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.
Druon appears to tie up the series in this novel, full of intrigue and drama, though he did pen a seventh and last one years later. Charles IV lays dying in France, the last of the sons of Philip the Fair, and therefore perhaps the last to be cursed by the Templars. Strong negotiations amongst the Council chooses Philippe of Valois, a cousin, to assume the role of King of France. Philippe VI begins planning his reign and hopes to rid himself of familial enemies and those who may see his selection as something less than worthwhile. The County of Artois remains contentious and its control may well shift hands, and for good reason. Series regulars will know the murderess of two kings claims ownership of the county, though Robert of Artois is happy to have his aunt done away with, not only for the land, but for her mischievous ways. While lobbying, Robert may push too hard and leaves Philippe to banish him while taking Artois and its title with it. This leaves Robert with a plot to bring down the kingdom and an apparent enemy waiting, even if they do not know it yet. Following his plot, the reader soon sees how invested Druon is in the single character throughout his series. Elsewhere,France's issues remain lame compared to England, where Edward III forges his own plans for Europe, with strong blood ties to France. Queen Mother Isabella and Roger Mortimer try to keep their act of regicide from surfacing, but news soon opens them up to scandal and may leave Mortimer where he began years ago. While England tries to strengthen itself, it uses the disaffected to stoke the fires of resentment to bring France to its knees. In this, the last of the series translated into English, Druon leaves some readers hanging with nowhere to go. A lamenting Druon weeps almost literally from his pen by the end of the novel, inserting an epilogue to tie off the loose threads found throughout the novels. Many of the characters find their solace in some form or another, while Druon leaves that crack of light open to push the series a little further, though in which specific direction, the epilogue leaves little room to keep the cast of characters progressing nicely. It is now quite apparent how George RR Martin got the idea for his Song of Fire and Ice series from these books; twisted plot lines and a handful of devious characters fighting for their own beliefs. One can only wonder how the novels could have been fleshed out all the more, a la Martin, to substantiate more drama and even more character development. That said, I did find myself lost in some of the characters, trying to remember how A fit into this story line and why B's role in Book 1 played such a minor role at the time but they appear back, front and centre. To date, the series has been highly entertaining up to this point and deserves that last push through the final novel, where all may be revealed.Kudos M. Druon for this wonderful series. I am now off to tackle an amateur translation to complete the series.
What do You think about La Flor De Lis Y El León (2006)?
Don't kill Templar Grandmasters. The Kings of France continue to have a bad time because of what Phillip the Fair did all those years ago. In this book, Robert of Artois forges documents in hopes to obtain his coveted lands he feel are rightfully his. His forgery is discovered and he escapes France before he could be fined (or killed). He flees to England where he is welcomed and immediately returns to his old tricks of trying to gain power and recover his lands of Artois. He convinces the King
—Dale Zawada
Como siempre, Maurice da un escenario completo de la época, ahora no sólo se trata de la corte francesa, sino que conocemos la corte inglesa y el papado. Hago hincapié en la sutileza de Druon en las acciones de algunos personajes, verdaderamente odié a Isabel de Francia y a Mortimer, al igual me compadecí por Roberto de Artois y su lamentable muerte.
—Sandy
An amazing read for those who adore rich historical pieces and wish to fully acquaint (or perhaps form an imaginary alliance) with figures from history. Mr. Druon takes this reader on a brilliant venture every time I open another novel in this addicting saga and The Lily and the Lion was my latest feast. Being the sixth in The Accursed Kings series it was bittersweet to realize as I finished this splendid work that only one more novel remains. But as the saying goes "all good things must come to an end" and so it goes with much to do with The Lily and the Lion.This novel's timeline is January 24 1328 to the beginning of January 1343 and then has an additional epilogue of September 22 1354 to 1362. A lot is captured and shared with the reader and Mr. Druon had an extraordinary style in his writing that passes time effortlessly for the benefit of his readers that they are never lost with regards to time and only enjoy themselves as they rejoin their favorite characters as the years age and takes them to their next journey, alliance, deception or atrocious sin. Those familiar with this addicting series should understand all too well that no one is considered safe in these vivid pages and not to spoil anything for themselves by peeking and researching the names of characters. As always the author has stuck as close to historic fact and conjured the blood and breath to flow into his characters with his pen and this is a grand experience not to miss. Highly recommend.
—Elspeth G. Perkin
