Bernard Cornwell - The Last Kingdom Series Books 1 and 2 - The Last Kingdom, The Pale Horseman

Ebook Edition © July 2009 ISBN: 9780007338818

Version: 2017-05-08

THE LAST KINGDOM

is for Judy, with love

Wyrd bið ful ãræd

CONTENTS

Cover Contents Cover Title Page THE LAST KINGDOM SERIES BOOKS 1 & 2 The Last Kingdom The Pale Horseman Bernard Cornwell Copyright Copyright Copyright THE LAST KINGDOM THE PALE HORSEMAN The Last Kingdom Series Book 3 About the Author Also by Bernard Cornwell About the Publisher Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk The Last Kingdom first published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 2004 The Pale Horseman first published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 2005 Copyright © Bernard Cornwell 2004, 2005 Cover copyright: Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2015 Photography by Kata Vermes © Carnival Film & Television Limited 2015 Bernard Cornwell asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of these works A catalogue record for these books are available from The British Library These novels are entirely works of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in them, while at times based on historical figures, are the work of the author’s imagination. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. Ebook Edition © ISBN: 9780008159641 Version: 2017-05-08 THE LAST KINGDOM THE PALE HORSEMAN The Last Kingdom Series Book 3 About the Author Also by Bernard Cornwell About the Publisher

Title Page THE LAST KINGDOM

Copyright Copyright Copyright Dedication Map Place Names Prologue: NORTHUMBRIA, 866–867 AD Part One: A PAGAN CHILDHOOD Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Part Two: THE LAST KINGDOM Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Part Three: THE SHIELD WALL Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Historical Note Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 2004 Copyright © Bernard Cornwell 2004 Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2015 Photography by Kata Vermes © Carnival Film & Television Limited 2015 Bernard Cornwell asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it, while at times based on historical figures, are the work of the author’s imagination. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. Ebook Edition © July 2009 ISBN: 9780007338818 Version: 2017-05-08

Dedication Dedication Dedication Map Place Names Prologue: NORTHUMBRIA, 866–867 AD Part One: A PAGAN CHILDHOOD Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Part Two: THE LAST KINGDOM Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Part Three: THE SHIELD WALL Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Historical Note THE LAST KINGDOM is for Judy, with love Wyrd bið ful ãræd

Map

Place Names

Prologue: NORTHUMBRIA, 866–867 AD

Part One: A PAGAN CHILDHOOD

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Part Two: THE LAST KINGDOM

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Part Three: THE SHIELD WALL

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Historical Note

The spelling of Place Names in Anglo-Saxon England was an uncertain business, with no consistency and no agreement even about the name itself. Thus London was variously rendered as Lundonia, Lundenberg, Lundenne, Lundene, Lundenwic, Lundenceaster and Lundres. Doubtless some readers will prefer other versions of the names listed below, but I have usually employed whatever spelling is cited in the Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names for the years nearest or contained within Alfred’s reign, 871–899 AD, but even that solution is not foolproof. Hayling Island, in 956, was written as both Heilincigae and Hæglingaiggæ. Nor have I been consistent myself; I have preferred the modern England to Englaland and, instead of Norðhymbralond, have used Northumbria to avoid the suggestion that the boundaries of the ancient kingdom coincide with those of the modern county. So this list, like the spellings themselves, is capricious: