Whether you are into historical dramas or not, The Last Kingdom is a true crowd pleaser. You might be trying to fill the hole that The Game of Thrones has left in your life or looking for an interesting and well-written epic drama, this British historial fiction television series is the kind of show that will get you hooked from start to end.
Based on Bernard Cornwell's The Saxon Stories series of novels, The Last Kingdom premiered on BBC America, and on BBC Two in the U.K. back in 2015. Since its release, the series has amassed such success that it was picked up by Netflix and confirmed for a third season, beyond the storyline of the books. The third series will air on Netflix - who co-produced the second series alongside the BBC.
The announcement was made on the official Last Kingdom Twitter account through a video of actor Alexander Dreymon who plays the main character Uhtred. There he revealed that “season 3 is in production, and will be coming to Netflix worldwide later this year!”
Set in the late 9th century AD when England was divided into seven separate kingdoms, the story is kindled by Uhtred's adoptive father Earl Ragnar's death. Upon this unfortunate event, Uhtred begins his voyage north to avenge the death of Earl Ragnar and to take back his ancestral lands at Bebbanburg. In the process, his fate becomes entangled with that of King Alfred in his quest to unite the kingdoms of England.
The Anglo-Saxon lands are attacked, plundered, and ruled by Viking Danes in throughout the island. While Danes continue to have a strong hold of these lands, the Kingdom of Wessex, eventually governed by King Alfred, stands out as the last major stronghold against the Danes.
Although the TV series is spectacular, Bernard Cornwell's book is also worth a read. Here are some of the best quotes from the book: “Destiny is all, Ravn liked to tell me, destiny is everything.”
“King Edmund of East Anglia is now remembered as a saint, as one of those blessed souls who live forever in the shadow of God. Or so the priests tell me. In heaven, they say, the saints occupy a privileged place, living on the high platform of God's great hall where they spend their time singing God's praises. Forever. Just singing. Beocca always told me that it would be an ecstatic existence, but to me it seems very dull. The Danes reckon their dead warriors are carried to Valhalla, the corpse hall of Odin, where they spend their days fighting and their nights feasting and swiving, and I dare not tell the priests this seems a far better way to endure the afterlife than singing to the sound of golden harps. I once asked a bishop whether there were any women in heaven. ‘Of course there are, my lord,' he answered, happy that I was taking an interest in doctrine. ‘Many of the most blessed saints are women.'" - “I mean women we can hump, bishop.”
“The preachers tell us that pride is a great sin, but the preachers are wrong. Pride makes a man, it drives him, it is the shield wall around his reputation… Men die, they said, but reputation does not die.”
“What happens to you, Uhtred, is what you make happen. You will grow, you will learn the sword, you will learn the way of the shield wall, you will learn the oar, you will give honor to the gods, and then you will use what you have learned to make your life good or bad.”
“All those separate people were a part of my life, strings strung on the frame of Uhtred, and though they were separate they affected one another and together they would make the music of my life.”
“‘Our ancestors',” he went on after a while, “‘took this land. They took it and made it and held it. We do not give up what our ancestors gave us. They came across the sea and they fought here, and they built here and they're buried here. This is our land, mixed with our blood, strengthened with our bone. Ours!' He was angry, but he was often angry. He glowered at me, as if wondering whether I was strong enough to hold this land of Northumbria that our ancestors had won with sword and spear and blood and slaughter.”
“Only the gods tell him what to do, and you should beware of men who take their orders from the gods.”