Wyrd bið ful āræd

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


At the top of the cover is the blurb "Like Game of Thrones, but Real!" which is quite accurate. I discovered this story through the BBC/Netflix adaptation, also titled The Last Kingdom. I was overjoyed to learn that this was an eleven-book-long series.

This is the story of Uhtred of Bebbanburg or Uhtred Ragnarsson, a Northumbrian Ealdorman who is captured by the Danes and raised as a son by Ragnar the Fearless. The first half of the book covers Uthreds life as a trusted thrall and later adopted son living in Danish Northumbria, learning to be a warrior and reveling in the freedom of the Danelaw. Later, his family is betrayed and he flees south, eventually coming into the service of King Alfred of Wessex.

The story is told from the perspective of an aged Uthred reflecting on his long life. so we get occasional bits of foreshadowing, which fits with Uthred's belief that his fate was pre-ordained, "Wyrd bið ful āræd" in the books. Uthred is a very well-written character. He's a hero, but we see how that hero was forged. Cornwell does an amazing job of painting 9th century Britain, using very real historical characters in context. Uthred is of course the kind of protagonist that can easily move between these worlds for the sake of the story, but his background and lineage make his ease of movement make sense.

One nice touch is at the beginning of the book is a list of place names. Cornwell uses contemporary place names, so being able to see that Eoforwic is York really helps place the action. And even though this is only the first book in a long series, it is a complete tale.

Highly recommended, especially for RPGers looking for good color details for their settings.



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