The inspiration for writing about Coelwulf II, Mercia’s ‘last’ king (do you see what I did with the title there?)
I’m really quite bad at remembering all the publication dates of my books, but The Last King has certainly stuck in my mind. What started quite inauspiciously, with a few die-hard fans preordering the book, has become my most popular series, and most popular book to date.
Perhaps I shouldn’t be so surprised, but I am. The book, a few years in development, burst from me in a flurry of excitement early in 2020, when I opted for a ‘harder’ character, a man who is simply so good at what he does, he doesn’t understand that others can’t do what he can. It’s not arrogance. It’s confidence.
So, why the hesitation? It takes a lot to stomp, and I mean, stomp all over a time period made so famous by another giant of the field – Bernard Cornwell with his Uhtred, or The Last Kingdom books. And yet, I couldn’t move away from the temptation of the little known Coelwulf, and the story of Mercia which has never been told.
Yet, I needed to do it in a different way to BC. I remember handing the first few chapters to my critique partner and editor and saying ‘is this edgier?’, ‘would a warrior speak like this?’ It came back with a ‘yes’ and also some pencil marks and a bit more swearing added in, and a comment that if I was going to cauterise a wound, then I needed to do it properly, gore and all. (Read about why my characters in this series are so foul-mouthed here).
I’d previously written what I thought would be an opening scene, while sitting in hospital for an appointment with lots of different bits to it – but while that gave me the characters, it didn’t give me quite what I was looking for. Still, you can read ‘A Meeting of Equals‘ over on my author platform on Aspects of History, and it’s included in Coelwulf’s Company, a short story collection from before the events of The Last King. Or, even better, you can grab this short story for free when signing up for my monthly newletter
And that was almost it (apart from a dose of my own confidence drawn from watching The Gentlemen by Guy Ritchie – which truly made me think ‘anything goes,’ and gave me the idea for the opening scene – if you’ve read the book you’ll know what I mean.) Coelwulf reared his head, and so too did a cast of characters that are unique, complex, enjoyable to write about, and often, a bit pushy. And of course, Icel, now has his own series, as a younger man (with a bit less swearing). Check out The Eagle of Mercia Chronicles to read about young Icel.
After more information about the Saxon kingdom of Mercia?
Check out the post here (there’s a map too).
Here’s the blurb for The Last King
“They sent three hundred warriors to kill one man. It wasn’t enough.
Mercia lies broken but not beaten, her alliance with Wessex in tatters.
Coelwulf, a fierce and bloody warrior, hears whispers that Mercia has been betrayed from his home in the west. He fears no man, especially not the Vikings sent to hunt him down.
To discover the truth of the rumours he hears, Coelwulf must travel to the heart of Mercia, and what he finds there will determine the fate of Mercia, as well as his own.”
This is the Ninth Century in England, but not as it’s been reimagined before.
(Read a free preview by clicking on the image above – WARNING – contains strong language from the beginning) But – there are Clean(er) Editions now available, suitable for those who object to very strong language, but don’t mind quite bad language and a lot of violence:)
Or read an excerpt here from a little later in the book.
The Last King series is available in ebook, hardback and paperback. The first book is also available in audio. If you’d like signed copies of the books, please check out the Signed Editions page. Or, you can buy the paperback directly from IngramSpark in the US and the UK using this link.
Books in the series
The Last King (audio book also available)
You can read the first 3 books in a new Box Set containing the less-sweary versions of the books.
Read some release day posts for The Last Deceit. There are three of them.
Why did I include a fictional character
Some photos of Stonehenge and Old Sarum
Coelwulf’s Company (contains prequel stories)
I sent my intrepid interviewer to track down a few of the characters. Read the interviews here (just a bit of fun).
(This page contains some Amazon Affiliate links)
MJ Porter 
This book sounds so good!
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