New York Times Bestseller

The fourth installment in this bestselling Anglo-Saxon saga from Bernard Cornwell chronicles the epic making of England, "like Game of Thrones, but real" (The Observer, London)--the basis for The Last Kingdom, the hit television show.

The year is 885, and England is at peace, divided between the Danish kingdom to the north and the Saxon kingdom of Wessex in the south. In this gripping Viking historical fiction, warrior by instinct and Viking by nature, Uhtred, the dispossessed son of a Northumbrian lord, has land, a wife and children--and a duty to King Alfred to hold the frontier on the Thames. But a dead man has risen, and new Viking invaders have invaded the decayed Roman city of London with dreams of conquering Wessex...with Uhtred's help.

Suddenly forced to weigh his oath to the king against the dangerous turning tide of shifting allegiances and deadly power struggles, Uhtred--Alfred's sharpest sword--must now make the choice that will determine England's future.

"Vastly entertaining and slyly wise.... Followers of this excellent series have stuck with Uhtred of Bebbanburg, the dispossessed pagan nobleman in thrall to the professionally Christian Wessexian monarch, through enough battles and perils for a dozen ordinary men.... Consistently fascinating."--Kirkus Reviews (starred)

Contributor Bio:Cornwell, Bernard

Bernard Cornwell is the author of over fifty novels, including the acclaimed New York Times bestselling Saxon Tales, which serve as the basis for the hit Netflix series The Last Kingdom. He lives with his wife on Cape Cod and in Charleston, South Carolina.