“Capturing the violence and romance of medieval life, Iggulden makes real those grand characters who live in the collective memory. A page-turner sure to have readers eager for the next in the series.” —KirkusThe first book in #1 New York Times–bestselling author Conn Iggulden’s brilliant new historical series about two … historical series about two families who plunged England into a devastating, decades-long civil war.
In 1437, the Lancaster king Henry VI ascends the throne of England after years of semi-peaceful regency. Named “The Lamb,” Henry is famed more for his gentle and pious nature than his father’s famous battlefield exploits; already, his dependence on his closest men has stirred whispers of weakness at court.
A secret truce negotiated with France to trade British territories for a royal bride—Margaret of Anjou—sparks revolts across English territory. The rival royal line, the House of York, sees the chaos brought on by Henry’s weakness and with it not only opportunity in the monarch, but also their patriotic duty in ousting an ineffectual king. As storm clouds gather over England, King Henry and his supporters find themselves besieged abroad and at home. Who or what can save the kingdom before it is too late?
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Conn Iggulden’s masterful series portrays the harrowing events leading up to, and through, the Wars of the Roses, resulting in the Tudors craftily taking the Throne of England. I really enjoyed this, know the history and thought Iggulden’s take on the subject was superb. All four books are page turners.
If you ever feel like complaining about life in our 21st Century then do read these books. How anyone survived past thirty amazes me. Conn Iggulden brings to life the intriguee, desperate squalor, contrived murders, rebellions, and terrible men and women whose ruthless self-driven tenacity led to the most bloody period in English history. I was particularly impressed by his account of the Battle of Towton, the bloodiest fight on English soil. Very good series!
While this book was quite informative, it had a bit too graphic violence for my taste. I did like the content, however, it seemed well researched
There have been scores of novels written about the Wars of the Roses, but so far, Stormbird is among my favorite. The book explores the origins of this famous fifteenth-century civil war, and to my surprise, I found my sympathies lying with House Lancaster. Richard of York is the novel’s chief antagonist, while Margaret of Anjou (the wife of King Henry VI) becomes one of the story’s most likable characters. But it is Derry Brewer, the king’s spymaster, who ends up stealing the show. Iggulden’s writing reminds me of Bernard Cornwell’s, so if you enjoy his novels, I suspect Wars of the Roses: Stormbird will not disappoint. I highly recommend it.
History rarely presents a neat narrative, and the Wars of the Roses are about as messy as it gets. Multiple royal houses battling for the throne of England in the 15th century; social unrest caused in part by the hardships imposed by the Hundred Years’ War; buckets of Richards and Henrys to keep track of—it’s a hell of a jumble.
But the bloody, backstabbing complexity offers excellent source material for storytellers up to the challenge of sorting through it; George R. R. Martin mined the period for inspiration while planning his fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire (commonly known by the title of its first entry, A Game of Thrones). Conn Iggulden sets himself a tougher task by attempting a historical-fiction version, which he begins with Wars of the Roses: Stormbird.
Stormbird starts slowly, largely because Iggulden sets his prologue in 1377, 66 years before the main events of the story. We see Edward III on his deathbed and hear his attending sons drop hints about the coming succession crisis. Historically speaking, this may well be the proper point to begin unraveling the threads, but it makes for a choppy opening once Iggulden skips ahead to 1443 and leaves behind the characters we just began to know.
The story picks up as Iggulden portrays the machinations behind a secret truce between Henry VI, the current King of England, and Charles VII, King of France and Henry’s uncle. In exchange for peace and a bride, Henry quietly relinquishes his claim to the provinces of Maine and Anjou, French territories captured by his predecessors during earlier stages of the Hundred Years’ War. The catch: English families living in Maine and Anjou have to leave their homes. Many refuse, and bitter fighting in Maine eventually destroys the peace.
To explain how Henry, a mentally infirm ruler, brokered such a deal, Iggulden invents a calculating spymaster, Derry Brewer. Iggulden also creates an archer, Thomas Woodchurch, who leads the resistance in Maine before joining Jack Cade’s peasant rebellion in England. Margaret of Anjou, Henry’s French bride, features as well, as do other scheming nobles, such as Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York and aspirant to Henry’s throne.
In other words, there’s a lot going on.
But Iggulden directs the chaos skillfully, managing to make us root for several members of the upper and lower classes rather than a single, central protagonist. I occasionally tripped over Iggulden’s use of third-person omniscient, however—he mostly sticks with one point of view per scene, but sometimes hops in and out of another character’s head; I would have preferred an entirely fixed camera or one that roamed more consistently. I also thought the torturing and execution of a Jewish moneylender was an unnecessary tangent.
Even so, I liked Stormbird on balance, and I’m curious to see how Iggulden navigates the rest of the Wars of the Roses now that he’s set them up so entertainingly.
(For more reviews like this one, see http://www.nickwisseman.com)
Great historic characters, and great story!
I made it about halfway through this before giving up. I really enjoyed the “royal” story line, but the “war” story line never pulled me in. I think if there had been a better balance between the two, I might have stuck with it, but the “war” sections seemed to drag on far too long as if the author forgot about the “royal” storyline. A shame because I love this time period and was hoping to really enjoy this series.