Death of Kings

By Bernard Cornwell

Book Overview

The sixth installment of Bernard Cornwell's bestselling series chronicling the epic saga of the making of England, "like Game of Thrones, but real" ( The Observer , London)--the basis for The Last Kingdom , the hit BBC America television series. As the ninth century wanes, England is perched once more on the brink of chaos. King Alfred is dying; with his passing, the island of Britain seems doomed to renewed warfare. Alfred wants his son Edward to succeed him, but there are other Saxon claimants to the throne--as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north. With the promise of battle looming again, Uhtred, the Viking-raised but Saxon-born warrior, whose life seems to shadow the making of England itself, is torn between competing loyalties. Uhtred's loyalty, and his vows, are to Alfred--not to his son--and despite long years of service to the old king, Uhtred is still reluctant to commit to Alfred's cause. His own desire is to reclaim his long lost ancestral lands and castle to the north. As the king's warrior he is duty-bound, but the king's reign is nearing its end, and his death will leave a vacuum of power. Uhtred is forced to make a momentous choice: either take up arms--and Alfred's mantle--to realize his dream of a united and Christian England, or be responsible for condemning it to oblivion. Death of Kings is a harrowing story of the power of tribal commitment and the dilemma of divided loyalties. This is the making of England magnificently brought to life by "the best historical novelist writing today" (Vince Flynn).

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061969656
• ISBN13: 9780061969652
• Release Date: January 2012
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Simply the Best

All of the books in this series are excellent so far. This book chronologically is #6. It amazes me how the author can keep it interesting book after book. I watched the TV series first (3 times actually) and I thought I’d buy the books and see if they were just as good. Well, they are. The fabulous thing is the books are very different so it’s like getting two different stories and to me that makes it so much more interesting. Oh, sure, many of the Characters are the same in names but have different looks and personalities. Some of the settings are different. Some people are more prominent in the TV series and not as much in the books and visa versa. But they’re all fabulous! I can’t say enough about it. Bernard Cornwell is a great writer. It makes me want to read all of his books. I will write another review when I have finished them all. 7 more to go!