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The Last Kingdom

Raising Heel

Raising Heel

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Aug 31, 2008
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A van down by the river
First of all, a friendly reminder that season 5 of Vikings kicks off next Wednesday, November 30. Yes!

Has anybody has watched The Last Kingdom on Netflix? I just finished season 1 last night and highly recommend it to anyone who likes Vikings. The stories take place in roughly the same time period, but The Last Kingdom is told from the perspective of a Saxon named Uhtred.

After his nobleman father was killed by invading (Viking) Danes, Uhtred is taken as a slave boy and eventually raised as a Dane himself. The show follows his attempts to reclaim his family's land/wealth/status while dealing with his conflicting allegiances between the invading Danes and King Alfred of Wessex (Alfred the Great). The story is based on a series of fictional novels that use actual historical events as a backdrop.

The first season was produced by the BBC but Netflix is producing the second season which will air in 2017. Anyway, it's a really well done show so I was curious if anyone else has seen it.
 
Raising Heel said:
First of all, a friendly reminder that season 5 of Vikings kicks off next Wednesday, November 30. Yes!

Has anybody has watched The Last Kingdom on Netflix? I just finished season 1 last night and highly recommend it to anyone who likes Vikings. The stories take place in roughly the same time period, but The Last Kingdom is told from the perspective of a Saxon named Uhtred.

After his nobleman father was killed by invading (Viking) Danes, Uhtred is taken as a slave boy and eventually raised as a Dane himself. The show follows his attempts to reclaim his family's land/wealth/status while dealing with his conflicting allegiances between the invading Danes and King Alfred of Wessex (Alfred the Great). The story is based on a series of fictional novels that use actual historical events as a backdrop.

The first season was produced by the BBC but Netflix is producing the second season which will air in 2017. Anyway, it's a really well done show so I was curious if anyone else has seen it.
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I'll check Last kingdom out and can't wait for Vikings
 
So pumped for Vikings. I am gonna have to find a way to stream it though because I cut the cord and History Channel is the one channel I don't get with Playstation Vue.
 
Bernard Cornwell is one of the best historical fiction writers around. I've read the first 3 books in The Saxon Chronicles, of which Tha Last Kingdom is the first. All three books are outstanding. I plan to eventually read them all. I couldn't recommend them more highly. I am currently reading the first of three books about King Arthur called the Warlord Chronicles.

He joins Ken Follett and Edward Rutherfurd as my favorite authors of historical fiction. When you read one of their books you will learn a lot and be highly entertained simultaneously.
 
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Archer2 said:
Bernard Cornwell is one of the best historical fiction writers around. I've read the first 3 books in The Saxon Chronicles, of which Tha Last Kingdom is the first. All three books are outstanding. I plan to eventually read them all. I couldn't recommend them more highly. I am currently reading the first of three books about King Arthur called the Warlord Chronicles.

He joins Ken Follett and Edward Rutherfurd as my favorite authors of historical fiction. When you read one of their books you will learn a lot and be highly entertained simultaneously.
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That was going to be my next question, because the show is good but apparently omits a lot from the books by necessity. And yes, the show is entertaining but happens to be educational as well. After finishing the last episode, I spent probably an hour reading about Alfred the Great, the Viking invasions, etc.
 
They're well worth reading. 90% of what I read is history or historical fiction. I also like Wilbur Smith (the Egyptian Series, the Ballantyne Series), and Gary Jennings (the Aztec Series, The Wanderer (a great book about Marco Polo's decade in Cathay).
 
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Archer2 said:
They're well worth reading. 90% of what I read is history or historical fiction. I also like Wilbur Smith (the Egyptian Series, the Ballantyne Series), and Gary Jennings (the Aztec Series, The Wanderer (a great book about Marco Polo's decade in Cathay).
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Sounds like interesting stuff that I should add to my reading list (that I'm really bad about keeping up with). Thanks for the info.

Incidentally, Netflix has a pretty good series on Marco Polo that centers around his time in the service of Kublai Khan. It's entertaining but apparently takes a great number of liberties in its historical accuracy.
 
Archer2 said:
Bernard Cornwell is one of the best historical fiction writers around. I've read the first 3 books in The Saxon Chronicles, of which Tha Last Kingdom is the first. All three books are outstanding. I plan to eventually read them all. I couldn't recommend them more highly. I am currently reading the first of three books about King Arthur called the Warlord Chronicles.

He joins Ken Follett and Edward Rutherfurd as my favorite authors of historical fiction. When you read one of their books you will learn a lot and be highly entertained simultaneously.
Click to expand...
Rutherfurd's London is outstanding if you're an anglophile nerd like myself.
 
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If you liked London as I did, you'll also enjoy Sarum, The Forest, and Russka (it will give you a whole new perspective on the Russian mindset that allowed Lenin and Stalin to happen).

And Follett's Pillars of the Earth is one of my top 10 favorite books. The sequel (World Without End) isn't as good but still worth reading for Anglophiles like you and me. I'm probably going to read Rutherfurd's Paris after I finish his Warlord Trilogy, which BTW is a completely different view of King Arthur and his court. Quite interesting and much darker.
 
Archer2 said:
Bernard Cornwell is one of the best historical fiction writers around. I've read the first 3 books in The Saxon Chronicles, of which Tha Last Kingdom is the first. All three books are outstanding. I plan to eventually read them all. I couldn't recommend them more highly. I am currently reading the first of three books about King Arthur called the Warlord Chronicles.

He joins Ken Follett and Edward Rutherfurd as my favorite authors of historical fiction. When you read one of their books you will learn a lot and be highly entertained simultaneously.
Click to expand...
I recently finished the whole series. Great books and reallly captures the culture and climate of what England was at that time. Looking forward to reading more by him.
 
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So I started this show last night due to this thread and due to my love of Vikings.

To be honest, I wasn't really feeling it though. Is the pilot episode indicative of the overall show, or does it get better?
 
TarHeelNation11 said:
So I started this show last night due to this thread and due to my love of Vikings.

To be honest, I wasn't really feeling it though. Is the pilot episode indicative of the overall show, or does it get better?
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The show gets much better but the books are where it's at. Here is real historical significance taking place in the series
 
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