The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories #1) by Bernard Cornwell

The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories #1) 

by Bernard Cornwell 

BLURB:

This is the 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. 

MY REVIEW: 

Brilliantly Written! 

Words can not describe the excitement and thrill I got from reading this awesome story. I was so entranced that I felt I was living in the Dane's world.

The author is new to me but after reading this first installment, I want to buy every book in this series.

The characters are all heart thumping warriors that win you over immediately. The battle scenes had my heart racing for their victories and the astonishing acts of betrayal and deceptions will blow your mind.

I searched out this book after learning that Rollo the Viking and Bernard the Dane were my 30th and 31st great grandfathers. I wanted to learn more about these famous Vikings and boy was this an eye opener.

Yes this is a different read for me but I totally loved it! It had the teasing of romance, the bantering fun between the characters, the war and battle scenes. Then it had the plots of jealousy and heart ache that drew you in and had you glued to the pages wanting a revenge of some sort.

I tell you, I read this in one day. I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this awesome book and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Excellent Read!