REVIEW: The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

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The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell
Publishing information: Paperback; 352 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins; 8 Oct 2015
ISBN: 9780008139476
Series: Saxon Stories #1
Copy: Out of pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Amazon

Synopsis: In the middle years of the ninth century, the fierce Danes stormed onto British soil, hungry for spoils and conquest. Kingdom after kingdom fell to the ruthless invaders until but one realm remained. And suddenly the fate of all England—and the course of history—depended upon one man, one king.

New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom is a rousing epic adventure of courage, treachery, duty, devotion, majesty, love, and battle as seen through the eyes of a young warrior who straddled two worlds."

Cornwell has been on my radar for quite some time and I just have never known where to begin, or if I should undertake one of his books as his list of published works all seem to be positively reviewed. That all changed when I just happened to learn that The Saxon Series was going to become a BBC production. So, I decided to bite the bullet and give his books a shot (it should be known that I have also picked up the first book in his Aurthurian series The Winter King).

The Last Kingdom is the story of a young lord from Norththumbria (Northern England) named
Uhtred, whose family is killed by vikings. The man who killed his father adopts him and he soon finds himself living and learning about life as a Dane. As he learns how to fight and think like a Dane, he also learns about the various Danish rulers and comes to love his adopted society. All that changes when he is returned to the English side of the conflict and serves King Alfred.

What sets this book apart from other historical fiction is that Cornwell has meticulously done his homework and the lives portrayed in the book come to life as you learn about the way in which swords were made and the techniques used in combat take on a life of their own. It also helps that even the various rulers are three dimensional and no one is a cardboard cutout. Everyone you meet seems to have desires and aspirations. The king is not a shining star that is apart from the commoners but rather a flawed human who has his own demons to fight back.

The Last Kingdom is the first book in the Saxon Tales series but it is definitely not the last book I will read from the author as it was action-packed and fairly accurate historically. A great character-driven story that should win over new fans. It should be mentioned that the BBC series is also fantastic and was a great companion to have while reading the book.

Overall 8/10
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