We don’t have a release date yet for the fourth season of Netflix’s The Last Kingdom, but there’s now an end in sight for the novels on which the series is based: The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell.
The next novel in the series will also be the last, and is ominously titled War Lord. The novel does not currently have a U.S. release date, but is set for an October 15 drop in the United Kingdom. If the pattern follows past releases, U.S. fans can expect it to land on their shores roughly a month after it drops in the United Kingdom.
Following the adventures of Uhtred of Bebbanburg through 9th century England, The Saxon Stories are loosely based on historical figures such as Uhtred, Alfred the Great and his children as they fight to build the modern country in the face of invading Danish hordes. Much like Game of Thrones, Netflix’s The Last Kingdom took its name from the first novel of the series.
Cornwell is pretty good about putting out regular books. The most recent Saxon Stories novel, Sword of Kings, dropped in fall 2019, and was as enjoyable as ever. It also felt like a bit of a reset for Uhtred, so the news that War Lord is the final book comes as a bit of a surprise. Then again, we’re 13 novels into the series, and it had to end sometime.
Thus far, each season of the hit Netflix drama has adapted two novels, with the upcoming fourth season adapting The Pagan Lord and The Empty Throne respectively. With War Lord set to conclude the series at 13 novels, Netflix may have to rethink its strategy somewhere down the road. Maybe the final book can have a season all to itself?
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