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Death of Kings  By  cover art

Death of Kings

By: Bernard Cornwell
Narrated by: Stephen Perring
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Publisher's summary

The fate of a new nation rests in the hands of a reluctant warrior in this thrilling sixth volume in the acclaimed New York Times best-selling Saxon Tales series.

As the ninth century wanes, Alfred the Great lies dying, his dream of a unified England in danger and his kingdom on the brink of chaos. While his son, Edward, has been named his successor, there are other Saxon claimants to the throne - as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north.

Uhtred, the Saxon-born, Viking-raised warrior, whose life seems to shadow the making of England itself, is torn between his vows to Alfred and his desire to reclaim his long-lost ancestral lands and castle in the north. As the king’s warrior, he is duty-bound, but Alfred’s reign is nearing its end, and Uhtred has sworn no oath to the crown prince. Despite his long years of service, Uhtred is still loath to commit to the old king’s Saxon cause of a united and Christian England. Now he must make a momentous decision, one that will forever transform his life... and the course of history: take up arms - and Alfred’s mantle - or lay down his sword and allow the dream of a unified kingdom to fall into oblivion.

©2011 Bernard Cornwell (P)2011 HarperCollinsPublishers

What listeners say about Death of Kings

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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    2,710
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Performance Misery

I love reading Bernard Cornwell's books, but the performance of the final Saxon books is dreary. They become hard to listen too. The first ones are great. Jonathan Keeble is excellent and portrays the characters as you would envision fighting men of this time. But the narrators become more and more dreary and do portray the characters well. I am disappointed with the narrating but as always, will continue to read Cornwell.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Weak Performance

The performance was just not good. I couldn’t hear the narration at times, and that, coupled with mispronounced words was irritating. The book was good but difficult to listen to.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Whoever produces is terrible.

"YOUtred of borough." The mispronunciation of key terms from the series is inexcusable. No quality control in production.

Great story

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

5 stars

Outstanding depiction of the times and warfare of create an England instead of petty kingdoms

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

good

it is a great story, cornwell is a genius. narration is ok. would listen again.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Bebbanburgh

I was turned off just a little bit with the narrator saying Benbraugh instead of Bebbanburgh. ;-)

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Meh

Narrators need to pronounce the names and places the same as their predecessors so as not to leave the listener wondering where or whom they're talking about.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Certainly makes you think

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. You learn history through a great read.

What did you like best about this story?

The relationship between a king and a war lord under his authority. Well written

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

First I've heard by this narrator. Really enjoyed his narration

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A War Lord and His Kings

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best historical novel ever

The Saxon series are a must. Pick up book one and start from there. The last kingdom.
The original performer/narrator was the best. Changing them throughout the other books makes it a bit difficult but still worth the read!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding!

Haven't read a series of historical novels so rich with detail and engrossing since i read Colleen Mccollough Men of Rome series.

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