What an incredible adventure it has been!

In his Alfred the Great trilogy, Steven A. McKay has brought the late 9th century to life, retelling the story of Wessex's stand against the constant incursions of the Norse and the Danes, known collectively as the Vikings. Many fans of Bernard Cornwell will recognise the great enemy of King of Wessex as having been a regular character in his The Last Kingdom series: Haesten. Haesten was the last great enemy that Alfred faced before his death, in a four-year war that ravaged Wessex.

But in King of Wessex, Alfred is no longer fighting alone. He has the help of his daughter, Æthelflæd, now Lady of Mercia, and her husband, Æthelred. His son, Edward, no longer a child, is leading armies of his own. This family affair allows Alfred to defend his kingdom from all sides at once, moving armies to face new threats, knowing his back is covered.

What sets this series apart, however, is the relationships of the characters and King of Wessex shows just how far these relationships have developed. Alfred's friend and captain Wulfric is a constant by his side. His wife, Ealhswith, gives wise counsel and overlooks his flaws (I am not sure I could overlook the womanising!) And having watched his children mature, Alfred now has to trust them to be his captains and his allies. But Alfred, though getting older and still suffering from the same health issues that would often see him doubled over in pain, is still the man in command. And the man to be beaten.

I love Aethelflaed!

After three books, Steven A. McKay's characters are so well developed that you know how they will react to certain situations. Alfred is thoughtful and looks for advice from his captains and churchmen. Edward is still learning, and looks to his father as an example. Aethelflaed is feisty whereas her mother is calm and dependable. Wulfric, the loyal captain, is good in a fight but has his own axe to grind and looks for ways to give Alfred the advantage.

Haesten and his wife, Ulfhild, are bloodthirsty, ruthless and, apparently, unstoppable.

It makes for a fascinating novel, with father, son, daughter and son-in-law each having a role to play in starting the fight back that would lead to a united England. Thanks to the legacy of The Last Kingdom, the story is familiar to many, but Steven A. McKay has made it all his own. King of Wessex, like The Heathen Horde before it and Sword of the Saxons before that, is a fabulously absorbing read. You can practically smell the blood and hear the noise of battle; the clash of swords, the screams of the dying and the shouted orders of Alfred and his captains.

My only regret is that the series is now over. I would have loved to see it continue to the reign of Athelstan and the Battle of Brunanburh - but then, I suppose, it wouldn't be the story of King Alfred, would it?

As it is, Steven A. McKay has all the ingredients for a riveting good read and he uses them to his best advantage, to create a story that grabs the reader from the very first page. Itis exciting, thought-provoking and will bring a tear to your eye at the end. It is well worth the journey. King of Wessex is a novel that is not to be missed!

This book could have 4 stars, since it’s an honest, well documented, history book. Here, I will dial it down to three, however. Because, it’s a honest and well documented history book. But sometimes it’s iterative and plain boring.
The book starts with a historic event that the author explains in the appendix. But it’s a red herring that has no influence in the rest of the action whatsoever. And this happens throughout the book: many characters pop up briefly, have an scene or two, and then disappear, without actually advancing the action in any meaningful way. For instance, when Aethelflaed, the daughter of Alfred, becomes briefly the effective ruler of the kingdom she married into, Mercia. She’s victorious with a warband while his husband is sick in bed, but then he simply gets better and we see him running around killing Danes without a single mention to his wife.
There are so many mentions to the fact that Alfred was building his country on literacy and effective defense that it becomes like a mantra. Well, OK, yes, you have yourself an army. So what? Why is that important? It does not really become an integral part of the action. Battles do not seem to be won over the amateur Danes because of that, just out of luck and sometimes a bit of cunning. The fact that a circle of burhs was built does not seem to be that important either: either the Danes attack some that have no9t been completed, or they do it outside the burhs. So what’s the big deal? This is a sample of where good documentation might mislead the writer into filling the book with factoids that do not really help the reader stuck to the page.
The second part of the book, where all the fighting takes place, is entertaining and fast-paced; the different points of view making it quite dynamic.
But the last few chapters seem stuck on and solved with haste. It’s again where the good documentation is not left to go to waste, but those last 30 pages feel like so much filler.
All in all, it’s a good book, and I really enjoyed it. But a better characterization and even world-building would have helped make it go from good to great.

This was a strong third entry in the Alfred the Great series, it had that element that I enjoyed from the previous two books. The characters were everything that I was expecting and enjoyed the historical element to this book. Steven A McKay has a strong writing style and was glad everything worked in this world.

King of Wessex skillfully blends captivating storytelling with meticulous historical details, transporting the reader to another era. This book chronicles many years of Saxon King Alfred's life, including his conflicts with the Danes, the education and trials of his son and heir Edward, and the early life of his daughter Aethelflaed as Lady of Mercia. I found the book to be thoroughly enjoyable and eagerly anticipate reading more works by this author. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Steven manages to end this trilogy in a brilliant way. Once again this was great historical fiction and I enjoyed every moment. Really loved Wulfric's moments near the end, he deserved some time focused on himself. I also liked Edward getting some attention, he was well fleshed out and great to read about.

As with the previous books, the action was really exciting and well-written, but the book's greatness is not limited to just those exciting battle scenes. McKay superbly created a suspenseful and gripping atmosphere that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the reading experience.

Last but not least, Alfred was a great subject for a book-series and he was such an impressive person. I prefer his depiction in this trilogy rather than how he was depicted in Cornwell's Saxon Stories, it gives more credibility to his "greatness" and his achievements.

This series is definitely a must-read for anyone who enjoyed The Last Kingdom/The Saxon Stories/Vikings.

I read The Warrior Druid of Britain series, which I thoroughly enjoyed, so I wanted to give this series about Alfred a go. Alfred was a great-grandfather through both Edward & Ælfthryth and I read all I can find on him. It's extremely hard not to compare what is written to what you may have seen on screen, but McKay does an outstanding job of keeping the story focused on Alfred. The characters are written as engaging and authentic so you can't get better than that for a historical fiction novel. I'm sad the series has come to an end, but I look forward to the next adventure by Steven A. McKay!

High stakes, political turmoil, family drama, and a historical setting that hasn't yet been overdone, all blend together to create a gripping read, that will let those less familiar with the time period learn something new, and immerse those already versed in the time period. I look forward to reading more by this author.

King of Wessex by Steven A. McKay is the combines enjoyable storytelling and historical details to pull the reader fully into another place and time. This book takes through years of Saxon King Alfred's life, his battles with the Danes, the raising up and trying of his son and heir Edward, and his daughter Aethelflaed"s beginnings as Lady of Mercia. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more from this author.