About the Author:
Maurice Druon was a French resistance hero, a Knight of the British Empire and a holder of the Grand Croix de la Legion d'Honneur. He was also a member of the Academie francaise and a celebrated novelist, best known for his series of seven historical novels under the title of The Accursed Kings, which were twice adapted for television. A passionate Anglophile, he was a great expert on all things English, including its medieval history, which provides great inspiration for the series. His many and diverse fans include George RR Martin, Nicolas Sarkozy and Vladimir Putin.
From Booklist:
*Starred Review* Sporting an enthusiastic introduction by George R. R. Martin (in which he calls the book “the original game of thrones”), this is the first U.S. publication of the first volume of French novelist Druon’s seven-volume historical saga, collectively known as The Accursed Kings. Originally published in 1955, the novel is set in the year 1314. Philip IV, the king of France, has disbanded the Knights Templar, arresting, torturing, and executing most of them. Relations between France and England are as strained as they have ever been. Philip’s increasingly desperate search for money to pay his massive debts has virtually bankrupted the country. Against this sprawling backdrop, Druon tells the story of Robert of Artois, a French lord whose lands have been taken from him by his greedy aunt and whose efforts to reclaim his birthright will lead to all-out war between France and England. Unlike Martin’s multivolume Song of Fire and Ice, Druon’s saga is based on real history and features real people as its central characters. It’s historical fiction on a grand scale, full of political intrigue, family drama, and characters who, while drawn from life, are larger than it. Fans of historical epics who have not yet discovered Druon’s saga will be thrilled with this one. --David Pitt
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.