I picked this up because I'd heard great things about Bernard, and I've been into historical fiction lately, so it seemed like a good fit. I've never seen the Netflix series, but I used to watch Vikings back in the day, and I really enjoyed reading Vinland Saga. There's also that newish Northman movie with a buff Alexander Skarsgård. I'd say I've liked most of the viking stories I've come across, with the exception of one incredibly boring movie called Valhalla Rising. It's a movie that really shouldn't be mentioned, but I guess it is proof that not every viking story can be a winner. 

Reading The Last Kingdom made me feel like I was reading the source of inspiration for all other viking stories that followed it. This truly felt like a gold standard of viking tales. At first, I thought it would be easy to see where this story was going based on all the other viking stories I've seen or read as many of the characters and settings are familiar. However, the way the narrative is focused on the POV adds a level of complexity and unpredictability that kept me interested and entertained throughout the book. 

This was well written, and the gruff audio narration was the perfect fit for it. The only qualm I'm having is that my library doesn't have Jonathan Keebler's narration available for every book?! I really should have looked at the series availability closer before I decided to do these in audio.