Bloodline

May 15, 2016
Margaret of Anjou spiked the rebel heads of the Duke of York and the Earl of Salisbury on York's city gate, but her husband, Henry VI, "who'd lost his wits" and turned more cloistered monk than king, remains rebel prisoner in the third volume of Iggulden's (Margaret of Anjou, 2015, etc.) Wars of the Roses series.Now the next generation seeks revenge and power: Edward, successor Duke of York, an 18-year-old goliath, and his tutor-turned-ally, Richard, Earl of Warwick, Salisbury's son. Margaret's army marches from York to confront Warwick's forces at St. Albans. Margaret prevails. Henry is freed. Then London bars entry to the loyalists. Returning north, Margaret's army is pursued by Warwick and York. In the frozen winter of 1461, there's a great bloodletting on Towton's killing field, masterfully described by Iggulden. Margaret and Henry flee to France. Iggulden often shows his writerly chops, here describing the English Channel as a "sleeve of tears." There's medieval blood and gore, yes, but also insights into food and drink, landscape and weather, plus a riveting portrayal of the singular London winter night, all torches, candles, and cheering nobles, as young Edward declares himself king. Warwick, Margaret, and the queen's hard-bitten and deadly devious spymaster, Derry Brewer, arrive in nuanced depictions while boisterous young York evolves into a Machiavellian ruler, yet one enthralled by his wife, smoldering Elizabeth Gray. In this craftily plotted novel, Iggulden turns legends into real people, all passion, intrigue, and duplicity, so palpably realistic the sound of sword against armor rings from the page.

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June 1, 2016

By the brutal winter of 1461, the medieval world is about to change, thanks to power struggles, lineage disputes, rights of ownership, vengeance, and sheer greed. Iggulden concludes his trilogy (Stormbird; Margaret of Anjou) about England's devastating Wars of the Roses with the same clear and often awe-inspiring regard for the people and the conditions prevalent at the time. Richard III is dead, and the victorious Margaret of Anjou claims the throne for the House of Lancaster. But Richard's heir and the new Duke of York, Edward, has other plans. Although Iggulden is ever attentive to authentic period detail (readers can almost smell the era), his narrative is never bogged down in the descriptions, delivering a well-paced, rich, and entertaining read. VERDICT Historical fiction buffs will love this trilogy, and historians will enjoy the many scholarly extras including maps, family trees, and list of characters. [See Prepub Alert, 2/1/16.]--Russell Miller, Prescott P.L., AZ

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2016
Iggulden continues his excellent War of the Roses series with a searing third installment that picks up where Margaret of Anjou (2015) left off. Richard of York has been beheaded; Henry VI is imprisoned, and the fiery Margaret of Anjou rides south with her army, intending to liberate her husband. Though she has defeated Richard, a new, even more formidable enemy waits in the wings, determined to avenge his father's death and claim the royal prize for himself. All roads lead inevitably to Towton, the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil, and a changing of the dynastic guard as the Lancastrian forces are defeated and Edward of York, who had previously proclaimed himself king, accedes to the throne. Iggulden does a masterful job of evoking the historical context, illuminating the often convoluted loyalties and factions, immersing the reader in the muck and mire of the battlefield, and setting the stage for the fourth and final volume in this epic retelling of an ever-fascinating chapter in British history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)