Thanks for the writeup @strategy! I enjoyed The Last Kingdom so I’ve considered reading the books - seems like I should pass.
Also looking forward to season 5, though new seasons of the show always ends up with my wife calling me arseling for a few weeks.
I on the other hand have really enjoyed the books. I don’t read much as books tend to struggle to hold my attention, but I’ve read every book in this series up to the last 2. Maybe it’s because I don’t have the historical knowledge but none of the “inaccuracies” bothered me and I have enjoyed them for what they are, a work of fiction.
The books are fun. They’re not historical references.
Agincourt is still my favorite of Cornwell’s.
I love that you put “inaccuracies” in scare quotes :-D
The books are purportedly works of historical fiction - arguing they are not historical seems like a weird defense. Cornwell is known as a historical fiction author, and puts in historical notes in pretty much all of his books to explain where he has twisted history to better fit his narrative (Aethelred, for instance, is made a very different character in the books/show than he likely was in reality - and Cornwell is at pains to point this out). He has, unfortunately, a huge blind spot when it comes to the Church - apparently for personal reasons. I’m atheist myself, but even so I find it very noticeable.
I find these books very hard to recommend, though more so due to utterly paper-flat characters in the books than the historical issues (as noted, one can always chose to overlook it). Characterization has never been Cornwell’s strong side; his strength is to write “swashbuckling” adventure yarns, but here it tips over into ridiculousness (there are pretty much just four characters: Uhtred, followers, females, and villains) which makes me find it very hard to care for the outcome of the stories. The problem is not as bad in the first couple of books, but after a couple of books, it’s become really bad.
@soondifferent I’d recommend trying the “Warlord chronicles”. Only three books so if you’re like me and just have to finish every series you read, the pain is short + they make for a continuous narrative (where the Saxon chronicles basically “reset” at the start of each book). It’s set in an earlier period, so his take on the Church is easier to excuse and it actually has characters who exist to be more than just foils for Derfel (the main character).
Stonehenge is an interesting standalone novel. It’s doubtlessly hopelessly anachronistic if you’re well-versed in stone-age history, but very few people are, so… I recall it as being one of his better (though also more violent) books, and it is fairly different from the usual Cornwell formula.
And otherwise, just pick up a Sharpe book - “Sharpe’s Eagle” is probably one of the best. Sharpe is who Uhtred wishes he could be; those books are peak Cornwell, and if you’ve read one of those, you’re pretty much read every Sharpe and Uhtred book. There’s also a fairly entertaining TV show of it with Sean Bean, if you can overlook the Napoleonic battles with a dozen men running around pretending to be regiments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl3Lfap3z5M
Definitely one of the pleasant surprises as far as shows I watched this year.
That is great! The people who promote this show are always so clever with these little videos in-between seasons.
That, and it certainly gives the impression that these actors enjoy working together.
Final season and movie announced!
…And the last season has dropped! Looking forwards to binging it. How old is Uhtred supposed to be now?? gotta be at least 60. But if Outlander can get away with ignoring age, why nitpick here!
Hey! Claire has a gray streak…mostly.
I’ve been re-watching this so that I can enjoy season 5 to the fullest. I’d forgotten just how fantastic it is. All of the acting is solid throughout but the actor who plays King Alfred is really top tier. Truly a great performance, utterly compelling. I’m really surprised he’s pretty unknown outside The Last Kingdom.
Also special mention to Aethelwold too who plays a sniveling snake to perfection.
I really hope they stick the landing with season 5. If they manage to do so I think it’ll be my favorite Viking/sword and sandal style drama.
Don’t forget the true “finale” in the form of the follow up movie!
Well, the reviews so far seem positive. So… hopeful.
I am not really enjoying Season 5. There’s something about the battles, the events, the character motivations, all of it just seems off to me.
Just some observations off the top of my head:
In the first big battle against Brida, it was an all-out melee in a small town square, with more random deaths shown on screen than the total number of troops that we saw to be there. Not only that, with the kids random jump to her death (errr wtf) somehow Brida is able to form a shield wall and escape. Then they seemingly just let her flee, and then stress about how to track her down.
The Mercian queen… she won’t give Uthred any troops because of her impending doom, yet none of it mattered anyway because all they needed was 12 guys as they could just let out the Eoforwic kings men and use them in the battle (I am bad with names, the guy starting with St). But then Uthred has enough time to get to the Mercian queen anyway before she dies and they didn’t need the Mercian troops anyway.
The second battle is just the strangest strategic setup I have ever come across. The Danes are attacking what they believe to be a random lord’s men attached to edward with all their men, which turned out to be the guy who engineered the attack on the danes in rumcofa. Then Edward is coming to arrest the exact same lord and accept peace with the danes. But because he seems them fighting he decides to attack the danes who are seemingly so weak that even attacking a side-army with complete surprise is difficult for them to do. This battle could have been better if the season was better written, purely for uniqueness, but as it stands it was just a clusterfook with strange character decisions.
Uthred deciding to forgive Brida then she dies anyway because of his daughter and he is mad, but then the daughter decides to piss off. It’s just so soap opera topsy turvy emotions where people do random chaotic things episode by episode.
Every development/decision/action sequence just seems stupid to me. The one part I did like was the bits that dealt with Aethflaed’s succession.
FYI, in somewhat related news, Bernard Cornwell announced today that The Winter King, a 10-part series, will be filming later this year in Wales and the West Country. For those of you who don’t know, it’s the start of a trilogy of an Arthurian tale, which I think would be accurate to say is one of the most beloved of Cornwell’s stories.
— Alan
I’m very interested in a Winter King series. In my mind, the most interesting casting announcement will not be who they cast for big names like Arthur, Gwyhyfar, Merlin or Cornwell’s protagonist of Derfel Cadarn. Instead, I’m VERY interested in who they cast as Nimue. Nimue is a key dramatic component of the series.
The first book in the series is actually included on Kindled Unlimited.
Winter King is one of the most unique and best retellings of the King Arthur legend in any medium. I don’t expect miracles, but if they can manage to do as good an adaption as The Last Kingdom does of it’s books, this will be brilliant. Fingers crossed.
Cornwell himself considers the trilogy his best and favorite piece of work. I concur.
Finally started watching this and wow if the rest of the seasons are as good as the first this might be up there alongside Game of Thrones/HotD for me. So enjoyable and well written/cast! The chemistry and charisma of like, every character on this show is so great. And I don’t even know any of these actors so there is no immersion breakage, they just are these characters.