The Last Kingdom was not afraid to make changes to the source material. That’s not all that surprising when some characters end up gaining more of a following due to the actors playing them than the characters in the books do.
One of the characters to see a major change to her fate was Stiorra, Uhtred’s daughter. In the books, much of her initial story plays out, with her being married off to Sigtryggr and ruling Eoferwic (York) with him.
There’s even the storyline of Skoll Grimmarsson attacking Eoferwic, which leads to Sigtryggr having to flee for some time. This is where there is a major change to Stiorra’s story.
Stiorra dies in The Last Kingdom books
In the TV series and final movie, we know that Stiorra is still alive. She has a loyal following of Danes thanks to her marriage to Sigtryggr.
In the books, Stiorra doesn’t survive. The attack on Eoferwic is slightly different in the books than it is the series. Much of the main part of the story that leads to Stiorra’s death is the same, though. Uhtred is led south in a ruse so that he can’t help Stiorra and Sigtryggr. This leads to Skoll attacking the city and killing Stiorra. She isn’t able to keep the women safe in the way she does in the series.
This is actually what leads to Uhtred and Sigtryggr getting revenge against Skoll. In the end, Sigtryggr is forced to marry Aethelstan’s twin sister to ensure there is a Saxon queen in Eoferwic.
Sigtryggr’s death is different, too. In the books, he dies of a plague. In the series, he attacks Aethelhelm’s camp, Edward retaliates and takes over, and Sigtryggr is sentenced to death. Uhtred is the one to carry out that execution at Sigtryggr’s request.
The Last Kingdom is available to stream on Netflix.