HarperCollins The She-Wolf, Fiction, Paperback, Maurice Druon
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Price: £9.99
Brand: HarperCollins
Description: 'This was the original game of thrones' George R.R. Martin. HarperCollins The She-Wolf, Fiction, Paperback, Maurice Druon - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: Harper Collins
Product ID: 9780007491346
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Dimensions: 129x198mm
Keywords: king,royalty,monarchy,france,epic,saga,sagas,medieval,times,historical,fantasy,male,14th century,westeros,iron throne,intrigue,murder,war,battle,fiction,series
ISBN: 9780007491346
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Author: JPS
Rating: 5
Review: This is the real translation of the original title in French although the last couple of words have been dropped from the English version, perhaps because other English authors have picked the English title for their own novels. This book is the fifth instalment of The Accursed Kings. It comes straight after the Royal Succession (also somewhat mistranslated in English) which say the second son of Philip IV the Fair create a law of succession that prevented the crown to be inherited through the female line. This volume, which begins with Roger Mortimer’s escape from the Tower of London on 1 August 1323, focuses also Isabelle, the beautiful, very intelligent, tough daughter of the King of France (Philip the Fair) and wife of Edward II of England. The whole book is dominated by the story of their exile to France, their struggle against King Edward and his Despencer favourites and their ultimate vengeance in 1327. Maurice Druon once again displays his vast talent in “sticking” as close to the historical truth as possible while making his characters come to life. The love affair between the persecuted and lonely Queen and the righteous, resentful and vengeful warlord (Roger Mortimer) was simply a piece of romance which was too good to pass over. The author has chosen to depict them as madly in love with each other and to show how this love tended to sour over time once Edward II had been overthrown, with Mortimer’s jealousy getting the better of him. He insists upon their contradictions, showing how their high and lofty principles give way to their passion and needs, with both of them betraying their vows. Once again, Maurice Druon has put his own spin on his characters’ intention. The two did become lovers but the alliance between them was also eminently political. Since their survival was very much at stake, as in well shown in the book, they simply had little alternative than to overthrown Edward II, the legitimate king. The portrait that is drawn of the cruel and grasping Despencers is also a vivid one. They are totally unsympathetic although Hugh Despencer the Elder is shown as brave during his last moments. Edward II’s portrait is the classical one: that of a weak, insecure, incompetent and incapable King who neglected, persecuted and despoiled his wife in favour of his favourites and whose reign was a complete disaster. Another area where the author has introduced his own interpretation and spin is the episode about the demise of Edward II, where Isabelle is shown as very reluctantly agreeing to the demise of her husband but being very aware of the murder to be perpetrated. Whether she was aware and did take part in the murder plot or not is uncertain, although she certainly had cause to participate in it. Historically, the only certainty is that Edward II’s death was suspiciously timely (although even there it has been claimed that he died years later), especially since there were a number of plots being hatched to free him and that those that had been tasked with guarding him chose to flee. The most likely scenario was that he was indeed murdered, possibly in the very gruesome way described in the book so as not to leave any visible trace. Also included in the book are the other main characters of the time in the Kingdom of France, especially Robert of Artois, Philip of Valois who reaches the end of his life and whose death allows Maurice Druon to depict the last living moments of a magnate dictating his will in the Middle Ages. The pope Jean XXII, the Lombard banker Spinello Tolomei and his nephew, and many other historical characters are part of this book which it is preferable to read sequentially as part of the whole series. Finally, a few words needs to be mentioned about Mr Martin’s lofty claims according to which “The Accursed Kings” is “the original Game of Thrones.” More than anything else, his attempt to link his own fantasy series to this series of historical novels feels like a piece of misleading commercial spin and not even a very subtle one. I liked “Game of Thrones” but the author’s seems to have rather drawn on the history of England, and on the Wars of the Roses in particular (the Lannisters and the Starks instead of Lancaster and York), rather than that of France, apart, perhaps, for a bit of poisoning here and there. However, to the extent that Mr Martin’s efforts at self-promotion may have led a number of readers to discover the much older “Accursed Kings” series and have them once again translated into English, he has certainly done us all a service and can be thanked for it. Five stars.
Author: JoBaker
Rating: 3
Review: I read these books when I was a teenager, some 60 years ago, and thought they were amazing. So when I saw that George RR Martin thought they were wonderful I thought I would re-visit but I cannot agree with him. They are readable but certainly not a wow!
