The Saxon Stories
Series of novels by Bernard Cornwell / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Saxon Stories (also known as Saxon Tales/Saxon Chronicles in the US and The Warrior Chronicles and most recently as The Last Kingdom series) is a historical novel series written by Bernard Cornwell about the birth of England in the ninth and tenth centuries. The series consists of 13 novels. The protagonist of the series is Uhtred of Bebbanburg, born to a Saxon lord in Northumbria. He is captured as a child and raised by a Danish warlord. The name of the fictional protagonist comes from the historical Uhtred the Bold; Cornwell is a descendant of this family.[1]
| The Last Kingdom The Pale Horseman The Lords of the North Sword Song The Burning Land Death of Kings The Pagan Lord The Empty Throne Warriors of the Storm The Flame Bearer War of the Wolf Sword of Kings War Lord | |
| Author | Bernard Cornwell |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Published | 2004–2020 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) Audiobook |
The story begins with the conquest of all but one of the major Saxon kingdoms by the Danes, with Wessex, the last kingdom, nearly overrun. Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, rallies his forces and begins the long struggle to fulfill his ambition of uniting all English speakers in one realm. Uhtred, despite his inclinations otherwise, repeatedly fights and schemes to bring about Alfred's dream over the course of a long life.
The first ten novels in the series were adapted for five seasons of the television series The Last Kingdom, starring Alexander Dreymon. The first two seasons were made by the BBC. A third, fourth and fifth season were produced by Netflix. Cornwell subsequently posted a note on his web site that "The Warrior Chronicles/Saxon Stories had been renamed The Last Kingdom series".[2]