Title: The Last Kingdom

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Harper Collins Publishing   

Format: Paperback

Pages: 477

Rating: 4/5 stars

*Warning: Mature Content. Parents please be advised*

Synopsis (Goodreads):

This is the 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.

Review:

I’m so excited to finally be reviewing this book! I watched the tv series on Netflix when it first came on and loved it, and now I get to read the books!

The Last Kingdom is about Uhtred, a Saxon who watched his father killed by the Danes, and then was raised by the Danes himself. Through many unfortunate circumstances, he ends up growing up to serve Alfred, King of Wessex; who later becomes known as Alfred the great. I love this time period! I love learning about the Saxons and the Danes, and about the effects of the mixing of their cultures etc. I also really enjoyed that Uhtred always felt torn between his Saxon heritage and his Danish upbringing. This was represented by how he was torn between land, religion, and family! He never really knew where he belonged, but he did understand that he created his own life and that fate was already sketched out for him; he was just along for the ride!

The book does a great job of highlighting the culture of the time, and the characters are really fun and interesting. The book is told from Uhtred’s perspective when he is older, and he is telling the story of his life, which I really enjoyed!

Happy reading!