36. The Last Kingdom

The Last Kingdom. (The Last Kingdom #1) Bernard Cornwell. 2004. 351 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: My name is Uhtred. I am the son of Uhtred, who was the son of Uhtred and his father was also called Uhtred. My father's clerk, a priest called Beocca, spelt it Utred. I do not know if that was how my father would have written it, for he could neither read nor write, but I can do both and sometimes I take the old parchments from their wooden chest and I see the name spelled Uhtred or Utred or Ughtred or Ootred.

Premise/plot: The Last Kingdom opens in 866 in England--or what would eventually become England. The Last Kingdom in some ways about one man's vision of a united England. That man isn't the main character, Uhtred, by the way, but (King) Alfred (the Great). In his own words, "This is the tale of a blood feud. It is a tale of how I will take from my enemy what the law says is mine. And it is the tale of a woman and of her father, a king. 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."

This first book, however, sets the scene for what is coming, what is inevitable--after all destiny is all, so we're told as readers over and over and over again. 

The story starts with a YOUNG boy, a young boy of Bebbanburg, a second son renamed (and rebaptized) after his older brother's death. It begins with his being ripped away "from his destiny" and having his life turned upside down. He witnesses the death of his father and the defeat of his father's men. He's captured by the Danes (aka Vikings) and enslaved. But his "slavery" comes to feel over time--weeks, months, years--more like adoption. He loves and is loved by his new family...

But this isn't a happily ever after story.

My thoughts: I watched the television series first. It was compelling. I don't know that every viewer feels the need to binge-watch the show, but I certainly did. But the show goes a million times faster than the book. For better or worse. Uhtred's childhood and teenage years are a complete blur in the show. Blink and you miss it. They rush ahead. The book definitely and decidedly are BETTER than the show in that regards. It's good for building and establishing the world; it's great for CHARACTER development. 

So much is abridged on the show. So much is left out completely. For example, Uhtred going to visit his MERCIAN relatives. (His mother's family were from Mercia. He has living relatives in Mercia. He goes first to MERCIA. He doesn't seek out Wessex and Alfred.) It also gives a much fuller view of Alfred and Uhtred and how these two relate to one another. These two met several different times--perhaps even half a dozen times--when both were boys/young teens. The book also does a great job with Father Beocca.

Definitely I recommend the book. 

Quote: This was what life had led to, a shield wall, and if I survived this then I would be a warrior.

 

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