The Last Kingdom is based on The Saxon Stories, a series of books by author Bernard Cornwell. The Sharpe seriesBernard Cornwell's biggest seriesCredit: Fontana Arguably Cornwell's most famous series, the Sharpe series follows Richard Sharpe, a British soldier fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. The Sharpe series makes clear why Cornwell is such a compelling writer. Before The Last Kingdom, Cornwell found success onscreen thanks to adaptations of his Sharpe books; 14 made-for-TV movies were produced between 1993 and 2008, all of them starring Sean Bean in. Next to the Sharpe books, The Saxon Stories is the longest series Cornwell has written, clocking in at 13 books.