The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories, #1) by Bernard Cornwell

The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories, #1)

by Bernard Cornwell

5 stars

“I had come to Cynuit. I had no need to be on that hilltop. But I was there. Because destiny is everything.”

I did start reading this because of the Netflix series, but this book was a thousand times better than I what I thought it would be. Honestly, I was expecting a boring third-person narrative droning on and on about mind-numbing historical facts, and what I got instead was an outrageously engaging and fast-paced first-person narrative that completely blew my mind. There is literally no end to all of the positive things I could say about this book.

I’m absolutely fascinated by the whole concept of the book. It is a wonderfully designed combination of researched historical fact and artistic license in order to incorporate the author’s non-contemporary ancestry into the history of the Danish invasion of Anglo-Saxon England. Despite this idea, the novel can be defined as an incredible praise to Alfred the Great, the only English king granted this denomination.

The narrator is Uhtred, an Ealdorman of England, now an old man looking back and telling the tale of his life; primarily all that led his to his quest of recovering his land, Bebbanburg, and his relationship with Alfred. Regardless of the impression we are left of Alfred throughout his limited appearances in this first installment, we can’t deny that Uhtred’s narration of his character gives us a clear account of the amount of respect he feels for him, in spite of their complicated relationship.

“He was my king and all that I have I owe to him. The food that I eat, the hall where I live and the swords of my men, all came from Alfred, my king, who hated me.”

The ‘older MC narrator’ structure of the book is very well done. There is a constant reminder of the presence of the old Uhtred (foretelling future events, or giving small hints about what’s gonna happen in the sequels) that simply turns this book into a work of art. The fact that it is a story within a story is pointed out repeatedly, but it just adds to the magical effect of good writing.

“A baby was in a wooden cradle beside her and later, much later, I realised that the baby must have been Æthelflaed, so that was the very first time I ever saw her, though I thought nothing of it at the time.”

“The story hurries now. It quickens like a stream coming to a fall in the hills and, like a cascade foaming down jumbled rocks, it gets angry and violent, confused even.”

There is, of course, humour. Uhtred is a mischievous child and an even more mischievous adult. He doesn’t miss one opportunity to mock Christianity, some priest, the christianly uptight people surrounding him (mainly Alfred), or simply be marvelously savage. Many other characters make these remarks as well, and boy, was it entertaining.

“‘God sends temptation to test us, my lord,’ he said quietly.

‘He sends women to test us,’ the young man said harshly, ‘and we fail, and then he sends the Danes to punish us for our failure.’

‘His way is hard,’ Beocca said, ‘and no one has ever doubted it.’”

Above all, Uhtred’s character development was beyond amazing. It really is a tale of his life, complete with the existential crisis angle. His struggles to understand where he belongs and who he belongs with were masterfully included in the story, and by portraying Ragnar as a very caring man it’s even more confusing for us to decide who we want Uhtred to align himself with (even if his later preference is clear).

”I had learned to hide my soul, or perhaps I was confused. Northumbrian or Dane? Which was I? What did I want to be?”

“Did I know all that at eleven? Some, I think. It lay in my heart, unformed, unspoken, but hard as stone. It would be covered over in time, half forgotten and often contradicted, but it was always there. Destiny is all Ravn liked to tell me, destiny is everything.”

Something I loved about this one, probably the thing I loved the most, is the constant reiteration of the role of destiny in his life. I love how looking back on his journey he sees every unwitting step he takes that led him to where he is today, how the smallest, most insignificant is actually full of meaning in the future. And I’m 100% sure that my mind will be reeling when I understand the bigger picture.

“Ravn told me time and again that destiny was everything. Fate rules. The three spinners sit at the foot of the tree of life and they make our lives and we are their playthings, and though we think we make our own choices, all our fates are in the spinners’ threads. Destiny is everything, and that day, though I did not know it, my destiny was spun. Wyrd bið ful ãræd, fate is unstoppable.”

All in all, I can honestly say that there’s plenty I’m leaving out, that if I could organize my thoughts I would add. I was rendered, for a day at least, absolutely speechless after the amazing experience that was reading this book. So I’m gonna stop reviewing right this very instant, and start reading the sequel.

“‘What happens to me?’ I finally blurted out.

‘You?’ He sounded surprised that I had asked. ‘What happens to you, Uhtred, is what you make happen.”