The rise of a unified English isle. Paul Hill explains the rise of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom that would eventually unite all of the English Isle into a world power. Well worth the time and reasonable cost for this book.

Paul Hill's latest book is an excellent study of the military and political situation in England under King Alfred the Great. The early chapters provide the background, recounting events of a few centuries earlier and how Wessex rose to prominence.

There are some useful subsections about key figures or places, such as the development of Gloucester as a population centre and fortified city. The author also explores some interesting theories: for example, was Alfred even legitimate? What exactly was the status of his mother? Was she a wife or a concubine of King Athelwulf?

In case readers are worried that this might be a rehash of Paul Hill’s previous two titles on Anglo-Saxon warfare, I can assure them it is not. I have read both "The Anglo Saxons at War" and "The Viking Wars of Alfred the Great", and they're quite different from this book. The former goes a lot more into the mechanics of war and weapons, whereas this book examines the social and political background more.
There is enough new material here to justify this new book, and its scholarly enough to please the academic. Yet it’s also quite readable and provides enough context and background for the general reader too.

Thanks to Pen and Sword for approving me to read a PDF of this title through Netgalley. This in no way influenced my review and all opinions expressed are my own.

This was an interesting look at the Anglo - Saxon kingdom of England, I would highly recommend this book to medieval history buffs and medievalists.

I read this as an ARC from Netgalley.com.

In The Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons, Paul Hill walks you from the leaders leading up to and then through the lifetime of King Alfred the Great. I felt that Hill is the kind of author who not only knows what he's talking about, but he can also convey information in such a way that even a layperson can easily understand what is happening in this confusing time period. I appreciated that Hill would include theories from different schools of thought when if came to identities of people close to Alfred, or troop movements.

All in all, I found it a fairly easy read and would recommend this to anyone looking to learn about this time period.

A good book about a interesting and influential time of British history. A definite read for anyone interested in this area of history.

Readers with a particular interest in the reign of Alfred the Great, the late 800s or the 9th century, and who know of Alfred's role as a Charlemagne type figure who advocated for literacy as well as recognizing the value of books and learning, will greatly enjoy this expanded history of England at the time of his reign and more of the wider historical context. In particular, some of the images included within, such as of the will of King Alfred, are stunning and will be of great interest to readers wishing to know more about this era. Other significant images include areas Hyde Abbey. The Alfred Jewel is a spectacular piece of craftsmanship and the high quality graphics are excellent in this book.

Overall, this book is a well-researched and comprehensive overview of this era of Britain'.s history.

Topics included are:
* Uniting the kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia
* "The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle"
* The Lindisfarne Gospels
* Marchlanders
* Coins from the era
* Battle memorials
* Maps
* Aetheldred
* Annals of Ulster
* Significant churches

Paul Hill is one of those special authors who is deeply entrenched in the work he is doing but also realizes just how confusing reaching back into history can be. It makes for a very entertaining read in The Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons.

Hill takes you step by step through the time just before and during the life of Alfred the Great. Along the way, we are introduced to many characters who are cloaked in the mist of history. Hill is adept at making sure to separate fact, conjecture, and just straight fiction. He keeps the reader engaged with witty observations and more importantly, the deft touch of a teacher rather than a lecturer. I laughed out loud multiple times when Hill admits how confusing it can be to figure out if these historical figures are the same people or separate people with the same name.

A scholarly work can often veer into a dry restatement of facts. Hill adds a bit of fun and it makes for a very readable book.

NB: free ARC received in exchange for honest review

Solid account of the rise of the 'Danish' threat in 9th century England, and the wars fought in the lifetime of Alfred the Great - including those of his predecessors as King of Wessex. It's not always a simple tale to tell. As with most academically rigorous histories of poorly documented periods, there are often multiple possible versions of what happened and where, and a lot of the details are either in doubt or simply unknown. Nonetheless, the prose is readable and the author does a good job of explaining the possible interpretations and the one that they believe is most likely.

If you have an interest in the period and want something that delves a bit deeper than a 'popular history' account, this is a solid offering to check out.