{"product_id":"death-of-kings-a-novel-isbn-9780061969652","title":"Death of Kings: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe sixth installment of Bernard Cornwell’s bestselling series chronicling the epic saga of the making of England, “like Game of Thrones, but real” (\u003cem\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/em\u003e, London)—the basis for \u003cem\u003eThe Last Kingdom\u003c\/em\u003e, the hit BBC America television series.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs the ninth century wanes, England is perched once more on the brink of chaos. King Alfred is dying; with his passing, the island of Britain seems doomed to renewed warfare. Alfred wants his son Edward to succeed him, but there are other Saxon claimants to the throne—as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith the promise of battle looming again, Uhtred, the Viking-raised but Saxon-born warrior, whose life seems to shadow the making of England itself, is torn between competing loyalties. Uhtred’s loyalty, and his vows, are to Alfred—not to his son—and despite long years of service to the old king, Uhtred is still reluctant to commit to Alfred’s cause. His own desire is to reclaim his long lost ancestral lands and castle to the north. As the king’s warrior he is duty-bound, but the king’s reign is nearing its end, and his death will leave a vacuum of power. Uhtred is forced to make a momentous choice: either take up arms—and Alfred’s mantle—to realize his dream of a united and Christian England, or be responsible for condemning it to oblivion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDeath of Kings\u003c\/em\u003e is a harrowing story of the power of tribal commitment and the dilemma of divided loyalties. This is the making of England magnificently brought to life by “the best historical novelist writing today” (Vince Flynn).\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eThe sixth installment of Bernard Cornwell’s bestselling series chronicling the epic saga of the making of England, “like Game of Thrones, but real” (\u003cem\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/em\u003e, London)—the basis for \u003cem\u003eThe Last Kingdom\u003c\/em\u003e, the hit BBC America television series.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs the ninth century wanes, England is perched once more on the brink of chaos. King Alfred is dying; with his passing, the island of Britain seems doomed to renewed warfare. Alfred wants his son Edward to succeed him, but there are other Saxon claimants to the throne—as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith the promise of battle looming again, Uhtred, the Viking-raised but Saxon-born warrior, whose life seems to shadow the making of England itself, is torn between competing loyalties. Uhtred’s loyalty, and his vows, are to Alfred—not to his son—and despite long years of service to the old king, Uhtred is still reluctant to commit to Alfred’s cause. His own desire is to reclaim his long lost ancestral lands and castle to the north. As the king’s warrior he is duty-bound, but the king’s reign is nearing its end, and his death will leave a vacuum of power. Uhtred is forced to make a momentous choice: either take up arms—and Alfred’s mantle—to realize his dream of a united and Christian England, or be responsible for condemning it to oblivion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDeath of Kings\u003c\/em\u003e is a harrowing story of the power of tribal commitment and the dilemma of divided loyalties. This is the making of England magnificently brought to life by “the best historical novelist writing today” (Vince Flynn).\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“Cornwell tells Alfred’s story with wit, intelligence and absolute narrative authority.... Cornwell remains in full control of this colorful, violent material, and his steadily deepening portrait of Alfred’s nascent England continues to enthrall.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post Book World for Sword Song\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“As expected, the warfare is ferociously bloody, the sacrilege pointedly barbed, and the story expertly paced. Heck, we’d even extol Uhtred’s budding spells of sober reflection about life and love—if we weren’t certain he’d slice an ear off for saying so.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly for Sword Song\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“History comes alive.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[Cornwell] writes morally complicated and intricate stories, and he’s won a following not just among readers but also among fellow writers.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGregory Cowles, New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Gripping. . . . Mr. Cornwell’s ‘Saxon Stories’ subvert myths of national origin as few would dare. They are ‘unofficial histories’—and all the more realistic for that.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTom Shippey, Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Bernard Cornwell does the best battle scenes of any writer I’ve ever read, past or present.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGeorge R. R. Martin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Bernard Cornwell ranks as the current alpha male of testosterone-enriched historical fiction.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDierdre Donahue, USA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Robustly drawn characters and a keen appetite for bloodshed whip the reader along in a froth of excitement.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJames Urquhart, Financial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Cornwell is adept at enveloping his fictional characters in British history. His use of geography, instruments of battle, strategy and ancient vocabulary is faultless….No knowledge of early British history or of his earlier Saxon volumes is necessary for a reader to enjoy his dexterous approach to historical fiction.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDennis Lythgoe, BookPage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[Cornwell] has been described as a master of historical fiction, but that may be an understatement. Cornwell makes his subject material come alive. Better, his major protagonist is totally believable and human.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRobert Conroy, Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[Cornwell] possesses a gift for narrative flow and an eye of the telling detail that are the main reasons for his primacy in bringing turbulent times to vivid life.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePhiladelphia Inquirer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Compelling.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I am a fan of Bernard Cornwell’s writing. . . . His characters are vividly drawn, betrayals lurk around every corner, the humor is as sharp as the swords, and the action is non-stop....I can say with certainty that I don’t think there is anyone who writes better battle scenes than Bernard Cornwell.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSharon Kay Penman, NPR\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Likely to appeal to anyone who has enjoyed George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series....Cornwell is a master of historical fiction.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristian DuChateau, CNN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[M]asterful. . . . The surprise is that Cornwell’s love scenes are as deft as his action scenes, though far fewer, of course—all driven by a hard-shelled, sporadically soft-hearted, always charismatic protagonist.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A master of historical fiction has produced another great read.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRobert Conroy, Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44889182339301,"sku":"NP9780061969652","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780061969652.jpg?v=1730230698","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/death-of-kings-a-novel-isbn-9780061969652","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}