Historical

Internationally bestselling author of “The Other Boleyn Girl,” Gregory has been renowned for the quality of her historical fiction, with richly drawn female characters determined to reach beyond their expected roles in life in order to direct the course of the English monarchy.

In the NYTimes bestseller, “The Red Queen,” Gregory travels back to the War between the Roses and views the conflict from the vision of the would-be queens behind the thrones of the family of Plantagenets. The first in the series, “The White Queen,” told the story of Elizabeth Woodville. “The Red Queen” reveals the life-long ambition of Margaret Beaufort, the heir to the House of Lancaster and her son, Henry, who was second in line to the throne of England.

In the 1400’s, even women from important families were merely chattel; their hands in marriage (and therefore lands and wealth) given as a reward for loyalty to the king in battle. Beaufort was unable to identify with the life planned for her and after hearing about the exploits of Joan of Arc, wanted to devote her days to prayer. Her mother ridiculed her faith and engineered a politically and economically advantageous marriage instead.

Married, pregnant and widowed by the age of fourteen, then widowed again and bequeathed a great fortune, Beaufort was married a third time to Lord Stanley, a man even more calculating than she. She had no say in the management or distribution of her wealth, but her maniacal single-mindedness to place her son on the throne drove her life, and her fanaticism kept her focused for over twenty years. Stanley’s ambition mirrored her own and their scheming defined their loveless marriage.

Gregory deftly illustrated the changes in Beaufort’s life by describing the worktable: “…once covered with books of devotion, it (was) now covered with maps and codes for secret messages.” Beaufort herself recognized her sins of ambition and greed, but placed blame for all her problems on the mother of two boys who had an equal claim to the throne.  Boys who mysteriously died a treacherous death in the Tower of London, clearing the way for Henry to return from exile and fight against the usurper, Richard III, to claim his birthright.

Murder, intrigue, bribery, war – actions committed for the right to wear the crown. More bloodthirsty and politically savvy than most of the hardened warriors she sent off to champion her cause, Beaufort fervently engineered it all.

Visit www.philippagregory.com for more information about her books, the new ‘Order of Darkness’ series, and TV shows based on her work.

Drama, blood, gore, and a few maimings are all a part of best-selling author Bernard Cornwell’s series (the Warrior Chronicles/Saxon Stories) dealing with the birth of England in the 9^th century. “Sword Song” is the fourth in the series and continues the story of Uhtred, a renowned and respected warrior of King Alfred the Great. Uhtred, a dispossessed Northumbrian Lord who was raised by Vikings, shifts allegiances as war and his ambition require. We are never quite sure where Uhtred’s sword will wind up, but we know it will be a rousing good read while the battles unfold.

Cornwell is a master of making historical fiction come alive, by writing interestingly flawed central characters who must live by their wits and skills in a time when nice guys died early. Each of his books is thoroughly researched to ensure authenticity, but the reader feels as if the details are part of the story, not minutiae to fill the page. Battles are for the most part historically accurate and only altered when needed to fit a particular storyline. It is one of the fascinating aspects of reading the series that one can come away with a strong understanding of the chronological changes in the nature of war. 9^th century strategies are explained, weaponry both large and small is described and ancient armor can be easily envisioned. In my case, a visit to an exhibition of 12^th-14^th c. armor at the Met in NYC was enhanced by having read Cornwell’s books.

“Sword Song” (2007) was followed by “The Burning Land,“ (2009) and “Death of Kings” (2011).  A friend of mine, a student of the ‘art of war’ in both non-fiction and fiction platforms, has purchased every title in the series, disappointed only by the fact that he had to wait between each publication for the next.

If you don’t yet have your own copies, go forth and seek some. The gauntlet has been thrown!

For more information about Bernard Cornwell and his many internationally famous books and series, visit www.bernardcornwell.net

Read the review of "Agincourt" here.