Death of Kings (The Warrior Chronicles, Book 6) (The Last Kingdom Series)

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He's canny and strategic, able to act in clever ways: in one skirmish he uses a banner to trap his enemies; it shows Jesus Christ crucified, and Uhtred takes great joy in seeing it spattered with hot blood. It is the story, told in the first person, of Uhtred, a great warrior who is also the clash of cultures incarnate.

The inscription reads: 'His majesty King Charles I passed through this hall and out of a window nearly over this tablet to the scaffold in Whitehall where he was beheaded on 30th January 1649'. Because of this, rivals—both Saxons and Danes—vying for the right to succeed after Alfred’s death are tearing the kingdom apart.I’ve mentioned in my review of The Burning Land that Alfred’s treatment towards Uthred was awful—and I won’t take that back—but I have to remember that their relationship is more complex than a simple love or hate, and I was gladdened to read Uthred’s contemplation and exploration on how he really feels about Alfred the Great. I go from a corruptible to an incorruptible crown; where no disturbance can be, no disturbance in the world.

We think of kings as privileged men who rule over us and have the freedom to make, break and flaunt the law, but Alfred was never above the law he loved to make. Fleets of long ships had dumped clumps of Northmen on the shores of Britain for decades, and all of them were hungry for plunder, land, and women. Other than that, although this is slower-paced compared to the previous books, I still find the topics and character’s development absolutely enjoyable.Uhtred is not satisfied with the outcome of the battle because he believes that another attack will happen soon. He has stayed with Alfred, desperate to reap the benefits of his position enough to amass a war band to take back his home Bebbanburg from his uncle. But the BBC America mini-series production of “The Last Kingdom” was so tasty and fabulous, I got hungry for Cornwell’s writing again. Uhtred, who was born into Saxon nobility in Northumberland but kidnapped and raised a Dane, continues to serve the Christian king of Wessex. He has written about pretty much everything, and all of it that I have read (11 books) and watched (3 Seasons of The Last Kingdom) is incredible.