Slower than previous novels but still an excellent read. ( )

I was disappointed as I thought of all the books in the series (there are 4) this would be the one I would enjoy the most. This was the "conclusion" of the War of the Roses and what I didn't care for was it dragged out the conflict between Edward IV and Richard Neville and then rushed through the years where Edward dies and Richard III takes the throne. Very disappointed and not enough dialogue. I also didn't like the fact that it really didn't explain why Richard made his decision to go against his brothers wishes. Through all the books Richard remains the most loyal to Edward and it never mentions how angry Richard was with Edward in regards to the French campaign of 1475 - it skips the whole incident entirely. So the series leads you to believe that Edward could do no wrong in Richard's eyes which makes his decision to take the crown from his nephew hard to swallow. Very disappointing indeed. ( )

Iggulden is a master and tells the astounding history of the war of the Roses brilliantly. The awesome storytelling is equal only to the incredible performance of the narrator Roy McMillan, who bring the story to life with artful colour and articulation. The combination is very immersive and entertaining. My only real disappointment was the conventional treatment of the nephews in the tower. Richard III was presented here as being absolutely loyal to his brother, and the step to killing his brother's sons was one too far for me. I much preferred the interpretation presented by Sharon Penman, which depicts Richard as a doting uncle and the deaths of the boys as loyalists going beyond their brief to remove threats to Richard's succession. ( )

Ambushed in the North and surrounded by Lancastrian allies, Edward IV has to flee to Flanders and Henry VI is restored to the throne. However supported by the Burgundians, Edward returns with an army and crushes Warwick's forces at Barnet and Margaret of Anjou's forces at Tewkesbury. The death of Henry and his son mean that the York monarchy is restored to the throne with only one distant Lancastrian heir left, Henry Tudor who is safe in France. Edward rules for 11 years but on his death his brother Richard declares Edward's children illegitimate and seizes the throne but the Tudor invasion force is gathering.

This is the final part of Iggulden's quartet of books about the Wars of the Roses and is the most accomplished by far. Iggulden's strengths have always been around the way that he writes action scenes, brilliantly exciting, visceral and well researched, but in this book his narrative shows greater sophistication. Dialogue is more realistic and characters more carefully drawn. The years from 1461-1485 are very wellknown in history but this book adds another dimension. Historical fiction at its very best. ( )

This engaging novel covers a period of the Wars of the Roses that I'm very familiar with. So interested am I, in fact, that I can't go many months without wanting to read another author's interpretation of events from these intriguing medieval times.

The authors of most novels I've read set during the Wars of the Roses tend to be pro-Yorkist. Conn Iggulden, however, strikes me as pro-Lancastrian, which makes a change.

Margaret of Anjou, queen consort of England’s Henry VI, is one of the most fascinating women from medieval history. Often she’s portrayed as the villain of the piece, yet here we see a more rounded character.

I'm less impressed with the author's portrayal of Elizabeth Woodville. She comes across as too one-dimensional, when from all accounts she was as fascinating an individual as Margaret.

Same applies even more so to Edward IV. Yes, he's seen as the great warrior king that he was, but I dislike how the author depicts Edward as a moody young oaf, for want of a better description.

Richard III, despite encountering better interpretations of this controversial king, is believably "real", yet the author could've done more with him in certain scenes.

On the most part, though, I do like Mr Iggulden's characterisations of "real" people
and I really like the loyal brotherly relationship between Richard and Edward.

Regarding style, I have one notable criticism, namely the overuse - and often unnecessary inclusion - of "he/she knew". The reader doesn't need to be informed that "Edward knew this would happen", or "Margaret knew such and such a thing wouldn't happen." It's obvious. Don't, for example, write, "He knew he couldn't walk any further", just put, "He couldn't walk any further."

This "he/she knew" trait is common with authors who haven't studied elements of English style or undertaken creative writing classes at university level.

Another point to note is Mr Igguulden's need to alter history to appease plot. He does this with all books in the series, but explains what really happened in his extensive author's note afterwards. Yet in this case he fails to mention a key point regarding Margret of Anjou.

The following may be perceived as a spoiler. Thus, anyone unfamiliar with this period and wants to read this novel perhaps shouldn't read the rest of this review.

For those still reading: in reality, Margaret spent a number of years in the Tower of London before being allowed to return to Anjou. In "Ravenspur", however, she is immediately permitted to return to France, yet the author doesn't mention this in his afterword.

Apart from the above criticisms, this is a very good read. ( )