Bernard Cornwell's "The Last Kingdom": A Historical Novel (ISBN 0-19-826285-8)

Jerome: Gripping story. It's still interesting to read even after having watched the programme, as the plot has remarkable differences.
The only thing I finda bit annoying are the many long sentences connected with the word "and" several times in one sentence.
Nothing you can't get used to tough, so overall it's a great novel.

Germany on Sep 20, 2023

Crusader: I mean, I've got to give the show credit. They followed the book closer than I've ever seen any other show based on a book.

United States on Sep 08, 2023

Adam: The Last Kingdom: Book 1" by Bernard Cornwell is a gripping historical adventure. Set against the backdrop of Viking invasions in 9th-century England, this novel immerses readers in the life of Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a complex and compelling protagonist torn between his Saxon heritage and Viking captors. Cornwell's masterful storytelling and vivid historical detail create an enthralling tale that sets the stage for an epic series. If you're a fan of historical fiction filled with action, intrigue, and vivid characters, this book is a must-read.

United Kingdom on Aug 24, 2023

Ruju: Well, I didn't know that Bernard Cornwell’s ancestors were at Bebbanburg, and that The Last Kingdom is partly based on them. As Cornwell explains in his notes at the end of the book, it is a blend of fact (as far as events so long ago can be trusted to have been recorded reliably) and fiction. I've watched the entire series and decided to read the books when the first six came up as deal for 99p each. There are differences, and my memories are vague rather than concrete, so it never felt like I'd heard it all before. It is indeed a thrilling adventure, easily digested, and I would imagine anyone who has seen the series or enjoys this era of historical fiction would enjoy it.

United Kingdom on Aug 11, 2023

Blu: Young protagonist, Uhtred, is introduced at the age of ten years. The beginning began slowly. Not until the middle did the story develop to become increasingly compelling. A slew of introductions to various characters who affect Uhtred as he matures. Battles, rivalries, betrayal. And, gore. Yet, fascinating.

United States on Jul 07, 2023

Aritra Sarkar: 4.5 Stars
I have a list of things to say about this book, do not fret, it's just 4 things -

1> The characterization of the characters in the book is very much soothing, I found myself empathizing with them actually
2> The character of the protagonist is a story worth reading to be honest, trying my best to not give any spoilers along the way.
3> To understand this story, you have to use all your creative and imaginative juices of your brain, so a healthy dose of 866 -877 AD England.
4> This book is supposed to be read by young adults so that they can get to know a thing or two about Medieval England and raids by Vikings.

Wow, what a read. I gave out the list beforehand because I sometimes lose track of how many things there are to say about the book and the story itself. Imagine you are a prince, an Ealdorman or a Count in modern times trying to learn how to battle, and you become an orphan with your uncle trying usurp your throne... That's some beginning of a story, right?
The story revolves back and forth between the Danes and Saxons, how they had lived in those times, how they did diplomacy and how they battled to save their...

India on Apr 18, 2023

Ravzender: I really enjoyed this story of Uhtred of Bebbanburg. It starts with him as a young boy whose home is attacked by the Danes. They capture him and then raise him when he attacks Ragnar with a small knife. Uhtred grows up, learning to be a Dane, and then is "rescued" by the English and King Alfred. After learning how valuable Uhtred's experiences are, King Alfred says Uhtred needs to marry an English woman. However, the bargain is weighed in King Alfred's favor. Uhtred proves himself with a hard-fought battle for the English.

With a dozen books in the series, it will be an exciting journey to see if Uhtred reclaims his home of Bebbanburg. I wish Bernard had put the maps and pronunciation guides on his website so that they could be printed for easy reference. Going back to the map and then finding exactly where you stopped reading on a Kindle is a bit difficult.

United States on Feb 05, 2023

Nick Wisseman (author): I’m always fascinated when an author I like switches point of view. And Bernard Cornwell does it admirably in The Last Kingdom, the first book in his Saxon Stories series.

Most of Cornwell’s novels (or at least, all the ones I’ve read) are written in third person. But he tells the Last Kingdom from the first-person perspective of Uhtred, a ninth-century English boy who’s kidnapped and raised by invading Danish Vikings. Uhtred narrates his tale in hindsight, reflecting on his youth from a distance of many years. This kind of switch might have tripped up a lesser author, but Cornwell aces the transition.

One of the problems I have with first person is that it often feels less believable than third, even though they’re just different vehicles for storytelling. But when a first-person narrator recounts long-ago dialogue, I’m quicker to think, Is that really what they said, or are you just making it up because you don’t remember? (My other quibbles with first-person: it’s harder to worry about a character’s chance of survival when you know—barring some literary sleight of hand—that they’ll live to record their tale; and if the narrator is using...

United States on Oct 20, 2017

FictionFan: When young Uhtred's father is killed during a battle with the invading Danes, Uhtred is taken captive by the Viking Ragnar, who is amused and impressed by the courage the boy had shown in the fight. Ragnar treats him more as a son than a captive, though, and Uhtred, whose relationship with his own father was somewhat cold and distant, comes to love Ragnar, and quickly takes to the freedom of the Viking life, far from the tedious lessons in reading and Latin forced on him at home. But Uhtred knows that one day, when he is a man, he wants to regain the castle and land of his forefathers, which is currently being held by his uncle who in his absence has usurped him as Ealdorman of Bebbanburg.

The story takes place in the late 9th century, when the Danes were in the process of amassing territory and control throughout what would later become England. By the time Uhtred is old enough to become a full-fledged warrior, the Danes have control of three of the four old Kingdoms and only Wessex is still fully independent. But in Wessex, a young leader is set to become King – Alfred, a man very different from Ragnar and the Vikings, but with perhaps just as much steely determination...

United Kingdom on Jun 08, 2017

Stuart W. Mirsky: This one is a nicely done rendition of the period when the Danes were overrunning England and Alfred, king of the holdout English kingdom of Wessex (land of the West Saxons), stood nearly alone against them. After the other kingdoms, including Northumbria, Mercia, and East Anglia had fallen, there was only Alfred's Wessex and Alfred, a somewhat prissy churchman, seemed the least likely of English kings to hold them off. But he proved a surprise to his contemporaries and, of course, to the Danes.

This tale tracks an English lord, an ealdorman, who is snatched from home and hearth at the tender age of ten in the course of a Danish raid on his father's coastal holdings and subsequently reared as a Dane. Coming of age in the warlike culture of the vikings, young Uthred Uthredsson must balance competing loyalties to his adopted Danish father and his English heritage. This first volume in a projected series carries Uthred to King Alfred and his first big decision, and then back again into the jaws of destiny.

There is not much of a story here . . . just lots of fighting and running (or sailing) about. But it's all well told and keeps the reader with Uhtred all the way. The...

United States on Oct 06, 2005