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)

Cornwall is the BEST!

Where does The Last Kingdom rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was the best book - Cornwall has a way of writing that pulls a person back into the written time period. Excellent

What other book might you compare The Last Kingdom to and why?

Any one of his books...are great!

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

Jamie Glover has an awesome voice.

Fun adventure

The protagonist is interesting it is written from a first-person perspective so the hero is more complicated. Also the dialogue is good

string of battles...and more battles... battles

if you spend your time dreaming of sword fights, battle axes, tall and fierce warriors, and then more sword fights, ship burning, axes chopping off heads, and some more battles; you will be right at home in this book....

it just didn't hold my attention. probably the lack of character development and the lack of story...the narrator did a very good job.

Great intro to the Vikings

If you're new to the history of the Middle Ages, this book provides a great introduction to the Vikings and their massive influence upon the development of England. Bernard Cornwell writes great historical fiction that focuses on the growth of several key characters, and during the telling of the tale, incorporates the greater aspects of cultural development and the impact of population shifts during that era. He weaves the importance of both religious and economic factors into the story line and educates the listener to the great influence that these warrior people from the North played upon the history of England. The warring scenes gets a bit tedious at times, but are appropriate given the history of the Viking warriors.

Jamie Glover is a fine narrator with satisfactory inflection and accents. The story is not overly long, so the audiobook is priced fairly. As this is the first in a series by Cornwell, I'm looking forward to hearing more.

Great First book

Where does The Last Kingdom rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Some where in my top ten

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

Yes, I readed the hardback version and love it as a kid. Listening to it now was great.

Speelbound

Would you consider the audio edition of The Last Kingdom to be better than the print version?

same

What did you like best about this story?

historical context

What about Jamie Glover’s performance did you like?

excellent ability to separate the voices to keep up with te many characters.

If you could take any character from The Last Kingdom out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Utrha

Any additional comments?

I've listened to the first two books in this series and look forward to the third!

Excellent!

Enjoyed the Netflix series, books are even better as I had hoped, and not just for men.

An Interesting Escape

The 9th century is brought to life in this book. The story revolves around a young noblemen who switches his allegiance back and forth between his native England and the invading Danes. Although a short book, it is packed with action and characters. The ancient names are a little tough to keep straight in the beginning, but the author gives you enough clues when he brings them in and out to keep them sorted out. The book has strong male and female characters living in a tough time. You will feel like you have an understanding of what it was like to live then and that there aren't always black and white, good guys and bad guys. I only wish it was longer.

A Fine Story

An interesting, well crafted story, coupled with a fine performance by the narrator. What better way to spend a little time.

I give this a 10.5

Would you listen to The Last Kingdom again? Why?

Yes, it was wonderful

Who was your favorite character and why?

No favorites. Well, maybe the

Have you listened to any of Jamie Glover’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't

If you could take any character from The Last Kingdom out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Gosh! I can't choose

Any additional comments?

Wonderful writing; wonderful story; wonderful performance.