Trinity is the second instalment in Conn Iggulden’s new Wars of the Roses series. Those of you who read my review of the first instalment Stormbird will know that I couldn’t wait to read Trinity, I absolutely loved Stormbird and I had high hopes for Trinity, these hopes were not dashed.
I was pleased to encounter the familiar character of Derry Brewer, an entirely fictional character who acts as the King’s spymaster, or rather Queen Margaret’s as she has to cope with ruling the country on behalf of her mentally ill husband. However, Brewer doesn’t take quite as much of a leading role in this book, in Trinity the story is told through the the eyes of people like Margaret of Anjou, the Percy family, Richard, Duke of York, and the Earls of Salisbury and Warwick. On the one side, Margaret is determined to do all she can to protect her sick husband and to defend her infant son’s claim to the throne, with the support of men like Percy, Egremont, Buckingham and Somerset, while on the other York, who has acted as Protector, feels that for England’s sake he must take action against the man he used to serve and form a “trinity” alliance with the Earls of Salisbury and Warwick. That’s putting it far too simply, but that is the basic premise.
I haven’t read Iggulden’s other series, so I cannot comment on how this compares, but this is a rip-roaring read. I loved the intrigue, the exciting, and rather bloody, battle scenes, the shift of power and the creations of new alliances as new loyalties are made, but although many readers will probably say that Iggulden’s gift is in recreating battles, for me his true gift is characterization. If someone had asked me whose side I was on while I was reading this novel, I could not have made a choice. Iggulden made me empathise with both sides. I felt for Margaret of Anjou as she coped with a husband who did not respond to her or their child and while having to rally support for a king who’s incapable of ruling, but I also felt for those men who had to become traitors to the Crown to do what they felt was right. There were strong and likeable characters on both sides, and I wanted them all to win! There were no goodies and baddies in this time of turmoil, and although this is a novel it realy does give you insight into what drove these people to do what they did.
Trinity ends with the Battle of Wakefield and its aftermath and so sets the scene perfectly for the next instalment. I won’t spoil it by saying any more, so I’ll end up saying that you really must treat yourself to Stormbird and Trinity, they are fantastic novels and I you’ll be hooked.
Book Details
The brilliant retelling of the Wars of the Roses continues with Trinity, the second gripping novel in the new series from historical fiction master, Conn Iggulden.
1454: King Henry VI has remained all but exiled in Windsor Castle, struck down by his illness for over a year, his eyes vacant, his mind a blank.
His fiercely loyal wife and Queen, Margaret of Anjou, safeguards her husband’s interests, hoping that her son Edward will one day know the love of his father.
Richard Duke of York, Protector of the Realm, extends his influence throughout the kingdom with each month that Henry slumbers. The Earls of Salisbury and Warwick make up a formidable trinity with Richard, and together they seek to break the support of those who would raise their colours in the name of Henry and his Queen.
But when the King unexpectedly recovers his senses and returns to London to reclaim his throne, the balance of power is once again thrown into turmoil.
The clash of the Houses of Lancaster and York will surely mean a war to tear England apart . . .
Following on from Stormbird, Trinity is the second epic instalment in master storyteller Conn Iggulden’s new Wars of the Roses series. Fans of Game of Thrones and The Tudors will be gripped from the word go.
Hardcover: 512 pages
Publisher: Michael Joseph (25 Sep 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0718159853
ISBN-13: 978-0718159856
Available from Text, Amazon UK and your usual bookstore.
Originally posted on October 6, 2014.
