The Last Kingdom
Written by Bernard Cornwell
Narrated by Jamie Glover
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
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 BBC America television 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.
Bernard Cornwell
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.
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Reviews for The Last Kingdom
266 ratings90 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Loved it! Definitely going to keep reading the series.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I absolutely LOVE anything to do with history. Especially books. So anybody who knows me will not be surprised that I found The Last Kingdom really interesting. This book is the first in a series that tells of the exciting (yes it is exciting, - sword fights and all!) of the making of England during the 9th and 10th centuries. This was a period that the Danish Vikings were attacking the English and had captured most of their kingdoms.The author, Bernard Cornwell, was able to get the information for this series of books through his own family records. Seriously... how cool is that?!?! Netflix even made a series based on the books back in 2016! Of course I'm one of those people that has to read all the books before I can watch the show so it'll be a while before I can watch it. I can't wait though, so now I have to hurry and read the rest of the series!If you enjoy history then I'd recommend reading this book. Cornwell does an incredible job of making what could be a dry subject (since it's from such a long time ago) be super interesting. There's sword fights, kidnappings, murders, and definitely wars - the whole book is talking about wars . During the narrative, everything is explained from the perspective of a young man (he grows from a boy to a teenager in the book) named Uhtred, who is fictional.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good story, and I enjoyed the secondary characters both English and Dane. The main character is kind of clichéd, the wonder kid warrior, and his simplistic take on preferring pagan gods to the Christian seemed pretty anochronistic and lazy on the author's part.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5How frustrating! After having suffered from insomnia for years I now discover that all along there was a big selection of turgid tomes by Bernard Cornwell to choose from!I have had more fun watching wood warp!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book maintains a great pace, as it reads alomst too fast and after finishing I am left wanting more. It has good plot twists and the characters, both major and minor are all engaging.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Another rousing historical fiction tale from Cornwell! No chick lit here: it's all about men and war and blood feuds. But he does know how to create strong women characters as well even if they play small roles. I really enjoyed this one, the next one is queued up on the Nook and I'll work my way through to the newest one.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is amazing. If you are a fan of the historical battles between the Saxons and the Danes, this book is for you. Cornwell paints a stark picture of life during the time of the Viking invasions into Great Britain. Couple that with the life of one confused boy who is torn between his birthright and the people who accepted him as their own.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Interesting introduction to British Saxon/Danish history. I enjoyed reading it although wonder whether anyone ever survives all the warring and violence, or how they do so.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great book!!! I highly recommend it. Excellent narrator as well.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It's mainly just battle porn with a bit of history thrown in. What's missing from the story is character depth. The main character undergoes quite a bit of trauma from a young age but never deals with emotional conflict from any of that. He doesn't have any major flaws or weaknesses. He basically has no relatable human qualities for the reader to identify with. On the plus side the narrator is fantastic. The plot is compelling and the battle scenes are very engaging. You also may even learn a thing or two about English history... just don't expect anything too sophisticated.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5What garbage this is a 12h audiobook and they cut it down to 5 what the hell were they thinking just ruined an amazing tale and all the haters here on scribd saying there's no character development NO SH*T they left it all out
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I loved the action. Fantastic narrator. Easy to listen. Amazing.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Second in The Saxon Chronicles trilogy.This middle book is concerned with Alfred’s desperate attempt to stave of defeat by the Danes, after they break the truce negotiated earlier and invade Wessex. Alfred is forced to hide in the marshlands of Wessex, while the Danes run rampant over the rest of his kingdom. Uhtred, the young narrator of the story, aids Alfred despite Uhtred’s inherent dislike of Alfred and especially Alfred’s Christian piety, which Uhtred views as excessive and dangerous to the welfare of the kingdom.Based on historical reality, Cornwell does his usual outstanding job of creating a believable world with believable characters. His battle descriptions are superb. In my opinion, he has no peer in the historical action-adventure genre. Highly recommended.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a historical novel set in Britain in 871 to 899. The protagonist is a 10 year old boy who is born a Saxon but taken hostage and raised as a son of a Dane. It is a coming of age story. A war story and an adventure story. Alfred the Great is King and this story features battles between the invading Danes and the Saxons. It covers the pagan religions of the Danes, the Saxons as well as the Catholic religion. By telling the story through Uhtred, the 10 y/o taken hostage the reader gets to see the war and battles from the eyes of the Danes and from the Saxons as well, when Uhtred finds himself back with the Saxons. It also is very descriptive of how a shield war was fought. This would be a great boys story but it does contain violence, sexual content though not too graphic but there is rape and sexual elements so parents need to consider that. The reader was very good and it was an enjoyable read and listen. .
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5To be truthful, I didn't quite finish this book. It was all right, but there were too many battles and not enough character development for me. Still, it's an entertaining read and perfect for some guy with a long flight ahead of him.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I'm going about this all the wrong way. I think I read the second book in this series first and this, the first book I'm reading second. Hopefully I'll read the third book third but you never know. It was more of the same really. The story starts with Uhtred losing his father and brother to the Danes. In the following battle he goes beserker (if you read the historical note at the end you'll get the joke) and challenges Ragnar. Ragnar sees something in the young Uhtred that he likes and takes him under his wing. There's an interesting concept in this book that I didn't really realise before now. Basically, Uhtred identifies most with the invaders of his country. He is a Saxon by birth in a time when the Saxons where embracing Christianity. Yet Uhtred identifies most with the Danes, Pagans who invaded his country and slayed his family. Maybe that's what's really relevant about this book. All the scare mongering in the News of the WOrld and the Mail on Sunday about immigration but really, this country has always been a cultural melting pot. Since the Romans we have been invaded by the Danes, the Saxons, the Normans etc, etc. Remember, the next time someone tries to tell you that our cultural heritage is being diluted that our cultural heritage IS diversity.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Easy to read in spite of the constant warfare.
Hero is a smartass in the best way.
Humanizes the great Alfred the Great. Who knew he was so annoyingly pious?
Uhtred's defection from Dane to English wasn't smoothly written for me. He did an awkward 180 degree turn in loyalty when Ragnor died. Still, I enjoyed the book (and the Netflix series) and will keep reading. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bernard Cornwell lives part of his year here in Charleston. If you time it right, you can walk along one of our Charleston streets, and hear a madman ranting in an attic room -- only it's not a madman, it's a literary wonder named Cornwell, ranting and raving in the creation of a scene for whatever novel he's working on. In fact, carriage tour guides look forward to driving by his house, as he sometimes throws things from the windows as he creates his scenes. You know it's been a first rate tour if your carriage is thus blessed.Cornwell once again brought the sights, smells, and sounds to life from the days of Alfred the Great, when the land was torn by war. While I never particularly really liked the main character, or any of the others, I still followed the story with great interest. This is no dry history book, but vibrates with earthiness that I have no doubt is grounded in reality of the time. I remain amazed at Cornwell's amazing skill at depicting a battle, with accuracy and intricacy, holding this reader's interest for each slash and parry. I'm not a blood and guts sort of girl, but these battles are fascinating to me.I've heard Mr Cornwell fo readings, and know that he is a skilled actor as well as a gifted writer. He also spends part of his year up in New England, where he participates in Summer Stock. Though I was initially disappointed he did not read this particular version of the book, the voice actor was really good. This book is is the second book in the Saxon series focusing on England essentially before it was England. It's a time in history that fascinates me. I wish that Cornwell had been writing back in the days when I was studying history at Uni, or when I was living in England for part of that course of studies. His writing would have been good course requirements for any History major.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A quick entertaining read. I want to say 'bro-lit", but I know that doesn't quite hit the mark. Not to deep, especially after coming off of Neal Stephenson, but Cornwell incorporates a unreliable first person narrator who tells this story in the past tense. Typical of Cornwell. In fact, my main disappointment with this first volume of the Saxon Chronicles is that it starts off very similarly to the first volume of The Warlord Chronicles: main character is a kid who is born in one culture, but raised in a different culture, allegiance issues, warrior focused, Pagan vs. Christian, shield walls, shallow family issues to work out. On the plus side, it is fun to read this with a highly detailed map of the British Isles nearby. Matching up the place names and geography gave me a sense of scale that fleshed out the story for me. Also, I like that Cornwell puts a bit of historical perspective into his afterwords. He knows what I want there. A lightning read all the same, but I hope the next ones get a little bit more interesting.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A fantastic book of historical fiction that doubles as a fast-paced thriller. The author does a great job putting the reader right in the middle of 9th century England through various characters. The fact that most of the people in the book were major players in the actual history make this book even greater. I am not doing a great job putting into words how much I enjoyed reading this book. I had been in a rut of late trying to find a book of fiction that excited me, but this first book of a four part series has me once again enthusiastic about reading. I have never read anything by Cornwell and am looking forward to the rest of this series and perhaps other books by him as he has written dozens.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A jolly little viking romp, some mindless entertainment. Some nice historical details, as I would expect from Bernard Cornwell. The story is quite interesting and moves across almost the entire country as it would become. The development of the main character from a small boy to a skilled warrior was interesting to read. I expect I will read the next in this series if I find myself at a loss.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is the first book in a trilogy about King Alfred in the middle of the 9th century, defending England from the Danish invasion. This is the first book I've read by Bernard Cornwell, and I found it to be well researched and well written, but a little repetitive as the whole book is one bloody battle after another. I may eventually read the other books in the series, but they aren't at the top of my TBR pile.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The first half of this book did not appeal, being full of slaughter and Uhtred's endless agonising over whether he remains loyal to his Saxon roots or to his acquired Danish loyalties, but rather weak on plot. The second half was better on plot, rising to an exciting ending, though I still do not like Uhtred's character.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is the second time I have read The Last Kingdom and I still find it to be a great book. I think Bernard Cornwell is one of the best writers of historical novels with adventures added into the mix writing today.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Uhtred is the son of a 9th century Northumbrian lord, and is orphaned and taken hostage in a Viking attack. He becomes a pawn, and then double-agent, in the wars between the Danes and Alfred, King of Wessex. I've read a lot of historical fiction, and I've developed strong likes and dislikes in the genre. One of the things I strongly dislike is the endless battle scene, another is tiresome political maneuvering. This book is almost all one long battle. Also, The Last Kingdom is an entirely androcentric world, with a few females mentioned only as chattels or potential rape vessels. What did I expect, considering this novel is about Vikings? I expected more . . . I've read non-fiction about Vikings, and have seen numerous documentaries, and actually, they weren't at war all day, every day. And last I checked, the populations of both medieval England and Scandinavia were 50% female. I really wanted to hear more about their day to day lives, and not endless battles full of war strategy and bloodshed. Overall, I found this book to be a disappointing bore. Rating: Sorry, can't give it more than one star. I have no problem with the technical aspects of the writing, although there really wasn't much story arc--it starts with a battle, then there are some battles, and then it ends and the reader is supposed to go on to the next book in the series. Recommended for: Cornwell has an excellent reputation for well-researched novels, and I'm sure this one is no exception. It was just so very boring. I'm sure someone who doesn't notice when half the population is missing from a novel, and who likes reading action scenes will find this a good read. Obviously, I'm not the target audience for this one.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5One of those instances where I enjoyed the tv series more than the book and I'll probably not be going back to the book.Uhtred is a Saxon who is captured by a raiding party of Dances at 10, and is brought up as a Dane, he finds himself torn between the two lives and two worlds. His life takes different twists and turns and it's told by his older self.There are very few women in the book and none of them aren't involved with the male character at some point. Scads of male background characters but this comes across as very like a lot of films.It wasn't bad but I don't intend to read more in this series.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book was great fun to read and I am definately going to read the other parts in the Saxon Chronicles.The final battle was very exciting to read, but I did feel that some parts of the book lacked a bit of feeling. Like the hall burning. The main character seems very distant from everything even though it is his family being burnt.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I received a free copy of this book, upon completion of a survey, for my honest review.I always enjoy reading a good historical fiction novel. I like that you learn something while reading and yet you did not have to read a boring, dry text book. This is the first book I have read from Bernard Cornwell and it will not be my last. The Last Kingdom, is the story of Uhtred, the son of a Saxon lord who is killed by a host of invading Danes. Uhtred is captured, as a young boy, by Ragner a Danish war lord. Ragnar raises Uhtred as his son and teaches him the ways of the Danes. Treachery among the Danes and Ragnar is killed. Uhtred now a young man, by fate or chance, rediscovers his English heritage. Now he must fight against the Danes. The story is powerful and gritty. A tale not easily forgotten.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The prose in The Pale Horseman is hurried, rambling, with historical inaccuracies and cardboard characters, all of it in need of an editor. Agreed there is little historical record of England's Alfred the Great; however, it is known he overcame a Danish invasion against staggering odds, unifying the squabbling tribes of Saxons, Mercian and some Britons. Yet Cornwell chooses to portray Alfred as an indecisive, toady of the Church, who only gained his kingdom and victory because of some swaggering, selfish, testosterone-ridden fictional Saxon hero. Doesn't wash.Add to that a propensity for run-on sentences, two glaring technical faux-pas (that linen bowstrings are unusable when wet, and arm-rings worn over chain mail), and you have a recipe for a frustrating and disappointing read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As action historical fiction, Cornwell delivers with The last kingdom, the first volume of his series on King Alfred and the war between Saxons and Danes for England. The narrative carries you forward as told by the main character, Uhtred, a Saxon ealdorman, who grows from the age of ten to adulthood against the background of the Danish conquest. Cornwell writes vivid characters here as well as vivid action. Cornwell is good at setting the scenes and making the time seem alive. In particular, one feels what it meant to fight on the shield wall. Enjoyed it a lot and probably going to get the next volume.