The She Wolf (The Accursed Kings, Book 5)

The cliche might have been scripted for Isabella Capet, daughter of Phillip the Fair and wife of Edward II of England. Cold, proud and arrogant Isabella gets more than comeuppance for her sense of smug superiority. She is brought low; humbled and demeaned by a husband who prefers the company of not other woman, but men. It's a preference not only impossible to compete with but thoroughly humiliating, subjecting her to daily tribulation.She-Wolf is Maurice Drouen's 5th installment in his Accursed Kings series and among the best. I thought it might seem an anomaly or a one-off shifting the venue, but it shifts surprisingly little. Isabela's ever dwindling Band of Brothers is down to just one--handsome but ineffectual Charles, who (happily for his subjects) only occasionally remembers he is king. There is bigger than life Robert of Artois whose egotism is exceeded only his arrogance and girth. His arche-nemesis, the fiendish Countess Mahaut is equally gargantuan in both proportion and villainy, and therefore just as delightful. An esoteric pope, bumbling councillors and the ill-starred lovers Guccio and Marie flesh out a familiar, much loved cast.Equally enjoyable though is the depiction of the wronged Isabela and the romance between her lover/champion Roger Mortimer, Baron of Wigmore. We meet them at their most sympathetic--he imprisoned, she a continued object of abuse. What begins as attraction and sympathy is developed into a a full-blown romance. I must confess I wondered at times if Druon was tongue in cheek in this portrayal--as the lover's would have us see them, so over-the-top is the passion they feel. I concluded though that the desperate and the desolate might feel something close to salvation if relief from their misery were possible. I was reminded too of the impermanence of Druon's world: nothing lasts; all is ephemera. There is a wonderful, philosophic storyline as well with the decline of the redoubtable Charles of Valois. Almost a king numerous times, proud and bombastic in equal parts Druon uses his final chapters to remind us the poorest living peasant is more enviable than a dying prince.As with all Druon stories, no figure is all good or all bad, and Isabella of England is no exception. In early books she was cruel and unsympathetic. Here she is so victimized as to be abused and she grows upon us. But nothing is permanent. Most are equal parts noble and ignoble, selfish and pure, calculating and innocent. And so She-Wolf evolves from cold, angry and embittered to beloved and loving. An experience topped off with sweet revenge. Which as we know, cannot last. Suspicion and ambition are the toxins we humans produce in bulk and they spoil everything. Even our animosity for her tormentor, Edward II is blunted in the end. A terrifically imagined historical novel. I find myself dreading there are only two more to go.

Druon's series "The Accursed Kings" in well written and fun to read with a jaundiced view of the great and powerful during the period in which the series is set. It does take some liberties with possible hidden actions and incidents behind the documented history of the times portrayed but as far as I can tell from the perspective of a somewhat serious student of the period the series is, with the exception of one or two factual slips, quite accurate in following and effectively incorporating documented information.I particularly enjoyed this volume as I have a special interest in Plantagenet history and the reign of Edward II was both a spectacular failure and an interesting contrast to the reigns of his father and son.

I enjoy historical fiction, and this ranks up there with my favorites. The story keeps moving, and the characters are fascinating. It's great to watch them all work to get their way while pushing others out of their way is interesting. It adds to the fun that these characters were real and the events (for the most part) actually happened. The whole series has been great. If you like historical fiction, don't miss this series.

Druon's books were the inspiration for the novelist who wrote The Game of Thrones. I will say that politics in the French and English royal courts during the early 1300's were very much a blood sport. This series of "The Accursed Kings" is a fascinating read. Druon will occasionally muse about political theory and how a state should be organized. I find that interesting and informative--it doesn't affect the flow of the books at all.And in fact the French court in particular during the early1300's was trying to figure out how a modern state should be organized. They were quite a bit ahead of the English at the time.Read the whole series to be both entertained and informed.

In the past few months I have read with great enthusiasm the newly reissued series by the late French historian/novelist Druon, the series consists of seven books continuously covering the French/English reigns of 14th century. They were published in the late 1950s and due to the excess/success of Game of Thrones are being back in print, the next book is due in Spt of 2012 and I probably will read it, Up until now this series has been very entertaining and informative but this fifth book is on the downside and not a stand alone entry.The events covered are of a period of much intrigue in the French court most of which is new to this reader but of the Who Really Cares type. The she wolf of the title comes in to her own more than halfway in the longest volume (so far) and does not grab the readers attention for a considerable time. The book is certainly readable but only as a link in the long chronicle series. I have read that the last title (7th) has never been translated into English and maybe I can see why (?) The assassination of Edward II is one of history's worst events and occurs as the last chapter given in appalling detail, more than any reference I have seen to this event. Until now I was not aware of the gruesome dispatch months earlier of the King's male lover in a public execution that was attended as a social event by the London population. Any one who believes " Wouldn't you have loved to live back then" should read this horrific description before making such a stupid assessment. On the whole a solid entry i but not an essential one.

This is the fifth book in the author's Accursed Kings series of novels set in early 14th century France. However, unlike its predecessors, this is much more centred around England than France. The titular character is, of course, Isabella, daughter of French King Philip IV, sister of Louis X, Philip V and Charles IV, and wife of English King Edward II. The story of her estrangement from Edward and love affair with Roger Mortimer, their return to England and overthrowing Edward to replace him with their son, the boy King Edward III, and then the cruel murder of the deposed king, is one of the most well known and colourful stories of Medieval England, and the subject of many fictional treatments, unlike most of the rest of the series. Back in France, Charles IV, the last surviving son of the direct Valois line, is saddened when his only child is a daughter who, moreover, quickly dies. This will set the scene for the next crisis in French history when another line of the Valois must succeed, also pathing the way for Edward III's claim to the French throne through his mother and thus the Hundred Years' War. So history rolls on in this great historical fiction series.

if you love history is a must to read all the books of the serie. I could not wait the rest in itaian and I read them the others not translated in english. I wil read again in italian when translated: really TOP.Chi ama la storia DEVE leggere tutti i libri della serie. Non potevo aspettare che li traducessero tutti in italiano e quelli non tradotti me li sono letti in inglese e me li rileggerò quando verranno tradotti in italiano. veramente TOP

The series has been excellent and a hidden gem if not for the advice of a french tour guide. A perfect mix of history and some fictional characters to keep the reader interested and learning about the intrigues of the 100 Years War. The old axiom, "The war started because of a woman (Eleanor of Aquitaine) and ended with a woman (Joan of Arc) does not do justice to the complexity of all that happened after Eleanor and after Joan of Arc.

This book is highly recommended for anyone who has enjoyed the other book of the serie. It makes you want more !

Great work by Druon to bring the characters of the time to life. Mortimer and Queen Isabella are interesting characters