Why am I passionate about this?
I've been fascinated by medieval history ever since I played hide and seek around Welsh castles as a boy. At university – a medieval invention, of course – I was able to sit at the feet of some of the finest historians of the Middle Ages, experts like Maurice Keen and Patrick Wormald. As a writer, I have tackled medieval subjects like Alfred the Great and Richard III, as well as the history of English rebellion. I have come to realise that the Middle Ages could be cruel and violent, just like our own time, but that they were also a time of extraordinary achievements that form the foundations of the world we live in.
David's book list on to show you why medieval isn’t an insult
Why did David love this book?
Bit of a cheat: four books in one. Researching the Wars of the Roses can often mean separating fact from fiction. When it comes to historical fiction on the Wars, authors have a tendency to impose their own theories on the facts and to ladle on the violence. The Wars were horribly violent at times, without question, and Toby Clements’s dazzling novels, which follow the fortunes of two outcasts, Thomas and Katherine, do not shy away from that. But these novels also focus on the humanity caught up in great events, to unforgettable effect.
1 author picked Kingdom Come as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
Toby Clements's fourth and final instalment in the Kingmaker historical series, set during England's bloody and brutal War of the Roses.
If you liked Conn Iggulden's Stormbird, you will love Toby Clements' Kingmaker novels.
'Toby Clements Kingmaker series is historical fiction at its very finest - and Kingdom Come is the best of them all' William Ryan, author of The Holy Thief
1470: The recent tensions between King Edward and his great ally the Earl of Warwick lie forgotten these past months, but even as winter tightens her grip on the land, the peace is shattered by a vicious attack…