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The Last Kingdom
- The Last Kingdom Series, Book 1
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
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The Last Kingdom
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Summary
Caught up in the power struggle between two kings, powerless to stop the bloodshed and compelled to take a side, this is a powerful tale of loyalty, war and the struggle to survive.
The first book in a brand-new series, The Last Kingdom is set in England during the reign of King Alfred.
Uhtred is an English boy, born into the aristocracy of ninth-century Northumbria. Orphaned at 10, he is captured and adopted by a Dane and taught the Viking ways. Yet Uhtred's fate is indissolubly bound up with Alfred, King of Wessex, who rules over the only English kingdom to survive the Danish assault.
The struggle between the English and the Danes and the strife between christianity and paganism is the background to Uhtred's growing up. He is left uncertain of his loyalties but a slaughter in a winter dawn propels him to the English side and he will become a man just as the Danes launch their fiercest attack yet on Alfred's kingdom. Marriage ties him further still to the West Saxon cause but when his wife and child vanish in the chaos of the Danish invasion, Uhtred is driven to face the greatest of the Viking chieftains in a battle beside the sea. There, in the horror of the shield-wall, he discovers his true allegiance.
The Last Kingdom, like most of Bernard Cornwell's books, is firmly based on true history. It is the first novel of a series that will tell the tale of Alfred the Great and his descendants and of the enemies they faced, Viking warriors like Ivar the Boneless and his feared brother, Ubba. Against their lives Bernard Cornwell has woven a story of divided loyalties, reluctant love, and desperate heroism. In Uhtred, he has created one of his most interesting and heroic characters and in The Last Kingdom one of his most powerful and passionate novels.
Critic reviews
"Bernard Cornwell is a literary miracle. Year after year, hail, rain, snow, war and political upheavals fail to prevent him from producing the most entertaining and readable historical novels of his generation." ( Daily Mail)
"Cornwell's narration is quite masterly and supremely well-researched." ( Observer)
What listeners say about The Last Kingdom
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Jane
- 30-07-18
Superb
An excellent story full of history, battles, love and adventure told by the best narrator, the perfect combination
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 06-06-22
Destiny is everything
Bernard Cornwell is a magician, I never believed that I would be able to care for two opposing sides so much, especially when one side is so horrendous in many ways. But Cornwell has created characters such as Earl Ragnar who is so rich in depth that we cannot help but love him. Uhtred is a fantastic character and incredibly likeable. I cannot wait to read the next book
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. S. Hindmarsh
- 04-03-16
Great
Loved it, great story telling, enthralling era. First Cornwell book - will try some more.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Adam
- 14-10-16
Better than the tv series!
I loved the plot and character development. I was completely drawn into the adventures of Uhtred Uhtredson, Superb story!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Farmer Mike
- 12-05-18
Excellent
Brilliant story and so well read.
A fantastic combination
Well worth while. Can’t wait for next book
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- j d russell
- 30-05-20
I liked the bit with the vikings.
Very good. I heard good things about series and decided to give it go. Glad I did. Will be reading the rest
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Devina Fish
- 30-07-19
Great Reminder
I read this book, or books, many years ago and this was a great reminder of the story. it also is wonderful to listen to while painting my models.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael
- 12-12-16
A superb read, one of my favourite BC audio books!!
Can't fault this book, the characters are fantastic and the narrator really brings the story to life.
Plenty of excitement and action throughout, can't wait for the next book!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 04-02-21
Superb as always
Ive read all of the last kingdom books a few times over, he really is a master storyteller and very good narrating also, highly recommend!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- laura sewell
- 05-10-19
Check out the series on netflix too! love it
I read this after watching the fantastic series on netflix. I highly recommend that too. The book is quite different to how it is portrayed on screen but both versions are great. I found it a bit hard at first to get used to the story being told as if read by an older Uthred recounting his life.
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