The Last Kingdom

By: Bernard Cornwell

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble

This is the exciting - yet little known - story of the making of England in the ninth and 10th centuries, the years in which King Alfred, 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 has to decide which side he is on. 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 magical 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 altogether. This is the exciting - yet little known - story of the making of England in the ninth and 10th centuries, the years in which King Alfred, his son and grandson defeated the Danish Vikings who had invaded and occupied three of England's four kingdoms.

©2005 Bernard Cornwell (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

Great story!

Wonderful storytelling, excellent narration. I could not stop listening. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

A fine work of historical & embellished narrative.

Very educational historically. Adventurous and endearing. Do watch out for some adult content. This book will make you happy, sad, angry and more!

Mr Cornwell hits another home run

Bernard Cornwell is the master of historical fiction. His characters come to life.

Jonathan Keeble is perfectly suited for this type of story.

I will listen again and again.

Skäl!

Absolutely amazing! I was didn't want it to end. So I will be looking for more.

Interesting insight into a little understood period of English history

This story highlights a period in English history I was on vaguely familiar with. The Viking occupation and near conquest of England is an interesting and bloody story of the beginnings of English national character. #voicesfromthegrave,#mythologyinspired, #clever,#violent,#paganenglandtimes,tagsgiving,#sweepstakes

Awesome performance!

I generally don’t like stories told in first person, but Mr. Keeble’s performance changed my mind with this book. One of the best performances I’ve ever listened to.

A great adventure novel

This was a tremendously fun book to read. Like the best Game of Thrones novels but without the dragons. Its a more personal story than GOT, focusing almost entirely on a single protagonist.

It's not a subtle book but it is compelling if you like the idea of vikings and knights clashing in muddy fields or sailing into battle on warships.

It's more than violent battles though and I really enjoyed the relationships between the characters and the unexpected narrative twists that propelled the story forward.

The narrator was fantastic and set a perfect tone. It felt like I was sitting in a drafty English tavern with a glass of ale while I listened to an old warrior recount his life.

Listen to this one if you're looking for a bloody good time.

Writing is fantastic, Narration is brilliant!

You can't really go wrong with a Bernard Cornwell story but the narrator does a great job making the listener feel like they are in the story with Uhtred. it's truly great. Well worth it.

Wanted to read after watching the show...

and it was the best decision I have ever made. I love hearing so much more depth in the characters and plot and getting much more out of the series. I can't believe it took me this long to start. I also really love this narrator doing this book. I heard it read by another person and I hated it. This guy absolutely kills it.

Excellent!!

Great story, put the reader into the time & action. I love historical fiction and this is at its finest!!