BBC’s major TV series THE LAST KINGDOM is based on Bernard Cornwell’s bestselling novels on the making of England and the fate of his great hero, Uhtred of Bebbanburg. Books 1-2 now available in one eBook collection.The beginning of the tale of Uhtred. Uhtred is born into the aristocracy of 9th Century Northumbria, but orphaned at ten, adopted by a Dane and taught the Viking ways. Yet Uhtred’s fate is indissolubly bound up with Alfred, King of Wessex, who rules over the last English kingdom when the Danes have overrun Northumbria, Mercia and East Anglia. So ends The Last Kingdom.The Pale Horseman takes place right afterwards in the fateful year in which the Danes capture Alfred’s kingdom and drive him as a fugitive into the marshes of Athelney. It seems that Wessex, and England, are destroyed, but Alfred is determined to make one desperate gamble that might save his kingdom.The Lords of the North sees Uhtred, having helped Alfred secure Wessex an independent Saxon kingdom, returns north to find his stepsister. Instead he discovers chaos, civil war and treachery in Northumbria. He takes the side of Guthred, once a slave and now a man who would be king, and in return expects Guthred’s help in capturing Dunholm, the lair of the dark Viking lord, Kjartan.
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Bernard Cornwell. The Last Kingdom Series Books 1 and 2: The Last Kingdom, The Pale Horseman
THE LAST KINGDOM SERIES. BOOKS 1 & 2. The Last Kingdom. The Pale Horseman. Bernard Cornwell
Copyright
THE LAST KINGDOM
BERNARD CORNWELL
Copyright
Dedication
PLACE NAMES
PROLOGUE. Northumbria, 866–867 AD
PART ONE. A Pagan Childhood
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
PART TWO. The Last Kingdom
Seven
Eight
Nine
PART THREE. The Shield Wall
Ten
Eleven
Historical Note
THE PALE. HORSEMAN
BERNARD CORNWELL
Copyright
Dedication
PLACE NAMES
PART ONE. Viking
One
Two
Three
PART TWO. The Swamp King
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
PART THREE. The Fyrd
Twelve
Thirteen
Historical Note
Read the next book in Bernard Cornwell’s bestselling. THE LAST KINGDOM SERIES. BOOK 3
About the Author
Also by Bernard Cornwell
About the Publisher
Отрывок из книги
Cover
Title Page
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I could see a scatter of Danes behind the unbroken palisades on either side of the gap where their wall had fallen down, but most of their army filled that gap, making a shield barrier on top of the earthen wall, and it was a high earthen wall, at least ten or twelve feet high, and steep, so it would be a hard climb into the face of the waiting killers, but I was confident we would win. I was nine years old, almost ten.
The Danes were shouting at us, but we were too far away to hear their insults. Their shields, round like ours, were painted yellow, black, brown and blue. Our men began beating weapons on their shields and that was a fearsome sound, the first time I ever heard an army making that war music; the clashing of ash spear shafts and iron sword blades on shield-wood.
