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The Last Enemy: England The First Viking Age - the fourth book in the bloody and brutal action-packed historical fiction series from MJ Porter (The kingdom of Mercia: The Ninth Century 4) Kindle Edition
The fourth book in the bloody and brutal action-packed historical fiction series from MJ Porter.
Mercia lies broken but not beaten, her alliance with Wessex in tatters, her new king a warrior, not a ruler. And Coelwulf has done little but fight against overwhelming numbers since being declared Mercia’s king, and it’s far from over.
Northampton is secure, but the Raiders persist in infiltrating Mercia. Coelwulf has enticed them away from their stronghold at Grantabridge, and now he must rout the Danish Jarl, Guthrum, once and for all.
The year is AD874, and Mercia lies threatened, but Coelwulf and his loyal warriors have vowed to protect Mercia with their lives.
Praise for The Last King
"A well-written book from start to finish, full of action with lots of strong characters that you soon love. I really, truly loved it. 5 stars from me. Smashed it."
"I feel as though I'm sat astride a horse, sword in hand, screaming like a banshee as I charge."
"Action-packed and hard to put down."
"To say this book is excellent would be an understatement. it’s a blood and gore fest for any fan of the period." Amazon Reviewer
"an instant page-turner." Netgalley Reviewer
"The battle scenes were really well written." Netgalley Reviewer
"With plenty of gory battle scenes, MJ Porter’s descriptive writing really brings Coelwulf’s battles to life." Netgalley Reviewer
"Fast-paced, deep character development, page-turning action, what more do you need." Netgalley Reviewer
"A tale that moves fairly swiftly, breathless at times, with great battle scenes and just the right amount of humour." Netgalley Reviewer
The Ninth Century Series
Coelwulf's Company: Tales from before The Last King
The Last King
The Last Warrior
The Last Horse
The Last Enemy
The Last Sword
The Last Shield
The Last Seven
The Last Viking
The Last Alliance
Book 10 coming soon
MEET THE AUTHOR
I'm an author of historical fiction, nonfiction (Early English/Viking), and fantasy. I write A LOT. You've been warned.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateNovember 26, 2020
- File size3.8 MB
Shop this series
See full series- Kindle Price:$11.47By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.
- Kindle Price:$44.60By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.
Shop this series
This option includes 3 books.
This option includes 5 books.
This option includes 10 books.
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From the Publisher

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The Last King
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The Last Warrior
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The Last Horse
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The Last Enemy
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The Last Sword
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The Last Shield
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Customer Reviews |
4.2 out of 5 stars 2,300
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4.3 out of 5 stars 1,502
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4.4 out of 5 stars 1,371
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4.4 out of 5 stars 1,206
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4.4 out of 5 stars 1,035
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4.3 out of 5 stars 962
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Price | $2.99$2.99 | $3.49$3.49 | $4.99$4.99 | $4.99$4.99 | $4.99$4.99 | $4.99$4.99 |
Ebook | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Paperback | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Hardback | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Audible | ✓ | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data |
Ebook Clean(er) Edition | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |


Product details
- ASIN : B08K4JY1QN
- Publisher : MJ Publishing
- Accessibility : Learn more
- Publication date : November 26, 2020
- Language : English
- File size : 3.8 MB
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 296 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-1914332319
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Book 4 of 10 : The kingdom of Mercia: The Ninth Century
- Best Sellers Rank: #408,562 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

I'm an author of historical fiction (Early English/Saxon, Vikings and the British Isles as a whole before the Norman Conquest, as well as three 20th-century mysteries) and fantasy (now published under a different name). I've also written my first nonfiction book, The Royal Women Who Made England: The Women of the Tenth Century, which is available now.
I was born in the old Mercian kingdom at some point since 1066. Raised in the shadow of a strange little building, told from a very young age that it housed the bones of long-dead kings of Mercia and that our garden was littered with old pieces of pottery from a long-ago battle, it's little wonder that my curiosity in Early England ran riot. I can only blame my parents!
I like to write. You've been warned!
Not sure where to start your journey through Saxon/Early England?
If you're new to Saxon England, then Son of Mercia, book 1 in Eagle of Mercia Chronicles, is perhaps where you should start. And then follow on with Wolf of Mercia and Warrior of Mercia and the continuing books in the series.
King of Kings, book 1 in The Brunanburh Series, is the story of the build-up to the greatest battle on British soil you've probably never heard about, Brunanburh. 'An epic story of kingsmanship that will set in motion the pivotal, bloody Battle of Brunanburh where allies have to be chosen wisely.' The continuing series takes readers to Brunanburh and beyond.
And, coming in April 2025, Men of Iron, the first book in The Dark Age Chronicles. This trilogy will take my readers back to the very beginnings of Saxon England before the creation of Mercia and the other kingdoms.
If you like action adventure with a heavy dose of violence, foul language, and good old camaraderie - The Mercian Ninth Century series is for you, starting with The Last King (there are also Cleaner versions where much of the foul language has been removed - they can be a little harder to find but they are available). Fans of The Eagle of Mercia Chronicles will also find a familiar face. Or The Seventh Century, starting with Pagan Warrior, has a little more politics to go with the set-piece battles.
If you like stories about the forgotten women of history, then the Tenth Century series, starting with The Lady of Mercia's Daughter, is a good place to begin, the story of Lady Ælfwynn after the death of her mother. Or, The First Queen of England, with a little more romance.
If you're interested in the last century of Early England (before 1066) then The Earls of Mercia series is for you.
If you want to read it all, then you can read in chronological order or mix it up. The series weren't written in chronological order (I have a tendency to move backwards through time).
If you're as interested in the ancient kingdom of Mercia as I am, then the loosely connected, The Tales of Mercia is for you. The individual series can be read in this order but can be read in any order. I started my historical fiction writing journey with The Earls of Mercia, so yes, I began at the end.
1) The Dark Age Chronicles starting with Men of Iron, coming April 2025
2) Gods and Kings starting with Pagan Warrior.
3) The Eagle of Mercia Chronicles starting with Son of Mercia.
4) The Ninth Century books starting with The Last King
5) A detour to The Lady of Mercia's Daughter and A Conspiracy of Kings, from the Tenth Century series
6) The Earls of Mercia series starts with The Earl of Mercia's Father.
If you're interested in my 20th-century mysteries, then The Custard Corpses and The Automobile Assassination are the books for you. The Secret Sauce is coming soon. And Cragside, a standalone 1930s murder mystery set at the beautiful North Northumberland estate, and inspired by my Lockdown walks around the property.
My first non fiction book, The Royal Women Who Made England, is now published by Pen and Sword in hardback and ebook, detailing the information I used to write The Tenth Century series featuring Ælfwynn, Eadgifu and the daughters of Edward the Elder.
If you want to keep up to date with my latest writing projects, then please find me on your social media channel of choice, and check out my blog where you will find lots of information about my books..
Happy reading:)
Customer reviews
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2025The Saga continues to grow. The Saga of King Colewolf even if this book is historical fiction is amazing. Out numbered he continues to fight. These books are highly entertaining and recommended.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2024A battle ensues, but then we are catapulted three weeks back in time. We have some unexplained intrigue. What happened to Icel when he was captured? Who is the traitor in their camp?
I liked the small moments when Coelwulf was attempting to stay hidden and approaching the enemy steadily. He thought about the loyalty of his close knit circle of warriors and how they always stick with him, even if they don’t always agree on his methods. He evnen acknowledges the importance of craftsmen like blacksmiths and woodworkers. They play an integral part to the functioning of a warband.
And special love to Haden, his constant companion and horse, who seems to understand him, and his stalwart, feisty aunt Cyneswith. Coelwulf could not be the man and king he is without these two most steadfast loyalists.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2023Terrific battle tales and intrigue, personal love of companions in war and commitment to a cause. This series of books is highly recommended by me.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2021The series makes for a good read but would benefit from a good copy editor. I find the errors distracting.
Top reviews from other countries
- B BoopReviewed in Canada on January 2, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars The saga continues
Love the characters but wish less time was spent on the battles and more on the back story I their lives.
- Howrook123Reviewed in Australia on August 20, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars I'm hooked
I am thoroughly hooked, 100% invested in this bunch of warriors defending their homeland and brother warriors. Fantastic writing from an obvious history buff. Hooked.
- Denise BolchReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant series
Not the usual type of book I’d read, my son told me about this series by Matthew Harffy and I loved them. So we’ll written, you want the stories to go on and on. I hope there are at least a couple more I’m at a loss now I’ve read them all. So we’ll written.
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Australia on July 10, 2021
2.0 out of 5 stars a decent storyline
just a stupid book
- jaybourReviewed in Canada on August 11, 2021
3.0 out of 5 stars EDITING GORIER THAN BATTLES
When the reader gets through a spoiler Prologue that's repeated word for word near the book's end, the dozen misuses of PASSED instead of PAST, the constant misreads because of improper comma usage, the benighted use of I instead of ME, and the endless faulty pronoun references, one is left with an editing job more savage than the gory battle sequences.