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krobart's review against another edition
4.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2015/08/04/day-748-the-lily-and-the-lion/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2015/08/04/day-748-the-lily-and-the-lion/
ihavenouseforit's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
annaelle's review against another edition
4.0
vraiment un superbe tome encore une fois. je suis curieuse de voir comment cette saga va prendre fin... !
jhouses's review against another edition
4.0
Un buen final ( hay otro libro a modo de epílogo) para una saga que sabe a poco y se lee con rapidez. Las miserias de la dinastía Capeto son narradas con habilidad a pesar de que en ocasiones la realidad pone a prueba la credulidad del lector de ficción.
melineegout's review against another edition
5.0
Ce livre est le meilleur de toute la saga. C’est le dénouement parfait qui clôture l’histoire de plusieurs personnages à qui il a fallu dire au revoir. Les retournements de situations étaient au rendez-vous surtout pour Robert d’Artois qui restera pour moi le meilleur personnage de la saga. Je n’ai absolument pas vu venir l’histoire avec Bérénice mais elle était absolument brillante du début à la fin. Mon seul regret vis-à-vis de ce livre c’est qu’il n’y ait pas eu une dernière rencontre entre Robert et Isabelle afin de clôturer cette amitié qui est à l’origine de toute la série.
alquemist's review against another edition
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
thisotherbookaccount's review
5.0
I know there are seven books in The Accursed Kings series by Maurice Druon, but do I really need to read book 7 to have a proper closure? Judging by reviews and the fact that book 7 was published 17 years after the sixth almost like an afterthought, I’d say the answer is: no, this is it. The story has been told, and this is as good as it gets.
And what a story!
I came into this series the same way as many other readers here, I’m sure. George RR Martin dubbed this series as “the original Game of Thrones”, and he recommends Druon’s masterpiece whenever someone asks him for book recommendations. And you can clearly see how much he’s been influenced by the French writer’s historical epic. There are no dragons in The Accursed Kings series. Instead, you have something even more sinister and dangerous: humans, specifically humans in power. At the end of the day, the series is about the absolute corruption of power, and the length to which people are willing to go to obtain that power. And greed, too, and the two usually go together. If you are a fan of the politicking and court intrigues in A Song of Ice and Fire, you will most definitely love Druon’s series about the English and French monarchy. And the best part? (Most of) The events actually happened.
Before reviewing the entire series, let’s take a look at the sixth and, to me, the final book in the series: The Lily and the Lion. So far in the series, the “bad guys” have been winning. And I say “bad guys” because there aren’t very many good guys in the story. Everybody is in shades of grey, and Baglioni (a fictional character created by Druon, I believe) is the only protagonist (although there are many protagonists) who lives up to the name. Everybody else is corrupted to some degree, but some more so than others. The kings and queens here aren’t necessarily the main puppeteers behind the scheming and plotting. Rather, at the centre of it all, Druon attributes the chaos that led up to the Hundred-Year War to the conflict between Mahaut, the Countess of Artois, and Robert of Artois, her cousin. Nearly every evil deed throughout the series can be attributed to the two of them one way or another, and their schemes have worked — until now.
The Lily and the Lion is the book that brings justice upon our two main antagonists. If you’ve been waiting for these characters’ comeuppance, you will find it here — and satisfyingly, too. The first half of the book deals with Robert of Artois’ last-ditch effort to fuck his aunt up — and he wins! Mahaut dies in a spectacular fashion, and I feel that Druon totally earned it as a writer. A lot of times, writers kill off characters for the sake of it, and as readers, you sometimes don’t feel like they’ve earned it? This time, however, you’ve seen all the things that Mahaut has done behind the scenes, so her death’s particularly sweet — and poetic, too.
But Robert’s victory doesn’t last very long. Admittedly, he does a way better job than expected, but even he meets his poetic end towards the last bit of the book. It is clear that Druon enjoyed the hell out of writing for this character, and he even broke the fourth wall right before the epilogue to talk about how unfortunate it is for him to kill off his favourite character because of, well, history. In contrast, Robert’s end, even though it’s less-than-dramatic, is perfect for his characters, who’s always been about the theatrics and extravagance. Again, a totally earned character death, and I enjoyed every bit of it.
And I have to give even more props to the way Druon brings the story back to Jean I during the epilogue. Jean I’s story is THE reason why book 4, The Royal Succession, to me, is the best book of the series. I mean, shit, you mean the baby that Mahaut poisons ISN’T Louis X’s real baby, and that the real Jean I is actually running around the countryside and being raised by Marie de Cressy!? In real life, the baby’s name is not Jean I, but John I, and his survival is but a rumor in the history books. But Druon certainly made a convincing case in book 4, and the reason why book 5 isn’t a five-star book is because it didn’t address the fate of the real Jean I.
But here he is, at the end of book 6, a full epilogue dedicated to the real Jean I, 20-30 years in the future. But there isn’t a sweet ending for him, since the series is called The Accursed Kings and any male heir related to Philip the Fair is, supposedly, cursed by the Templars. Despite heavy campaigning by Jean I, he ultimately dies alone in a prison. As happy as I am to learn the fates of Baglioni, Cressy and the real Jean I, their bitter end is a sad yet poignant ending to the series as whole.
Speaking of that, I am very happy to have experienced — yes, experienced — this series. I know the Middle Ages was a truly fucked up period of time, but I never knew just how fucked up it really was. Who cares if Druon may have taken some creative liberties with the characters? The story’s exciting at every turn, and you never quite know how things are going to turn out. Yes, the bad guys get their comeuppance in the end, but you KNOW that the events described here lead up to the Hundred-Year War. I’ve already purchased a book on that subject, and I cannot wait to read about the bitter battle between the Yorks and the Lancasters.
I highly recommend this series to anyone with an interest in Medieval history, or if you are just a fan of historical fiction in general. This is as good as it gets.
And what a story!
I came into this series the same way as many other readers here, I’m sure. George RR Martin dubbed this series as “the original Game of Thrones”, and he recommends Druon’s masterpiece whenever someone asks him for book recommendations. And you can clearly see how much he’s been influenced by the French writer’s historical epic. There are no dragons in The Accursed Kings series. Instead, you have something even more sinister and dangerous: humans, specifically humans in power. At the end of the day, the series is about the absolute corruption of power, and the length to which people are willing to go to obtain that power. And greed, too, and the two usually go together. If you are a fan of the politicking and court intrigues in A Song of Ice and Fire, you will most definitely love Druon’s series about the English and French monarchy. And the best part? (Most of) The events actually happened.
Before reviewing the entire series, let’s take a look at the sixth and, to me, the final book in the series: The Lily and the Lion. So far in the series, the “bad guys” have been winning. And I say “bad guys” because there aren’t very many good guys in the story. Everybody is in shades of grey, and Baglioni (a fictional character created by Druon, I believe) is the only protagonist (although there are many protagonists) who lives up to the name. Everybody else is corrupted to some degree, but some more so than others. The kings and queens here aren’t necessarily the main puppeteers behind the scheming and plotting. Rather, at the centre of it all, Druon attributes the chaos that led up to the Hundred-Year War to the conflict between Mahaut, the Countess of Artois, and Robert of Artois, her cousin. Nearly every evil deed throughout the series can be attributed to the two of them one way or another, and their schemes have worked — until now.
The Lily and the Lion is the book that brings justice upon our two main antagonists. If you’ve been waiting for these characters’ comeuppance, you will find it here — and satisfyingly, too. The first half of the book deals with Robert of Artois’ last-ditch effort to fuck his aunt up — and he wins! Mahaut dies in a spectacular fashion, and I feel that Druon totally earned it as a writer. A lot of times, writers kill off characters for the sake of it, and as readers, you sometimes don’t feel like they’ve earned it? This time, however, you’ve seen all the things that Mahaut has done behind the scenes, so her death’s particularly sweet — and poetic, too.
But Robert’s victory doesn’t last very long. Admittedly, he does a way better job than expected, but even he meets his poetic end towards the last bit of the book. It is clear that Druon enjoyed the hell out of writing for this character, and he even broke the fourth wall right before the epilogue to talk about how unfortunate it is for him to kill off his favourite character because of, well, history. In contrast, Robert’s end, even though it’s less-than-dramatic, is perfect for his characters, who’s always been about the theatrics and extravagance. Again, a totally earned character death, and I enjoyed every bit of it.
And I have to give even more props to the way Druon brings the story back to Jean I during the epilogue. Jean I’s story is THE reason why book 4, The Royal Succession, to me, is the best book of the series. I mean, shit, you mean the baby that Mahaut poisons ISN’T Louis X’s real baby, and that the real Jean I is actually running around the countryside and being raised by Marie de Cressy!? In real life, the baby’s name is not Jean I, but John I, and his survival is but a rumor in the history books. But Druon certainly made a convincing case in book 4, and the reason why book 5 isn’t a five-star book is because it didn’t address the fate of the real Jean I.
But here he is, at the end of book 6, a full epilogue dedicated to the real Jean I, 20-30 years in the future. But there isn’t a sweet ending for him, since the series is called The Accursed Kings and any male heir related to Philip the Fair is, supposedly, cursed by the Templars. Despite heavy campaigning by Jean I, he ultimately dies alone in a prison. As happy as I am to learn the fates of Baglioni, Cressy and the real Jean I, their bitter end is a sad yet poignant ending to the series as whole.
Speaking of that, I am very happy to have experienced — yes, experienced — this series. I know the Middle Ages was a truly fucked up period of time, but I never knew just how fucked up it really was. Who cares if Druon may have taken some creative liberties with the characters? The story’s exciting at every turn, and you never quite know how things are going to turn out. Yes, the bad guys get their comeuppance in the end, but you KNOW that the events described here lead up to the Hundred-Year War. I’ve already purchased a book on that subject, and I cannot wait to read about the bitter battle between the Yorks and the Lancasters.
I highly recommend this series to anyone with an interest in Medieval history, or if you are just a fan of historical fiction in general. This is as good as it gets.