The Last Kingdom (America, 1)

Cornwell, Bernard

ISBN 10: 0062457020 ISBN 13: 9780062457028

Publisher: Harperaudio, 2015

Synopsis

BBC2’s major TV series THE LAST KINGDOM is based on Bernard Cornwell’s No. 1 bestselling novels on the making of England and the fate of his remarkable hero, Uhtred. These are the first two books in this captivating historical fiction series that transports readers to a time when epic heroes rose amidst the tumult and war of the 9th Century.

The Last Kingdom and The Pale Horseman are the first two books in Bernard Cornwell’s No. 1 bestselling historical fiction series, THE LAST KINGDOM, which tells the tale of Alfred the Great, his descendants and the enemies they faced. 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 captivating and heroic characters.

BBC2’s major TV show THE LAST KINGDOM is based on the first two books in the series.

The box set includes:
The Last Kingdom
The Pale Horseman

About this title

Review:

Does the fact that the The Last Kingdom inaugurates yet another series from Bernard Cornwell fill you with anticipation--or trepidation? His immensely popular Sharpe novels are, of course, the bedrock of the author’s popularity. But when readers learned that he was to abandon the redoubtable Sharpe for a Grail Quest series, there were those who invoked the ‘if isn’t broke, why fix it?’ rule. However, when Cornwell proved himself equally adept at conjuring a world of knights and savage combat, his Grail Quest series (the first book of which was Harlequin) soon established itself as another Cornwell winner.

And here’s yet another series from the protean writer. Do we really need it? Yes, we do--it’s a safe bet that The Last Kingdom will prove that the author is seemingly capable of beginning an endless run of new novel sequences. As well as the impeccably plotted narrative, Cornwell has other fish to fry here: nothing less than a totally fresh look at a historical figure we think we know: Alfred the Great. Cornwell’s protagonist is Uhtred, caught in the conflict between the Danes and the English in the ninth century. He is born into the English aristocracy, but loses his parents at the age of ten and is raised in Viking fashion by a Dane. When massacres reign down on both sides, Uhtred is torn between his loyalties--and when his family disappears, a reckoning with a Viking chieftain is in the offing.

Behind all this is the King, Alfred: complex, conflicted, and by no means the figure that the conventional history books render him. All of the customary Cornwell virtues are fully on display here.--Barry Forshaw

Review:

Praise for Bernard Cornwell:

‘Like Game of Thrones, but real’ OBSERVER

'Blood, divided loyalties and thundering battles' THE TIMES

'Strong narrative, vigourous action and striking characterisation, Cornwell remains king of the territory he has staked out as his own' SUNDAY TIMES

'A violent, absorbing historical saga, deeply researched and thoroughly imagined' WASHINGTON POST

‘The best battle scenes of any writer I’ve ever read, past or present. Cornwell really makes history come alive’ George R.R. Martin

‘Cornwell draws a fascinating picture of England as it might have been before anything like England existed’ THE TIMES

‘He’s called a master storyteller. Really he’s cleverer than that’ TELEGRAPH

‘A reminder of just how good a writer he is’ SUNDAY TIMES

‘Nobody in the world does this better than Cornwell’ Lee Child

About this edition

• Publisher: Harperaudio
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0062457020
• ISBN 13: 9780062457028
• Binding: Audio CD