Death of Kings
Ratings32
Average rating4.1
As the ninth century wanes, England appears about to be plunged into chaos once more. For the Viking-raised but Saxon-born warrior, Uhtred, whose life seems to shadow the making of England, this presents him with difficult choices.King Alfred is dying and his passing threatens the island of Britain to renewed warfare. Alfred wants his son, Edward, to succeed him but there are other Saxon claimants to the throne as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north.Uhtred's loyalty - and his vows - were to Alfred, not to his son, and despite his long years of service to Alfred, he is still not committed to the Saxon cause. His own desire is to reclaim his long lost lands and castle to the north. But the challenge to him, as the king's warrior, is that he knows that he will either be the means of making Alfred's dream of a united and Christian England come to pass or be responsible for condemning it to oblivion.This novel is a dramatic story of the power of tribal commitment and the terrible difficulties of divided loyalties.
Series
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13 primary books14 released books#6 in The Last Kingdom
The Last Kingdom is a 14-book series with 13 primary works first released in 2004 with contributions by Bernard Cornwell.
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Executive Summary: Another solid entry in this series. Uthred's adventures continue to entertain.Full ReviewI find myself quickly catching up on this series. These books always seem to go by so quickly. They aren't exactly short, but they tend to be far shorter than many of the doorstopper fantasy books I favor. I will say that much like [b:The Last Kingdom 68527 The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories, #1) Bernard Cornwell https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407107780s/68527.jpg 881821], this did feel like part of a book.That isn't to say this book comes to an abrupt ending, but much is left unresolved, and I suspect [b:The Pagan Lord 17853024 The Pagan Lord (The Saxon Stories, #7) Bernard Cornwell https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1370529803s/17853024.jpg 24989806] will continue right where things left off here much like [b:The Pale Horseman 68528 The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories, #2) Bernard Cornwell https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1421710510s/68528.jpg 891875]. For the others in-between they felt more stand alone, and often had a time jump between them.With a title like death of Kings, and a series that is overrun with Kings, you find yourself wondering which of the many Kings shall be meeting an untimely ending, and how many of those at the hands of Uthred's sword.At this point in the series Uthred is an “old man” in his 40s. He's a bit more mature and less arrogant, but only a little. I continue to enjoy his exploits, and the contrast in his reputation and his actions.Despite being a feared warrior of much renowned, he is a caring and loyal person, often to his own detriment. It's these contrasts that make him such a compelling character to read about.This series continues to be a favorite, and it'll be hard to find another historical fiction series that comes close to fill the time once I catch up. I'm always eager to pick up the next book in this series, but even more so with this book. Mr. Cornwell finds a decent stopping place to end things, but it feels more like a pause than an ending. Much is left unresolved that I'm eager to read about. It's a tricky balance in the middle of any series, especially 6 books in. You want to leave your reader wanting more, but not unsatisfied and Mr. Cornwell manages to pull that off once again.
