La Reine Etranglee (The Strangled Queen) by Maurice Druon

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After the events of The Iron King, The Strangled Queen picks up immediately after King Phillip’s death, with his weakling son, Louis X, coming to the throne. As Louis struggles to assert himself and navigate the tangled strands of family and politics that surround him, the chief worry of the court is his wife – Marguerite of Bourgogne, the adulteress locked in prison and waiting to know her fate. As the church attempts to choose a new Pope and the country falls into famine, the complex rivalries at court will tear the country apart, leading to a crime that will haunt the country for years to come…

The Strangled Queen was a great continuation of The Iron King, picking up almost immediately after the last book and continuing the storylines introduced in the first book. We once again follow as courtiers, bankers and kings struggle within the tangled web of rivalries, family fueds and class wars, and it is definitely a good idea to pick this one up not too long after the first. The title gives away a major plotpoint later in the book, obviously, but for anyone with a knowledge of history the eventual fate of Marguerite of Bourgogne is not a major surprise. That fate, though, is really secondary to the complex plotting, scheming and intrigue that goes on between Charles of Valois and Enguerrand de Marigny, plotting that takes many twists and turns before the end of the book. In the centre of this is Louis, a weak man who has responsibility and power foisted on him and who deals with it as best he can… which unfortunately is not very well at all. Louis’ character is not appealing but it is interesting, giving us a glimpse into the fractured psyche of a man whose fears and insecurities look set to drag his country down with him. Thanks to this character, and the constant comparison with his younger brother, Maurice Druon does a good job of shining a light on the utterly illogical means of choosing a leader under any kind of political system where the first bon son follows his father, thus putting aside other siblings who might be much more suited to the job.

I gave The Strangled Queen 4 stars.

Le Roi de Fer (The Iron King) by Maurice Druon

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When Philip the Fair, King of France, sentences the Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay to be burned at the stake, he thinks he is removing an obstacle from his path. When the Grand Master curses him, though, Philip discovers that he may have placed his entire dynasty on a dark and dangerous path to destruction. While he continues to rule the realm with an iron hand, his family begins to fall apart: his sons are weak and their wives adulterous, his cousins fight and conspire to gain power. As a web of scandal and murder weave around him, though, it is the Templar curse that may signal his ruin…

I had heard about Les Rois Maudits a few years ago when French television released a mini-series adaptation. It wasn’t until I saw this review on Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist that I discovered the link between the series of novels and George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. I decided to go and dig out the novels in French and found a good Kindle version. Starting on the first volume, I quickly found myself dragged into the story of Philip the Fair and his family. Full of the same vast cast of characters as Martin’s fantasy epic, Le Roi de Fer (or The Iron King) begins the tale of the downfall of the Capetian line, rulers of France since the 10th century. Weaving together adultery, intrigue, conspiracy and a dark curse, Maurice Druon sets up his series with aplomb, painting a picture of a different time with great skill. The characters are fantastic creatures, full of honour and malice and dark desires, and the Starks, the Lannisters and the Targaryens are their worthy successors. It is a well paced book that truly brings history to life. Definitely worth checking out!

I gave Le Roi de Fer 4 stars.