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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Feb 2005, 333 pages
Paperback:
Jan 2006, 368 pages
From the book jacket: The first volume in a new saga set in the 9th century. The Norse have gone 'a-viking'
and are rapidly overwhelming the land later to be known as England. Three out of the four
kingdoms are already in their control, only Wessex, under the leadership of
Alfred, remains undefeated.
Comment: In the words of Katherine Powers writing for the Washington Post, "The Last Kingdom caters to those of us whose appetite for rehashed
legends was satisfied long ago. In addition to providing thrilling combat action
and satisfying details of material life, military accoutrement and battle
tactics, Cornwell's best historical fiction pleases us mightily in the way his
renditions of the great actors and events of yore stray from received versions.
Such contrariness is partly the product of meticulous research and partly of a
mischievous sense of humor. Happily, both inform The Last Kingdom
throughout."
In a 2005 interview in Publishers Weekly, Cornwell explained
that his decision to write a series set in the 9th century was partially
spurred by personal events. Cornwell
was a 'war baby' - the result of a liaison
between a Canadian airman and an English woman - he was adopted and suffered a particularly unhappy
childhood. Although he'd always had access to information about
his parents he had
never chosen to look them up until recently when, on tour in Vancouver,
he decided to see if his father was alive, and found that he was. They met for the first time when his father was 84 years old. Cornwell
found that his family name was Oughtred, which traced back to
Bebbanburg Castle in Northumbria, now known as
Bamburgh
Castle. This triggered him to create a Northumbrian hero,
Uhtred, who was forcibly adopted by the Danes, grew up among them,
learned their ways and eventually helped Alfred defeat them!
The next book in the series, The Pale Horseman, was
published in the UK in October 2005 and in the USA early this month.
Booklist describe it as a 'crackerjack adventure tale from a master of the
craft.'
This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in March 2005, and has been updated for the
January 2006 edition.
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