King John is actually in captivity to the English, and the cardinal’s story is about how this situation came to be. The Cardinal is a sharp old man with many a sarcastic observation to make to his audience, his nephew. The entire novel is written as a monologue by the Cardinal of Périgord, who tells the tale as he travels to try to mediate peace between King John and Edward, Prince of England. But Druon still had one more tale of incompetent royalty to tell, that of King John II, the third Valois king. I read the first six, which told of the destruction of the Capet dynasty and ended with the death of Robert of Artois, a prime mover of events. The fact that The Accursed Kings isn't on the subreddit's official reading list is a spit in the face.When I first read Maurice Druon’s The Accursed Kings series, I didn’t even know there were seven books. But I found an English copy, and I'm sure there are others lurking around elsewhere in the world.Īm I the only one who's snuffed this series out? I hope not. Odds on favor, you'll pick up the next book and the one after that!įinding the book was made easier for me, since I live in France. So instead of writhing in pain, why not make the wait for The Winds of Winter a little easier by picking up Druon's first book. No doubt, thousands among us have hit the proverbial wall at the end of A Dance With Dragons. And if the influence isn't clear enough, Martin himself has made several shout-outs and even helped re-publish the series in English. Violence, political intrigue and sexual license are the hallmarks of the narrative, much like Song.įrom the outset, the inspiration that GRRM took from Druon is painfully evident. The series charts the rise and fall of the French House of Capet during the high and late Middle Ages. Consider this a public service announcement.Īfter searching high and low, I finally unearthed a dusty old copy of The Iron King by Maurice Druon, the first in a series of seven books called The Accursed Kings
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