The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Chronicles Series #1)

It was the first book I read from Bernard Cornwell after hearing from my friends and reading many positive reviews of his work. I can't say I disliked the book, it was okay, but there were some things that bothered me.

First, I thought that there wasn't enough depth regarding the characters feelings and personal relationships. The main character (Uhtred) seemed to me too cold and detached from reality, I really didn't feel any empathy for him. And I thought that all the other characters were also kinda flat and uninteresting.

Second, the author emphasizes almost solely the battles, describing them untiringly. I thought that at times it was repetitive and, well, boring. I know it is supposed to be an action packed book, but for me the action was not as exciting as I imagine it should be. The story is so battle centered that for me it lacked the exploration of the human conflicts and feelings.

Third, the author almost doesn't mention or give importance to the relationship between the characters, specially between men and women. I understand that it might be the author's choice to reflect an age in which women were not considered meaningful in military and social affairs (except for breeding), but for me the women who appeared in the story were treated too superficially.

All in all the book is interesting because of its historical aspect, picturing the creation of England and its struggles to battle the Danes during the 9th century. (

In this first book of a long-running historical fiction series we get introduced to Uthred, the heir of Bebbanburg. It's a castle in England in the 9th century and it falls to Danish invasion. The 10 year old Uthred comes to live with his conquerors and adopts their ways while the Danes destroy all English kingdoms but one, Wessex. The Wessex King Alfred is resisting and Uthred gets tied up in all of this.

I didn't really know anything of the period beforehand. The Danes are more commonly known as vikings, but the author manages to show that they weren't just there to raid and pillage but to invade and stay.

Uthred, who tells the story from a first person view is likeable enough. Sometimes the novel feels hyper-masculine, with all the battles and characters. There's not a single truly noteworthy female character.

It was very entertaining to read and I think I'll continue reading this series.