the iron king the accursed kings book 1 maurice druon

Hannah’s new novel is an homage to the extraordinary courage and endurance of Frenchwomen during World War II. Historical fiction that reads like epic fantasy. Readers who do so will be richly rewarded. Druon helpfully includes a detailed list of characters, though, as well as a family tree, to help readers untangle the often complicated familial and political relationships. Much of this book is presumably designed to set the stage for the rest of the series, and as a result, dozens of players are introduced, which can be overwhelming. The level of historic detail is astounding, and Druon masterfully brings his characters to life. Druon, who himself died in 2009, captures the times in this, the first of a seven-book series about the descendants of Phillip the Fair and the start of the Hundred Years' War, which was originally published in French in the 1950s and ’60s. Hanging over all of this is the curse of the Grand Master of the Order of Knights Templar, Jacques De Molay, who, while burning at the stake, used his dying breath to curse his tormentors, including King Phillip, to die by the end of the year. But if the plot succeeds, the succession of the throne of France, and thus the realm itself, could be thrown into chaos. Robert hatches a plot to expose the affairs, aided by his cousin Isabella, who also happens to be Phillip the Fair’s daughter, unhappily married to King Edward II of England. Unfortunately for them, Robert is aware that Marguerite, Mahaut’s cousin, and Blanche, her daughter, are currently having affairs with two young gentlemen at court, while Jeanne, another daughter, helps to facilitate their trysts.

He decides to take revenge against his aunt via her two daughters and her young cousin, who are married to the king’s three sons. Sex, intrigue and betrayal in the last days of the reign of Phillip the Fair of France.Īfter losing a lawsuit to his aunt, the Countess Mahaut, 14th-century French nobleman Robert III of Artois feels cheated out of lands and a title that he feels should rightfully be his.

The iron king the accursed kings book 1 maurice druon