#52 in Historical fiction
The Last Kingdom
- 474
- Pages
- about 9 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“The Last Kingdom” is a solid, battle-minded start to “The Saxon Stories” that gathers force as its hero grows up. Much of the book follows Uhtred’s childhood among the Danes who captured him, and the pull between that upbringing and his Saxon birth gives the fighting its meaning. A reader may warm to it fully only near the close, with the final battle; eleven more volumes follow.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
The Last Kingdom is the first historical novel in The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell, published in 2004. This story introduces Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a Saxon noble who is kidnapped by Danish Vikings as a young child and is assimilated into their culture, religion and language before a series of events lead him into the service of King Alfred of Wessex and his participation in multiple battles, including the notable Battle of Cynwit before the book's conclusion.
Reading order · The Saxon Stories
Full order & progress →- The Last KingdomThis book
8.28.2 / 10 - The Pale Horseman
8.28.2 / 10 - The Lords of the North
–Not ranked yet - Sword Song
8.28.2 / 10 - The Burning Land
8.18.1 / 10 - Death of Kings
8.18.1 / 10 - The Pagan Lord
8.28.2 / 10 - The Empty Throne
8.28.2 / 10 - Warriors of the Storm
8.28.2 / 10 - The Flame Bearer
8.18.1 / 10 - War of the Wolf
8.18.1 / 10 - Sword of Kings
8.08.0 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.3 across 308 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 68% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Historical fiction average of 8.0. That is how 8.2 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.2 | 22 | 7% |
| Hardcover | 8.3 | 286 | 93% |
Frequently asked
How long is The Last Kingdom?
It has 474 pages — longer than 57% of the ranked books in Historical fiction.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Historical fiction — and a score of 8.2, the closest to this book.
