The Last Kingdom

By: Bernard Cornwell

Narrated by: Jamie Glover

The first installment of Bernard Cornwell’s bestselling series chronicling the epic saga of the making of England, “like Game of Thrones, but real” (The Observer, London)—the basis for The Last Kingdom, the hit BBC America television series.

This is the exciting—yet little known—story of the making of England in the 9th and 10th centuries, the years in which King Alfred the Great, 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 is finally forced to choose sides. 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 enchanting 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.

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

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.