The Accursed Kings Series Books 1-3: The Iron King, The Strangled Queen, The Poisoned Crown
“This is the original Game of Thrones.” George R.R. Martin.A collection of the first three books in Maurice Druon’s epic historical fiction series, The Accursed Kings.“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…This bundle collects the first three novels of The Accursed Kings: THE IRON KING, THE STRANGLED QUEEN and THE POISONED CROWN.
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THE
ACCURSED KINGS SERIES BOOKS 1-3
MAURICE DRUON
HarperCollinsPublishers
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
The Iron King
First published in Great Britain by Rupert Hart-Davis 1956
Century edition 1985
Arrow edition 1987
Copyright © Maurice Druon 1955
Cover Layout Design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2013
The Strangled Queen
First published in Great Britain by Rupert Hart-Davis 1956
Century edition 1985
Arrow edition 1987
Copyright © Maurice Druon 1955
Cover Layout Design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2013
The Poisoned Crown
First published in Great Britain by Rupert Hart-Davis 1957
Pan edition 1970
Arrow edition 1988
Copyright © Maurice Druon 1957
Cover Layout Design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2013
Maurice Druon asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBNs:
The Iron King: 9780007491254
The Strangled Queen: 9780007491278
The Poisoned Crown: 9780007491308
Bundle Edition (Containing The Iron King, The Strangled Queen and The Poisoned Crown) © January 2015 ISBN: 9780008117559
Version: 2014-12-05
Contents
Copyright
Also by Maurice Druon
About the Publisher
‘History is a novel that has been lived’
E. & J. DE GONCOURT
Contents
2. The Prisoners in the Temple
4. At the Great Door of Notre-Dame
5. Marguerite of Burgundy, Queen of Navarre
6. What Happened at the King’s Council
8. ‘I summon to the Tribunal of Heaven …’
Part Two: The Adulterous Princesses
2. The Tribunal of the Shadows
8. The Meet at Pont-Sainte-Maxence
Over the years, more than one reviewer has described my fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, as historical fiction about history that never happened, flavoured with a dash of sorcery and spiced with dragons. I take that as a compliment. I have always regarded historical fiction and fantasy as sisters under the skin, two genres separated at birth. My own series draws on both traditions … and while I undoubtedly drew much of my inspiration from Tolkien, Vance, Howard, and the other fantasists who came before me, A Game of Thrones and its sequels were also influenced by the works of great historical novelists like Thomas B. Costain, Mika Waltari, Howard Pyle … and Maurice Druon, the amazing French writer who gave us the The Accursed Kings, seven splendid novels that chronicle the downfall of the Capetian kings and the beginnings of the Hundred Years War.
Druon’s novels have not been easy to find, especially in English translation (and the seventh and final volume was never translated into English at all). The series has twice been made into a television series in France, and both versions are available on DVD … but only in French, undubbed, and without English subtitles. Very frustrating for English-speaking Druon fans like me.
The Accursed Kings has it all. Iron kings and strangled queens, battles and betrayals, lies and lust, deception, family rivalries, the curse of the Templars, babies switched at birth, she-wolves, sin, and swords, 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’re a history buff or a fantasy fan, Druon’s epic will keep you turning pages. This was the original game of thrones. If you like A Song of Ice and Fire, you will love The Accursed Kings
