ThefirstinstallmentofBernardCornwell’sNewYorkTimesbestsellingserieschroniclingtheepicsagaofthemakingofEngland,“likeGameofThrones,butreal“(TheObserver,London)--thebasisforTheLastKingdom,thehitNetflixseries.Thisistheexciting--yetlittleknown--storyofthemakingofEnglandinthe9thand10thcenturies,theyearsinwhichKingAlfredtheGreat,hissonandgrandsondefeatedtheDanishVikingswhohadinvadedandoccupiedthreeofEngland’sfourkingdoms.ThestoryisseenthroughtheeyesofUhtred,adispossessednobleman,whoiscapturedasachildbytheDanesandthenraisedbythemsothat,bythetimetheNorthmenbegintheirassaultonWessex(Alfred’skingdomandthelastterritoryinEnglishhands)UhtredalmostthinksofhimselfasaDane.HecertainlyhasnoloveforAlfred,whomheconsidersapiousweaklingandnomatchforVikingsavagery,yetwhenAlfredunexpectedlydefeatstheDanesandtheDanesthemselvesturnonUhtred,heisfinallyforcedtochoosesides.Bynowheisayoungman,inlove,trainedtofightandreadytotakehisplaceinthedreadedshieldwall.Aboveall,though,hewishestorecoverhisfather’sland,theenchantingfortofBebbanburgbythewildnorthernsea.Thisthrillingadventure--basedonexistingrecordsofBernardCornwell’sancestors--depictsatimewhenlawandorderwererippedviolentlyapartbyapaganassaultonChristianEngland,anassaultthatcameveryclosetodestroyingEngland.
