The Last Kingdom

By: Bernard Cornwell

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble

This is the exciting - yet little known - story of the making of England in the ninth and 10th centuries, the years in which King Alfred, 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 has to decide which side he is on. 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 magical 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 altogether. This is the exciting - yet little known - story of the making of England in the ninth and 10th centuries, the years in which King Alfred, his son and grandson defeated the Danish Vikings who had invaded and occupied three of England's four kingdoms.

©2005 Bernard Cornwell (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

Great story!

Wonderful storytelling, excellent narration. I could not stop listening. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

A fine work of historical & embellished narrative.

Very educational historically. Adventurous and endearing. Do watch out for some adult content. This book will make you happy, sad, angry and more!

As good as the Netflix series

You go into Uhtred's head, understanding why his loyalties change between Saxons and Danes. I love the story and Jonathan Keeble has a perfect voice to tell a story like a bard. Will listen to the rest of the series since the ending only handles one of Uhtred's goals (Mildred and their son) but there are more.

Mr Cornwell hits another home run

Bernard Cornwell is the master of historical fiction. His characters come to life.

Jonathan Keeble is perfectly suited for this type of story.

I will listen again and again.

Interesting insight into a little understood period of English history

This story highlights a period in English history I was on vaguely familiar with. The Viking occupation and near conquest of England is an interesting and bloody story of the beginnings of English national character. #voicesfromthegrave,#mythologyinspired, #clever,#violent,#paganenglandtimes,tagsgiving,#sweepstakes

Skäl!

Absolutely amazing! I was didn't want it to end. So I will be looking for more.

Awesome performance!

I generally don’t like stories told in first person, but Mr. Keeble’s performance changed my mind with this book. One of the best performances I’ve ever listened to.

great story

Cornwell does not disappoint, cannot wait to read the next book in this series, very entertaining

Great story, Great Narration

If you enjoy the Netflix series, you will enjoy the book. They share so many commonalities that it's easy to enjoy both. I am happily going to read the second book.

Cornwell's finest series

Great series from a fascinating time in history. Happy all title are now available unabridged. Since the books are written from Uhtred's narrative it is the detail of his thoughts, worries and ref elections that make the stories great abridgment removes these ponderisms and basically just has enough story to connect the battles. Great narration also