The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell is a historical fiction following the story of Uhtred, a young Englishman whose is taken in by Ragnar, the man who has murdered his father. This leads to an interesting perspective as the young man essentially learns to be a Viking or a Dane, learning their customs and traditions but ultimately his ties to his home and England seem to always be at the forefront of his mind.
The book is quite a savage and bloodthirsty read, for the first few chapters as the initial sieges and battles take place, and the English kingdoms slowly fall to the Viking Raids. This is often countered with useful if quite overbearing historical information at times, with the description of why the Viking boats having such beautifully carved heads happening numerous times and seeming a bit forceful in its telling. In saying this though, the historical aspect mixed with the fictional story of Uhtred is well done it creates a vivid world rich in description, character and feeling and really immerses the reader from the get-go.
The characters are very interesting, with great motives behind them, land, gold and money for the Scandinavian invaders. Whilst the Englishmen are fighting to protect their home and people, exemplified in the character of Leofric a gruff and hearty man than helps Uhtred lead the fledgling navy of the West Saxon Kingdom. Uhtred himself becomes rather more developed as the book progresses from a young boy to a growing teenager the motives desires and ways in which he goes about his goals are constantly under threat and evolving and it is these, crafted so expertly into the story that make it a book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
The last point to make is that the writing can be a bit of a funny pace. The battles are done quickly and interestingly but then there are some parts of the story that are slow and ponderous. I personally think the characters and actions scenes and the vivid rich descriptions make up for this in the long term though.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was a brilliant opening to a series that I will certainly continue reading. I give this a solid 3/5 and would recommend this to anyone who loves this time period and is looking for a quick, easy but enjoyable read.
ThornyPages 