A new hero emerges to save England from the Danes (The Last Kingdom - Bernard Cornwell)

Member Name: JamesConnolly75

Product:	The Last Kingdom - Bernard Cornwell
Date:	31/08/06 (157 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great new series of compelling historical fiction

Disadvantages: You will want to read the other two books straight away ! !

The Last Kingdom is the first book in a new trilogy by Bernard Cornwell about Saxon and Norse Britain at the time of Alfred the Great (9th Century). The other two books in the series are Pale Horseman (see my earlier review) and Lords of the North (just released, so watch this space for review). For those of you unfamiliar with the work of Cornwell, he is a prolific writer of fiction, predominately historical fiction in which he intertwines his characters and their story with actual historical events. He is probably best know for his Sharpe series (21 books) which was serialised by ITV and stared Sean Bean, the books however are much better and he has been described as perhaps the greatest writer of historical adventure novels today. I digress however so back to The Last Kingdom. (at last I hear you say!!)

Story:
The book follows the early life of Uhtred of Bebbenberg (the main character of the trilogy). The book starts in 866 when Uhtred, then 10 years old and lives with his father and brother in the fortress of Bebbenberg in Northumbria where is father is Ealdorman (Lord). When his father and brother and killed by the invading Danes, Uhtred is captured by Lord Ragnar a Danish lord who takes Uhtred into his household and raises him as a Dane and teaches him the ways of the Viking - sailing and fighting. Living amongst the Danes at first is appealing to Uhtred, his is a young man amongst men and there are no rules and no pious priests trying to teach him to read and write. However as time progresses and the Danes invade more and more of England the divided loyalties begin to rise in Uhtred. He sees himself as a Saxon rather than a Dane though as a pagan he feels more in common with the Vikings than the Christian Saxons. The feelings of division continue to rise in Uhtred until the death of his beloved adopted father Ragnar leads him to leave the Vikings and find his way to the remaining Saxons in Wessex under Alfred. Uhtred has no love for the pious Christian Alfred and Alfred does not trust Uhtred as a pagan and one who lived with the Vikings but as the Vikings invade Wessex, Alfred needs every Saxon Sword. The men make an uneasy truce and Uhtred turns his sword on his old friends and in a bloody battle in Southern England the Kingdom is saved and a new hero is born.

Synopsis:
The Last Kingdom is a saga of blood, war, brotherhood, and betrayal that brings to centre stage Alfred the Great, one of the most crucial (but oft-forgotten) figures in English history. It is King Alfred and his heirs who, in the ninth and tenth centuries, with their backs against the wall, fought to secure the survival of the last outpost of Anglo-Saxon culture by battling the ferocious Vikings, whose invading warriors had already captured and occupied three of England's four kingdoms. The story really brings the early part of Alfred's reign to life and paints a colourful and imaginable picture of 9th Century England. The characters are interesting, diverse and believable and most are actual historical figures like Ubba, Halfdan and Ivar the Boneless the three Lothbrok Brothers, Alfred and Ethelred and Guthrum the unlucky. What really brings the book alive for me is Cornwell's excellent eye for detail that really adds a rich background and his excellent recreation and description of battles that across all his books comes across as one of his main strengths.

This looks set to be another great series by Cornwell and this book is an excellent introduction. I would really recommend this book to all readers especially those who love historical fiction. These books also teach you a lot about Anglo-Saxon and Viking England without making you feel like you are learning, a definite plus for younger readers.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The Last Kingdom is available for £5.59 on Amazon or £6.99 in the shops though you could probably pick it up for as little as £3 on Ebay.

Paperback: 500 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (30 May 2005)
Language English
ISBN: 0007149913

Summary: Historical Fiction of Alfred the Great's Struggle to save England from the Danes