Release Date: 10/10/13
Publisher: Michael Joseph (Penguin)
SYNOPSIS:
Historical fiction master Conn Iggulden retells the gripping story of the English civil war in his new Wars of the Roses series.King Henry V - the great Lion of England - is long dead. In 1437, after years of regency, the pious and gentle Henry VI, the Lamb, comes of age and accedes to the English throne. His poor health and frailty of mind render him a weakling king - Henry depends on his closest men, Spymaster Derry Brewer and William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, to run his kingdom. Yet there are those, such as the Plantagenet Richard, Duke of York, who believe England must be led by a strong king if she is to survive. With England's territories in France under threat, and rumours of revolt at home, fears grow that Henry and his advisers will see the country slide into ruin. With a secret deal struck for Henry to marry a young French noblewoman, Margaret of Anjou, those fears become all too real. 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?The Wars of the Roses series will be a benchmark for historical fiction, showcasing Conn Iggulden at his finest.
REVIEW:
OK, my other half is a big fan of Philippa Gregory’s Cousins War series and whilst she enjoyed the recent White Queen TV series, she’s been a fan of the books for a number of years. So she’s pretty much up on all the history surrounding this time, whereas I, to be blunt, have a vague notion of what happened. Yes I know the line of kings succession, but the minutae of the time was something that really left me wondering what had happened.
So getting the chance to read a version by a favoured author really did give me something special to sit down with and devour. As usual with Conn’s writing, its deliciously addictive, the prose just rolls off the page and with a pace that really lights up the imagination all round gives you a book that you have one hell of a time putting down.
Add to this cracking combat sequences, Conn’s ability to weave a story of epic proportions and all round I was more than a happy reader. I’ll definitely be glued to see what else he comes up with for the rest of the series and I’m going to be interested to see how his interpretation of the people of the time comes to the fore against other writers perceptions. Great stuff.
Release Date: 27/10/11
SYNOPSIS:
The one and only Conn Iggulden takes on the story of the mighty Kublai Khan. An epic tale of a great and heroic mind; his action-packed rule; and how in conquering one-fifth of the world's inhabited land, he changed the course of history forever. A scholar who conquered an empire larger than those of Alexander or Caesar. A warrior who would rule a fifth of the world with strength and wisdom. A man who betrayed a brother to protect a nation. From a young scholar to one of history's most powerful warriors, Conqueror tells the story of Kublai Khan -- an extraordinary man who should be remembered alongside Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte as one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever known. It should have been a golden age, with an empire to dwarf the lands won by the mighty Genghis Khan. Instead, the vast Mongol nation is slowly losing ground, swallowed whole by their most ancient enemy. A new generation has arisen, yet the long shadow of the Great Khan still hangs over them all ! Kublai dreams of an empire stretching from sea to sea. But to see it built, this scholar must first learn the art of war. He must take his nation's warriors to the ends of the known world. And when he is weary, when he is wounded, he must face his own brothers in bloody civil war.
REVIEW:
For me, there are some authors in a genre that you just have to buy and Conn Iggulden is one of them. He’s gone from strength to strength with his writing, and for me, he is the David Gemmell of Historical Fiction, a talent that is unique, rarely equalled and an author you can depend upon for a quality read that will be kept in your collection for rereads later on.
The writing is gripping, the characters have a realistic angle that the reader can grab onto and whilst in places he’s spartan in his descriptive allowing the reader to fill in the blanks it doesn’t detract from the story which moves along at its own pace. Add to this cracking prose, top notch dialogue and a way of explaining history in a context that it brings it to live. (And yes I know its historical fiction but getting it to come to life so that the reader wants to do their own research is key here.)
Finally add to the mix a story that reads well as a standalone and it’s a book that is accessible for new readers as well as established fans makes this a real gem of a title this year. Great stuff.
Release Date: 01/09/11
SYNOPSIS:
The fourth novel in the number one bestselling Conqueror series, continuing the life and adventures of the mighty Khan dynasty.
Genghis Khan is dead, but his legend and his legacy live on. His son Ogedai has built a white city on a great plain and made a capital for the new nation. Now the armies have gathered to see which of Genghis' sons has the strength to be khan. The Mongol empire has been at peace for two years, but whoever survives will face the formidable might of their great enemy, China’s Song dynasty.
The great leader Tsubodai sweeps into the west: through Russia, over the Carpathian mountains and into Hungary. The Templar knights have been broken and there is no king or army to stop him reaching France. But at the moment of Tsubodai's greatest triumph, as his furthest scouts reach the northern mountains of Italy, Tsubodai must make a decision that will change the course of history forever.
REVIEW:
It’s probably not a surprise that I’m a huge fan of Conn Iggulden and for me, he does for Historical Fiction what David Gemmell did for Fantasy which isn’t really a surprise as Conn was influenced by David when he was growing up. The writing is crisp, clean and full of adventure and when you add to this great combat sequences, beautifully researched historically and of course the authors own writing style, it’s a series that is not only fascinating but a series that is an absolute must read.
Add to this the fact that Conn continues the series after the death of the principle character (Genghis) during a time of upheaval as the throne is up for grabs, and it’s a story that for those less familiar with Eastern History, will grip them as they vie to see who shall triumph as well as how the rule will continue. Cracking stuff.
BOOK BLURB:
From the co-author of the bestselling 'The Dangerous Book for Boys', this is a book of heroes, new and old, known and sadly forgotten, now to be glorified as they ought to be. From Captain Scott to Joe Simpson, from Douglas Bader to Ernest Shackleton, from Gertrude Bell to Emily Pankhurst, Conn Iggulden brings our great heroes from history back to life. Filled with the British sense of fair play and decency that made 'The Dangerous Book for Boys' so popular, 'The Dangerous Book of Heroes' celebrates those who fought for what is right and good, those who made amazing discoveries, those who moved boundaries in their lifetimes. A book of heroes written by Conn Iggulden, a man who knows what makes a hero.
REVIEW:
Whilst we’re fans of Conn Iggulden’s fiction and we enjoyed his Dangerous book for Boys we did wonder what exactly was being done with this book of heroes. First of all there’s not a lot binding these people together and could perhaps have served better had it been split up into separate chapters such as The Unsung Heroes, the Adventurer’s, Military Heroes etc. That would have perhaps kept it more cohesive as well as allowing people to be able to enjoy separate chunks as their preferences kicked in. What also annoyed us slightly was the fact that the images were all modern drawings that were perhaps more to keep costs down than to give an illustrative personification of the relevant characters to the reader. It might have been better to use photo’s or even to have used paintings. We’d also like to argue for having arranged the people via timelines so that it would be easier to see who appeared where with perhaps an image that had each of the names and when they appeared in history so that you could see who overlapped who and the time period specifically.
Finally one other thing that we thought was a bit lazy was that some of the chapters had quite long titles whereas others were just a name, it would have been better to go with one or the other and not as higgledy-piggledy as it appeared. Whilst the writing does go into depth about each person/event featured, the information is something that you could pretty much discover on Wiki or online if you had such a desire and seemed to be a cheap way to cash in on Conn’s name. A great shame to be honest and we do wonder how many fans it will turn off his other writing which has been a breath of fresh air to the historical fiction genre.
