

In 2014, The Saxon Stories, as the series came to be called, was optioned by the BBC and developed into a successful series that ran five seasons with more than 60 episodes.

Tapping into the international craze over the long-running HBO series Game of Thrones, The Last Kingdom drew wide critical praise and enjoyed international success as a best seller in 17 countries. Given this complex narrative perspective, the novel explores the implications of cultural and national identity even as the young, plucky Uhtred, uncertain whether he is English or Danish, Christian or pagan, dedicates his life to reclaiming his lost inheritance. The boy is adopted by one of the most powerful Danish warlords and raised as one of their own. During the opening skirmishes of the first wave of invading Norsemen in 866, however, Uhtred is captured by the Danes.

The boy is a Saxon-English of German ancestry. The Last Kingdom is narrated by Uhtred, the young Lord of Bebbanburg in Northumbria.
