Margaret of Anjou

April 15, 2015
In the second volume of his War of the Roses trilogy, Iggulden (Stormbird, 2014, etc.) follows beautiful young Queen Margaret as she defends the Lancaster realm against York rebels.Iggulden tells of blood flowing riverlike across "this earth, this realm, this England" in royal-upon-royal confrontations at St. Albans, at Ludlow, and finally in the fields outside Sandal Castle. Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, sparks the violence by sending warriors led by his son Thomas to strike a Salisbury wedding party. Percy, a supporter of the king, had grown weary of York ally Salisbury's incursions on his lands. Iggulden thereafter moves the action swiftly to the clash between mentally fragile and often stuporous King Henry VI, aided by loyalists Buckingham and Somerset, and York, Salisbury, and Warwick. "There will be no peace while York lives," says Margaret. But York only seeks "to strip the whisperers away from King Henry's side before his house was destroyed by them." From such disputes thousands die as battles clang with sword and axe. Iggulden deftly describes the keys to victories: Warwick's breakthrough at St. Albans; Trollope's betrayal at Ludlow; and Margaret's bartering for Scots allies to corner York and Salisbury at Sandal. Iggulden's fictional Derry the spymaster reflects Margaret's court activities, but other characters peek from history's mists to populate the narrative, like York's son, giant Edward of March, only 18 and carrying "a weight of muscle that made experienced warriors want to look at their feet in his presence." But it is the yowling, pain-riven, spine-twisted Richard, who York believes should have been put out "on a winter's night and let the cold take him," who foreshadows the bloodletting to come. Highly readable as a stand-alone novel, but those who loved Stormbird will be anticipating Iggulden's take on the mesmerizing Richard III.

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February 15, 2015

Having entertained us with historical series on Julius Caesar and on the Mongol Khans, Iggulden launched a heady new "Wars of the Roses" series with Stormbird. This follow-up dares you to travel back to 1454, when a seriously ill King Henry VI sits vacantly in Windsor Castle as his queen, Margaret of Anjou, tenaciously guards his interests. With NPR interviews and a book video.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2015

The second installment (after Stormbird) of this retelling of the 15th-century struggle for the English throne doesn't have the queen front and center, but she is behind everything that happens. Margaret plots to take the royal power back from the Duke of York, Henry VI's cousin and competitor for the Crown, as her husband lies abed, incapacitated by his mental illness. Covering just six years of the half century that saw four men and a boy become king on seven occasions, this is the tale of Henry's recovery and relapse, York's rises and falls, and the family feuds that colored each move by queen and duke. There is less derring-do from master spy Derry Brewer this time, but the politicking and conniving are worthy of a Washington potboiler. The battle scenes turn on the flick of a decision, adding to the excitement of this twisting chapter in English history. VERDICT Royal watchers, history buffs, and those who love their war tales will be marching alongside the author as he illuminates the ups and downs of royal control in that uncertain era. [See Prepub Alert, 1/25/15.]--W. Keith McCoy, Somerset Cty. Lib. Syst., Bridgewater, NJ

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.