Sacré bleu! J'en ai deux

While I'm not generally overly picky about subject matter or genre, there are times when I do have certain expectations, particularly with historical fictions. One of those expectations is that whatever historical information is known to us should not be altered much. I understand that in a fiction there are things that would simply drag a story, or make it less readable. I know that the compression of time is often necessary and I can accept that and other minor changes provided the author explains why. I guess it's my little test as to the credibility of an author? Or perhaps I simply dislike lies and mistruths? Who knows. The point is, that there are some authors who are known to play a little fast and loose with history and I've been hesitant to lay down hard earned cash. I am told that one such author is Conn Iggulden.

In my case, what Mr. Iggulden is also up against is that his two first big series are of eras I'm probably the least interested in, so I never felt all that bad about not exploring his books, they were never a subject I had to worry that friends and family would buy for me. However, his newest series is approaching an era that I'm familiar with, or that I'm at least somewhat knowledgeable in. The Wars of the Roses is not in itself a history I know a great deal about, but I do have some knowledge of the political and social challenges and issues of the medieval period. I may get a little confused about this John or that Richard, but am aware of the jostling for power by different royal houses in England and the Continent. As a result I thought that I'd give both Stormbird, the first of a series about the Wars of the Roses and Mr. Iggulden a try, to which occurred a rare event.

Despite having won nothing in over a year at Goodreads, I still tried my luck whenever a book of interest presented itself and I was fortunate enough to be selected. I received the advanced readers copy, read it and set it aside while I mulled over a review. About a week or so later, another copy of the same advanced readers copy (from the very same publisher) arrived at my door - a gift from Chapters/Indigo because of my longstanding membership as a loyalty card holder. I wasn't even aware that the Chapters/Indigo did that sort of thing. Either way, the message was clear; I was ready for Conn Iggulden and the Wars of the Roses and apparently they were ready for me.

The novel begins with how the two houses are related and carries on with why the Lancastrians and the Yorks became divided and out-maneuvered each other for power. The added conflicts with the French and the peasants was, in my opinion, rather well done. There was one small anachronism near the beginning that made me wonder at the author's intent for historical accuracy, something he did not address in his notes, and that was the use of the expression 'Bloody hell'. For all intents, this term was not in use for another two hundred years when it became synonymous with Mary Tudor's reign and her brutal reaction to Protestantism. I then felt that Mr. Iggulden was secretly just trying to find a way to fit in 'Sacré bleu!' and could only do so through the whole bloody hell bit. Neither reappears after that wee scene.

All in all, I quite liked the book. The size is large, as is the font and the language is uncomplicated but not simple. While it seems like a massive book the stories flow nicely and kept me intrigued. I also found myself wanting to know more about many of the characters, while others I came to dislike very much. I do admit to not understanding the inclusion of the Jew's story, unless there is some deeper meaning later, but within this story I found it superfluous at best. Having said that, I will definitely read the next installment.

For the ratings buffs: I give this 3.5 rose coquettes out of 5.

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