George R.R. Martin based A Games of Thrones on the Wars of the Roses, history’s real game of thrones. It was the Yorks versus the Lancasters, instead of the Starks versus the Lannisters, in a conflict over the English crown. And if you’re interested in this historical game of thrones, Conn Iggulden brings another chapter to life in Wars of the Roses: Margaret of Anjou.
Margaret of Anjou
In my last post about Stormbird, the first book in the series, I noted that Margaret of Anjou, the wife of King Henry VI, bore little resemblance to Games of Thrones’ Cersei Lannister. In fact, Margaret was a character I was rooting for in Stormbird. After finishing book two, however, the differences between her and Cersei become far less stark.
After some early setbacks, Margaret comes into her own. The once innocent wife of Henry VI is now the leader of House Lancaster, trying to protect her young son and disabled husband at all costs. The Margaret of book two is filled with a powerful sense of vengeance and a fierce desire to defend her family. She becomes a strong yet hardened queen whose decisions have some unintended – and disastrous – consequences. Very Cersei-like indeed.
Margaret of Anjou also veers far more into the gray area that made the fictional Game of Thrones work so well. Rather than being a clear antagonist, Richard of York (history’s Ned Stark) comes across as a more sympathetic figure in book two. It’s easy to understand what House York was fighting for, and at times in the book, it’s hard to blame them. Throughout the novel, Iggulden does an excellent job of demonstrating that there may not have been a right side and a wrong side in this bloody civil war.
With so much of the novel’s focus on Margaret and Richard, Derry Brewer, the protagonist in book one, takes on a supporting role this time around. But the two characters who make a huge impression in this book, and alas the real Wars of the Roses, are the Earl of Warwick and York’s son, Edward, the Earl of March. Yes, history’s version of Robb Stark has entered the fray, and things get very interesting once he does!
If you like medieval history but are also a fan of A Game of Thrones, you may truly enjoy Iggulden’s Wars of the Roses.
Westworld is Back!
As I’ve done with the past two seasons of HBO’s Westworld, I plan to blog about each episode of Season 3. Every season of Westworld has been an elaborate puzzle to be solved, so feel free to join me in trying to figure it all out! The new season premiers on March 15, 2020. You can read my post about the Season 2 finale here.
Westworld was essentially the predecessor to Jurassic Park (replace dinosaurs with androids and you get the picture). Both were created by Michael Crichton, who remains one of my all-time favorite science fiction authors. He was a fantastic writer of historical fiction, too. Eaters of the Dead, a Viking tale based on the story of Beowulf, was my favorite, but The Great Train Robbery is a close second. Pirate Latitudes is good too, just remember that he, unfortunately, passed away before he could finish it.