Dear Mr Cornwell, I just finished ‘The Last Kingdom’. Wonderful! I enjoyed it very much. Uthred reminds me (just a bit) of Helios from Richard Powell’s ‘Whom the Gods Would Destroy’. I mean this as a high compliment, as Mr Powell’s book is one of my all time favorites. The Ragnar/Uthred-Helios/Odessyess mentor relationships are a universal theme and make a great story. Thanks. William Knodell