The Last Kingdom - Bernard Cornwell

    2005; 384 pages.  Book # 1 (out of 12) in the “Saxon Tales” series. New Author? : No, but a new series.  Genre : Historical Fiction; English History.  Overall Rating : 10*/10.

    England in the 9^th century was a turbulent place.  The Saxons held the greater part of it, divided into four separate kingdoms – Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia, and Wessex.  The Bretons (aka “the Britons”) had been bumped over to the west, clear into the wilds of Wales.  To the north were the fierce Picts and Scots, but nobody tried to invade their turf because their land was rocky and and the booty was sparse.

    Then there were the Danes, who terrorized the whole west coast of England in their long ships, pillaging anyplace that looked like it might have silver and other valuables hidden away somewhere.  Monasteries and nunneries were particularly lucrative targets.  And after plundering and swiving (look it up),  the Danes would pile back into their ships and sail away scot free, because the Saxon kingdoms had no ships of their own.

    But in 866 A.D., change was in the air.  Instead of just a couple boatloads of Danish marauders showing up now and then, fleets with hundreds of ships began to arrive.  And instead of looting-&-leaving, these Danes came to fight.  And conquer the Saxons, one kingdom at a time.  And stay.

What’s To Like...

    The Last Kingdom is the first book in Bernard Cornwell’s epic historical fiction series called the “Saxon Tales” and focuses on the protracted 9th-century struggle between the Danes and the Saxons for control of England.  The title refers to the low point in the war for the Saxons – all their kingdoms had fallen to the Danish invaders, save one: Wessex.  Its demise seems imminent, after which the Danes will be in complete control.

    I assumed that the protagonist would be Alfred the Great, and he certainly plays a major role in the book.  But the protagonist is a fictional character named Uhtred, a minor Northumbrian noble, and the narrator of the book.

    The Last Kingdom is divided into four sections:

Prologue (prior to 866 AD)

Part 1: A Pagan Childhood (chapters 1-6, and roughly 866-871 AD)

Part 2: The Last Kingdom (chapters 7-9, and roughly 874-876 AD)

Part 3: The Shield Wall (chapter 10-11, and roughly 877 AD and beyond)

    Part 1 deals with Uhtred’s capture by the Danish raiders and his not-at-all-unpleasant life growing up in their culture.  In Parts 2 and 3, he’s back in Saxon hands, so the reader gets to view the war from both sides.  But there is a strong religious aspect as well; Alfred and the Saxons are devout Christians, the Danes follow Odin, Thor, and the rest of the Norse pagan gods.  If either side conquered the land you where you dwelt, religious conversion was mandatory.  Since Uhtred lived for years in the camps of both sides, he gives us some great pragmatic insight as to how deal with these spiritual upheavals.

    I loved the attention Bernard Cornwell gives to the historical aspects of the story.  The degree of detail is amazing, yet it never came across as info-dumping.  I got well-acquainted with the “three spinners”, gasped at Uhtred as he tried“ice gliding”, chuckled when he was given the “evil sign with the left hand”, and hoped he wouldn't die when he went into battle as part of a “shield wall”.  The only detail that gave me pause was a chess game he observed; I’m not sure that chess had yet made its way to England by the middle of the 9^th century.

    The “Historical Note” at the back of the book is worth your time, as Bernard Cornwell lists which characters were real and which were fictitious.  He also takes the opportunity to debunk the myth that the Danish helmets had horns on them (why give your foe something to grab onto and twist your neck around?) as well as explain why he steadfastly refuses to use the word “Viking” to describe the Danes.

    The cussing is deftly handled.  At times Old English versions are used, such as “earsling” and “endwerc”, with Uhtred helpfully listing what the modern translations are.  Other times, present-day vernacular is used, with some imaginatively coined phrases, such as “the devil’s turds”, “son of a goat”, and “a turd of men”.

    The book closes with an exciting battle, which is a key turning point in the war for England, replete with subtle strategies and not-so-subtle battle tactics.  It is a logical place to end the book, yet in no way is it the end to the war.  I think mostly it sets up the next book in the series, The Pale Horseman, which resides on my Kindle.

Kewlest New Word...

Withies (n., plural of ‘withy’) : a tough, flexible branch of an osier or other willow, used for tying, binding, or basketry.

Others :  swiving (v., and quite the eye-opener).

Excerpts...

    “The signs are best read by a clever man,” he went on, “and Storri is clever.  I dare say I am no fool.”

    I did not really understand what he was saying.  “But Storri is always right?”

    “Storri is cautious.  He won’t take risks, and Ubba, though he doesn’t know it, likes that.”

    “But the sticks are messages from the gods?”

    “The wind is a message from the gods,” Ravn said, “as is the flight of a bird, the fall of a feather, the rise of a fish, the shape of a cloud, the cry of a vixen, all are messages, but in the end, Uhtred, the gods speak in only one place.”  He tapped my head.  “There.”  (loc. 1299)

    These days I employ poets to sing my praises, but only because that is what a lord is supposed to do, though I often wonder why a man should get paid for mere words.  These word-stringers make nothing, grow nothing, kill no enemies, catch no fish, and raise no cattle.  They just take silver in exchange for words, which are free anyway.  It is a clever trick, but in truth they are about as much use as priests.  (loc. 3182)

Kindle Details...

    The Last Kingdom sells for $6.99 at Amazon.  The other books in the series range from $9.99 to $14.99 apiece.  Bernard Cornwell has a slew of other books and series to offer for the Kindle, including his original and very popular Sharpe series.  Those books are mostly in the prince range of $4.99 to $14.99.

“For something that dribbled out of a goat’s backside, (…) you’re not completely useless.”  (loc. 3488)

    For me, there were no nits to pick.  Others may disagree.  There are a slew of characters to follow, which may give some readers a memorization challenge and leave them wishing a "Cast of Characters" had been added at the front of the book.  But I take notes anyway, including who’s who, so this didn’t hinder me.

    There's a “Place-Names” section at the start of the book, and in it Bernard Cornwell explains why he opted to use some of the “Old English” spellings for names of the various cities in England at the time.  For instance, he calls London “Lundene”, and mentions that it was also called Lundonia, Lundenberg, Lundenne, Lundenwic, Lundenceaster, and Lundres back then.  Some readers might have preferred the modern names, but I thought the author's decision helped set the tone.

    Using Old English names means using Old English letters, such as “Ӕ”, which I liked, but which the MSWord-to-Kindle conversion program apparently went nutso over.  It looked like Cornwell was forced to insert these as images in order for them to appear in the e-book text.

    10 Stars.   All-in-all, I found The Last Kingdom to be a fantastic work of historical fiction, and I’m looking forward to reading more of the series.  Of course, I say that about the author's Sharpe” series as well.  I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that he may be the best writer around right now in this genre.