Oh Uhtred, we hardly knew ya! Well, not really, there were 13 books, but I loved the series and could easily devour more, although it came to a fulfilling conclusion. It’s only my selfish need for more Uhtred that I crave more of these books. Loved the whole series! ( )

So at last with this thirteenth novel in the series, which I started reading in 2005, Uhtred's saga comes to an end. Events move towards the final battle where King Athelstan defeats his enemies at the Battle of Brunanburh in 937, the decisive battle that shaped England into the shape it occupies today. For Uhtred of Bebbanburg, this presents a dilemma as Northumbria is caught between Athelstan's wish to annex it to his kingdom of Wessex, Mercia and East Anglia to form Englaland (sic), and the desire of King Constantine of Scotland to extend his territory south. To complicate matters further, there is an Irish claimant Anlaf of Dublin. Uhtred feels conflicted in his attitude towards Athelstan, but in the end events drive him to support that King, as he supported his father King Edward (the Elder) and grandfather King Alfred. The novel is full of the usual blood and thunder, and the description of the final battle is quite gripping and dramatic. So this final Uhtred novel ends with the elderly war lord still in control of Bebbanburg, which he has fought for, had taken from him and then recaptured, against all his enemies, "and whenever I sit on the terrace I wonder if, a thousand years from now, the fortress will still stand, still unconquered, still brooding over the sea and the land. I think it will remain until Ragnarok comes, when the seas will boil, the land shatter and the skies turn to fire, and there the story will end." Indeed it does still stand as the medieval Bamburgh castle was built on the site of the Saxon fort on the brooding cliffs. A fitting end to this series which I have quite often started to weary of, but with which I have persevered. ( )

I think this was a fitting end to the Saxon Series. It was also pacier than some of the recent books with a mixture of political intrigue, cunning and skirmishes and battles thrown in. Happy I read all 13. ( )

After years of fighting, Uhtred has finally been able to reclai,m his rightful home of Bebbanburg. Uhtred is caught between King Ethelstan ruler of Wessex, Mercia, and East Anglia, and the ruler of the Scots, king Constantine and Irish and the Scottish who want the Lands he loves.
The epic story of how England was made concludes in this finale to the Last Kingdom series. ( )

Never has the exclamation mark been so abused. ( )