Stormbird cover art

Stormbird

The Wars of the Roses (Book 1)

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The epic first instalment in the thrilling War of the Roses series, perfect for fans of Game of Thrones, Bernard Cornwell and Wolf Hall.

King Henry V - the great Lion of England - is dead.

It's up to his son to take the throne, but frail in body and mind, he is dependent on his supporters to run his kingdom.

Richard, Duke of York, believes that without a strong king England will fall.

And as the threat from France grows, and rebellion on home soil spreads, his fears seem justified.

Who can save the throne?

Who will defend the kingdom?

© Conn Iggulden 2013 (P) Penguin Audio 2013

 Action & Adventure Historical Fiction Medieval Royalty Fiction England War Tudor

Critic reviews

Pacey and juicy, and packed with action
Energetic, competent stuff; Iggulden knows his material and his audience
A novel that seamlessly combines narrative, historical credence and great knowledge of the period
Iggulden is in a class of his own when it comes to epic, historical fiction
Superbly plotted and paced
Conn breathes new life into the darkest and most dramatic of times, with a flair for both the huge scale and human interest of it all
Exceptionally well-written and gripping
Compelling reading
A benchmark for historical fiction, showcasing Conn Iggulden at his finest
Full of period detail, the narrative weaves a glittering thread through the complex, political chaos of the time. It's been said that Game of Thrones is the Wars of the Roses written as fantasy: this is the real thing, more glorious, more passionate, far, far more gritty (Manda Scott, author and head of HWA)
All stars
Most relevant
Great listen but very difficult to marry up the story with historical facts which turned out to be quite few and far between.

Good book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I saw mixed reviews of this book but since I've loved everything else he's done I gave it a go. I wasn't disappointed.
the story is fascinating and visceral as is Igulden's style. it is a bit confusing for the first half hour as many different characters are introduced but you soon begin to remember who's who.
my advice is that if you like his previous work you'll like this.

excellent read, conn igulden is consistent as ever

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Compellingly told and a fascinating story. Helps you understand the Wars of the Roses; great stuff!

Really good historical novel, well narrated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
As he did with Julius Caesar Iggulden has told a story woven around the known facts in a way that holds the reader spellbound. In his epilogue he explains the assumptions he has made and I find them wholly acceptable. Some things we may never know and to base an interpretation on the actually known and informed guesswork is the acceptable price we pay a good storyteller. This book
brings history to life in a completely believable way.

History brought to life

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
great characters and pace builds steadily throughout. nice start to the trilogy. second book already loaded up and ready to go!

the beginning of a cracking yarn.<br />

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews