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The Iron King (The Accursed Kings, Book 1), by Maurice Druon
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‘This is the original game of thrones’ George R.R. Martin
From the publishers that brought you A Game of Thrones comes the series that inspired George R.R. Martin’s epic work.
“Accursed! Accursed! You shall be accursed to the thirteenth generation!”
The Iron King – Philip the Fair – is as cold and silent, as handsome and unblinking as a statue. He governs his realm with an iron hand, but he cannot rule his own family: his sons are weak and their wives adulterous; while his red-blooded daughter Isabella is unhappily married to an English king who prefers the company of men.
A web of scandal, murder and intrigue is weaving itself around the Iron King; but his downfall will come from an unexpected quarter. Bent on the persecution of the rich and powerful Knights Templar, Philip sentences Grand Master Jacques Molay to be burned at the stake, thus drawing down upon himself a curse that will destroy his entire dynasty…
- Sales Rank: #104565 in Books
- Brand: Harper
- Published on: 2013-04-11
- Released on: 2013-03-26
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.00" h x 5.00" w x 1.00" l, .57 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 368 pages
Features
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Sporting an enthusiastic introduction by George R. R. Martin (in which he calls the book “the original game of thrones”), this is the first U.S. publication of the first volume of French novelist Druon’s seven-volume historical saga, collectively known as The Accursed Kings. Originally published in 1955, the novel is set in the year 1314. Philip IV, the king of France, has disbanded the Knights Templar, arresting, torturing, and executing most of them. Relations between France and England are as strained as they have ever been. Philip’s increasingly desperate search for money to pay his massive debts has virtually bankrupted the country. Against this sprawling backdrop, Druon tells the story of Robert of Artois, a French lord whose lands have been taken from him by his greedy aunt and whose efforts to reclaim his birthright will lead to all-out war between France and England. Unlike Martin’s multivolume Song of Fire and Ice, Druon’s saga is based on real history and features real people as its central characters. It’s historical fiction on a grand scale, full of political intrigue, family drama, and characters who, while drawn from life, are larger than it. Fans of historical epics who have not yet discovered Druon’s saga will be thrilled with this one. --David Pitt
Review
‘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’ The Sunday Times
‘Dramatic and colourful as a Dumas romance but stiffened by historical accuracy and political insight’ The Sunday Times
‘Barbaric, sensual, teeming with life, based in wide reading and sound scholarship…among the best historical novels’ The 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 L�gion d'Honneur. He was also a member of the Acad�mie fran�aise 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.
Most helpful customer reviews
88 of 91 people found the following review helpful.
One of the best historical novels ever written.
By Tanya
This is the first (and probably, the best) in Druon's excellent series, Les Rois Maudits (The Accursed Kings), dealing with the demise of the Kapetian dynasty and the beginning of the 100-year War. The legend has it that after King Philippe the Fair (Philippe Le Beau) disbanded (and destroyed) the Order of the Templars, their Master, Jacques Molais, cursed Philippe and his seed as he was burned at the stake. At the time of the curse, Philippe was in great health and had three grown sons. Less than a quarter of a century later, the Kapetians ceded the throne to their cousins Valois--for the lack of male issue to take up the throne and the inability of female issue to do so (prior to Philippe's death, a woman could techincally rule France). What happened? That is precisely the subject of Les Rois Maudits--and the first book deals with the family from the last months of Philippe's reign and until the ascention of his oldest son, Louis X.
I read this book in one day. I was awed by the characters, particularly Philippe and his gorgeous daughter Isabelle, Queen of England (remember Braveheart--the pretty French princess?), and of course, Robert D'Artois and his evil cousin Magot. The only problem with it is that it definitely leaves you hanging in the end, simply making you go and read the second book--the Prisoner of Chateau Gayard.
I would highly recommend it--it is gripping, well-written, historically accurate.
36 of 39 people found the following review helpful.
the iron king
By Alla S.
"The Iron King" by Maurice Druon follows the intrigues, passions, murders, and backstabbing within the French dynasty in the 1300s. It was originally published in French in the 1950s, and is the first book in the Accursed Kings series (there are seven in all, and they follow the story of the dynasty after it's--you guessed it, cursed--in the first book, by the unfairly executed Grand Master Jacques de Molay).
I like historical fiction novels, and Druon's series was very popular when it was initially published. Though I've heard of it, it was my first time actually reading it. The title of the book, "The Iron King" refers to Philip IV (Philip the Fair), the King of France who has a fiery temper. After he is unable to overtake Jacques de Molay's Order of the Knights of Templar organization, the King gets his vengeance by sentencing Jacques and the rest of the senior participants of this organization to a lengthy jail sentence, and ultimately to burn at the stake. Jacques, whose organization was dismantled and life ruined, vows revenge. He curses the people who did this to him--the King of France (the Iron King), the Pope, and the King's Minister Guillame de Nogaret. As the story starts unfolding further, the curse begins to work--and, reminiscent to Agatha Christies "And then there were none," -the recipients of the curse start to die one by one.
Meanwhile, the Iron King's sons--Louis, King of Navarre and Charles, are being cuckolded by their cheating wives--Marguerite and Blanche. Worst of all, the cheating scandal is revealed to Isabella, the Iron King's daughter and sister to the cuckolded husbands. The informer, Robert III of Artois, seeks to fulfill his own agenda after losing a long battle over inheritance with the mother and aunt of the unfaithful wives, Mahaut, who also happens to be Robert's own aunt. If her daughters and niece lose favor with the Iron King, Mahaut's power will substantially weaken and Robert might be able to wrench away the inheritance.
Even though Isabella is married to a homosexual husband, the King of England Edward II and scarcely happy in her private life herself, she seeks Robert's help in getting evidence of their affairs and providing it to the King of France, her father. If the scandal gets revealed, then both the lives of the unfaithful wives and those of their lovers, the Aunay brothers, Gautier and Philippe, will be in danger.
Not everything gets wrapped up neatly (this is a series after all), and as the book ends, France's kingdom is left in turmoil. Though the writing style isn't easy on the eyes, the interesting storyline more than makes up for it. Looking forward to reading the second book, which will hopefully come out.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful.
This is Not The Original Game of Thrones… It’s Even Better
By Charlie Brown
The Middle Ages are called the dark ages for a reason: there are often difficult to study, understand and to be able to grasp its impact on the shaping of the modern world. They are confusing, there are not that many reliable sources of research and those existing need a real expert on the field to bring us within reach of what it meant to be royalty at that time or to gravitate around royalty, to be Catholic, to be a Jew, to be rich or to be like the 99% of the rest of Europe: poor, hungry, sick, ignorant and surrounded by death as part of life, often more present than not. Maurice Druon accomplishes it, bringing us a superb work of fiction using non-fiction history as a framework. You must read the Iron King, as well as the other six books that complete the series of the Accursed Kings. This is not an option, it is something you should put in your bucket list and try to accomplish as soon as possible
The English translation has a foreword from George R. R. Martin, who will tell you he used Maurice’s work as inspiration for its A Song of Ice and Fire and for its TV version, Game of Thrones. Even if it says it there in the cover and may seem like a plot from the publishers to try to sell you a 1950’s forgotten literary jewel, it is not a marketing plot or a favor from George R.R, it is true: If you watched Game of Thrones, you will see that it is nothing more than a repetition, I would even say a censored and watered down repetition of the constant plots, conspiracies, treasons and betrayals that are an integral part of the Accursed Kings and this period of European history. There is no Games of Thrones without the Accursed Kings, and they are even worse because all these terrible things and events not only happened for real and repeated over and over, but also mostly happened amongst members of the same family! There are no inviolable principles, or better yet, there are no principles at all, everything is valid and things are often done without any remorse.
The only problem is that only three of the books have been translated to English (from its original French): The Iron King, the Strangled Queen and the Poisoned Crown. The 4th book, The Royal Succession is due on November 4th, and the 5th book, the She Wolf, will only come out in late 2015. There is no release date for the 6th and 7th books, which is a shame because you need to read the entire series to become full circle on the plot and see the full consequences of Philippe the Fair decisions and the Templar’s Curse. If you are lucky enough like me, who happens to be fully fluent in Spanish, you can finish the series sooner as the Spanish translation has been around for many years now. But worse case you do the A Song of Ice and Fire thing and wait a few years to read it all, it is worth it
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