The Poisoned Crown
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4.1 • 55 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
“This is the original Game of Thrones.” George R.R. Martin.
No man is impervious to the poisons of the crown…
Having murdered his wife and exiled his mistress, King Louis X of France becomes besotted with Princess Clemence of Hungary and makes her his new Queen.
However, though the matter of the succession should be assured, it is far from so, as Louis embarks on an ill-fated war against Flanders.
Where his father, Philip IV, was strong, Louis is weak, and the ambitions of his proud, profligate barons threaten his power and the future of a kingdom once ruled by an Iron King.
Reviews
‘Iron kings and strangled queens, battles and betrayals, lies and lust, the curse of the Templars, the doom of a great dynasty – and all of it (well, most of it) straight from the pages of history, and believe me, the Starks and the Lannisters have nothing on the Capets and Plantagenets. Whether you are a history buff or a fantasy fan, Druon's epic will keep you turning pages. This was the original game of thrones’
GEORGE R.R. MARTIN
‘Blood-curdling tale of intrigue, murder, corruption and sexual passion’
SUNDAY TIMES
‘Barbaric, sensual, teeming with life, based in wide reading and sound scholarship…among the best historical novels’ TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
About the author
Maurice Druon was a French resistance hero, a Knight of the British Empire and a holder of the Grand Croix de la Légion d'Honneur. He was also a member of the Académie française and a celebrated novelist, best known for his series of seven historical novels under the title of The Accursed Kings, which were twice adapted for television. A passionate Anglophile, he was a great expert on all things English, including its medieval history, which provides great inspiration for the series. His many and diverse fans include George RR Martin, Nicolas Sarkozy and Vladimir Putin.
Customer Reviews
The plots thicken
I felt more or less compelled to read the footnotes and endnotes of this installment to background the rising plots against various royal heirs and noble houses. This third book is very good, though I find myself wondering if the translation adds to or subtracts from the literary experience.
I continue to look forward to the next volume in the Druron series.
Footnotes are wrong
I own the paper copy and thank goodness because when this was turned into an iBook the footnotes got MESSED UP! The first footnote in the first chapter reads "the numbers in the text refer to historical notes at the end of this chapter". Obviously wrong. In fact the actual footnote is about 3 pages long!
It pains me to give this book 1 star, it's such a good story and Maurice Druon tells it well. iBooks has a great way of doing footnotes too! They're just all wrong.