The Last Kingdom

The Saxon Chronicles, Book 1

By: Bernard Cornwell

Narrated by: Jamie Glover

Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

From Bernard Cornwell, the New York Times best-selling author whom the Washington Post calls "perhaps the greatest writer of historical adventure novels today", comes a saga of blood, rage, fidelity, and betrayal. In the ninth and 10th centuries, King Alfred and his heirs 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.

In AD 866, Uhtred, a boy of 10 and the son of a nobleman, is captured in the same battle that leaves his father dead. His captor is the Earl Ragnar, a Danish chieftain, who raises the boy as his own, teaching him the Viking ways of war. As a young man expected to partake in raids and bloody massacres of the English, he grapples with divided loyalties, torn between Ragnar, the warrior he loves like a father, and Alfred, whose piety and introspection leave him cold. It takes a terrible slaughter and the unexpected joys of marriage for Uhtred to discover his true allegiance, and to rise to his greatest challenge.

Ready for battle? Don't miss the rest of the Saxon Chronicles Series, including The Pale Horseman (Book 2), Lords of the North (Book 3), and Sword Song (Book 4).

©2005 Bernard Cornwell (P)2005 2005 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A solid adventure by a crackling good storyteller." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Cornwell deserves praise for his mesmerizing narrative finesse and his authentic historical detailing....[An] irresistible epic adventure." ( Booklist)

Vikings: Who knew!

A young boy experiencing a new and unexpectedly exciting culture made good listening on a short road trip. Never knew Vikings could be so good for an orphaned minor nobleman. The novel certainly offers perspective about honor while providing action aplenty.

So much for this being a story for men.

Would you try another book from Bernard Cornwell and/or Jamie Glover?

Absolutely. Cornwell does his research, and I find the time period absolutely fascinating.

Would you recommend The Last Kingdom to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes - although I would not recommend this audio version because it is abridged.

What three words best describe Jamie Glover’s voice?

Mellow. Deep. Intelligible.

Did The Last Kingdom inspire you to do anything?

As with all tales of Vikings, it inspired me to rape and pillage and build glorious ships. I am soon to invade Rhode Island.

Any additional comments?

Audible, please find a way for this entire series to be read by John Lee, and sold unabridged. Or the Vikings horde will invade.

do yourself a favor and listen

Any additional comments?

Let me just say that this is one of the best (if not the best) historical fiction books I have listened to. If you have any interest in British history, Vikings, or heck if you just like a good listen-- do yourself a favor and get this book. I finished it in 2 days -- an unheard of feat for me. I immediately got the second book in the series and I am having to hold myself back from listening to it. The narrator is awesome, the writing is wonderful -- well developed characters that you learn to care about. You feel like you are living it right along with the characters.

Good Historical Fiction

What did you love best about The Last Kingdom?

Good storytelling. I really like all kinds of historical fiction. The old europe stuff is my bag right now.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Laefric was good because he told Uhtred how it really was

Which character – as performed by Jamie Glover – was your favorite?

Uhtred

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Good book

Why Abridged?

This was a good, fast moving story. I also think that the narator did a fantastic job. Especially with the different name pronunciations. He really helped you get into the time period. Unfortunately, I cannot help but feel that there was depth missing from the abridged version. As interesting as the story was, it often felt like just a combination of historical events (true or not.) I am looking forward to the next in the series, though it is abridged also. If it is as good as this, I will really look towards the third in the series, which is the first that Audible offers (at least to me) unabridged. It is interesting though, that before I became a member, it seems that this book is available unabridged. Be that as it may, don't let it discourage you from listening to this book. Bernard Cornwell seems to have a special ability to make history come to life.

really enjoyed

I read a couple of Bernard Cornwell books many years ago, and as I remember I thought they were alright. I listened to the A.Conan Doyle "The White Company" last month and I really liked it, so I wanted to find another book like it and this is want I came up with.

I liked this book almost as much and have already downloaded the next in the series, the pale horseman. It really moves and is action packed. It is very discriptive of the battle scenes. I also like the main character Uhtred, very no-nonsence, tough, smart and a little bit lucky.

I usually only listen to unabridged versions but there is no option on the first two books in this series. That is probably why the story goes so quickly, I can't help but think that I'm really missing a lot of the story

More fun than standing in a shield wall !

If you've ever wondered what it might be like to stand in a shield wall with 500 of your closest friends, facing and enemy, that wants you dead...
Well then you'll enjoy this hot blooded, fun, but serious adventure!
A real page turner! I laughed out loud a few times along the way! Enjoy!

The Last Kingdom

Bernard Cornwell continues to paint a vivid picture and totally involve the reader in the book. I have rarely felt more like I was participating in the event he is describing. "The Last Kingdom" is one of his best. I will be hearing the rest of this second series.

...and so the saga begins

The first of five novels that center on the life and times of Uhtred of Bebbanburg. I became an Saxon Chronicle addict after reading the first book. Within a short period of time all five books were bought and consumed as time would permit. Cornwell's style of writing appeals to me and I find his stories to be a thoroughly enjoyable distraction. Each story follows the last and each is full of blood thirsty action and adventure. What more can a man ask for?
All five books are available on audible and a sixth book, Death of Kings, is due to be released, in the US, January 2012.
If you have enjoyed the Saxon Chronicles you would also probably enjoy the Grail Quest trilogy by the same author.

Abridged v. Unabridged

I enjoyed the story and performance very much, but I missed that this version is abridged when I purchased it. The story was rich but felt oddly incomplete, and I didn't know why until I looked back into my library and saw it was abridged. The performance is excellent, the story and detail is wonderful, but I would recommend reading it to get the full depth of it or go to an unabridged audio version.