhance the character of Uhtred as it becomes his favourite saying when things do not go right。There are a lot of writers out there， but very few storytellers， Cornwell is one of the best。 。。。more

Kate Goodman ，

Gosh， what a brilliant read。 Anglo Saxons， Vikings， battles and bloodlust。 Bring on the next one！

sh（e）reader ，

I'd seen the TV series advertised 。。。 I figured I'd give the books a go first。 I usually don't care for tv/movies after reading the book though。 I liked this， it kept my interest， although I don't feel like I got overly invested in the characters or story。 I'll continue on， but I think I'd better do it fairly quickly， as I'm sure I'll forget otherwise。 I'd seen the TV series advertised 。。。 I figured I'd give the books a go first。 I usually don't care for tv/movies after reading the book though。 I liked this， it kept my interest， although I don't feel like I got overly invested in the characters or story。 I'll continue on， but I think I'd better do it fairly quickly， as I'm sure I'll forget otherwise。 。。。more

Jason Vanhee ，

Entertaining， but I don't really feel compelled to read the rest of the very long series。 There's a sort of smugness to the main character that I believe would get very tiring to me over that stretch。 Also bits and pieces of things bother me， historically speaking， but my knowledge is vague enough that I can't 100% say that everything I don't accept is actually wrong。 Which is something that encourages me not to read these books， and to read more history instead。 Entertaining， but I don't really feel compelled to read the rest of the very long series。 There's a sort of smugness to the main character that I believe would get very tiring to me over that stretch。 Also bits and pieces of things bother me， historically speaking， but my knowledge is vague enough that I can't 100% say that everything I don't accept is actually wrong。 Which is something that encourages me not to read these books， and to read more history instead。 。。。more

Eric Smith ，

A fun read。 I really enjoyed it。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Last Kingdom

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Last Kingdom&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Last Kingdom&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0