The Last Kingdom is the first book of the series, and we are introduced to Osbert, the second son of Uhtred, Ealdorman of Bebbanburg. He is still a child, and we start following his story from a first-person perspective.

The book starts at a really good pace, and in the prologue, we already get a taste of what is coming when Danes arrive on Bebbanburg’s shores. Osbert’s older brother, also called Uhtred, goes on a scouting task ordered by his father, but he gets caught and killed by the enemies. This event completely changes Osbert’s life as now he becomes the heir of Bebbanburg, and therefore shall now be called Uhtred.

The Saxons decide to strike back and try to repel the Danes, but they end up falling into a trap that leads to the death of the Ealdorman Uhtred, and when Osbert, now called Uhtred sees Ragnar the Fearless, his brother’s killer, he is taken by anger and fearlessly charges against him. Ragnar gets surprised by the courage of the young boy and decides to take him instead of killing him.

Uhtred has now to live with the Danes as a slave, but Ragnar becomes fond of Uhtred and sees him as an adopted son, and Uhtred sees Ragnar as a father. In this way, Uthread learns the language, and costumes and starts to know more and more about the nordic gods becoming a pagan himself.

In the meantime, Uhtred’s uncle, Ælfric, takes control of Bebbanburg and the title of ealdorman from Uhtred.

During his stay with Ragnar, Uhtred becomes a friend of Ragnar’s youngest son, Rorik. But his temper also put him in some trouble, especially against one boy called Sven, the son of one of Ragnar’s shipmasters Kjartan.

Sven kidnaps Ragnar’s daughter, Thyra, and partially removes her clothes. Uhtred and Rorik come to rescue her, and Uhtred charges against Sven and manages to take his sword and attack him using it, they escape Sven getting back to Ragnar’s hall. Ragnar crushes one of Sven’s eyes as punishment and dismisses Kjartan from his services.

Uhtred follows Ragnar in the conquests across Britain when the Danes take Northumbria, East Anglia, and Mercia. The last stand reign is Wessex, and while the Danes prepare for an invasion, Uthred gets kidnaped by Beocca, a priest friend of Uhtred’s family and responsible for his Christian studies, but Uthred now enjoys living with the Danes and he finds a way to escape to rejoin Ragnar.

However, this changes when Kjartan and his men in revenge set fire to Ragnar’s hall and kill everyone that tries to escape. Ragnar dies inside the hall, refusing to leave, and dies at Kjartan’s hands. Uhtred on the other hand manages to escape and spreads a rumor that he has died inside the hall in order to avoid Kjartan and his assassins.

Uhtred now has no family and nowhere to go, decking them to return to Wessex. There he meets King Alfred, and becomes one of his men, Alfred makes him learn how to read and write and fights in a fleet of 12 ships against the Danes.

He gets to meet Ragnar’s oldest son, Ragnar, who tells him how his father died and that his sister Thyra had been kidnaped. Uhtred wants more, and he wants to command Alfred’s fleet, and he gets it, but not without paying a price. Alfred demands him to marry an orphaned girl from Wessex, Mildrith, Uhtred does it and then gets to know that he has now assumed her family’s debt to the Church.

The Danes are still a threat to Wessex, especially Guthrum. Wessex and Guthrum make a peace agreement, and Uhtred becomes Guthrum hostage as part of the agreement. The peace agreement doesn’t last long and Guthrum kills all the hostages, but Uhtred is saved by Ragnar.

Uthred escapes and goes to find his wife, he discovers that she was taken by Odda, a Wessex ealdorman. Uhtred is still looking for his wife when he has to take part in the battle of Cynwit killing the renowned danish leader Ubba Ragnarsson.

Uhtred decides to not go to Wessex to inform Alfred of the battle results, instead, he goes with his men to Exanceaster to find his wife and his newborn son.