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King

A rip-roaring epic historical adventure novel that will have you hooked

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About this listen

 The thrilling third instalment in the epic LIONHEART series from Sunday Times Bestselling author, Ben Kane!


'A rip-roaring epic' PAUL FINCH

'A truly vibrant and gripping read' HELENA GUMLEY-MASON

'An epic tale' MATTHEW HARRFY

'Historical fiction has never been more visceral' JAMES ROLLINS

'A tour de force on an epic scale' DOUGLAS JACKSON


Forged in battle. Made in glory.

Warleader
Autumn 1192. With Jerusalem still in the Saracens' hands, and a peace treaty agreed with their leader Saladin, Richard the Lionheart is free at last to travel back to his strife-ridden kingdom. By his side at every turn is the loyal knight Ferdia, also known as Rufus. Together they will face not just Richard's archenemy Philippe Capet of France, but also the king's treacherous younger brother, John.

Captive
Shipwrecked on the Italian coast, the king and his small group of companions are forced into a perilous journey through lands controlled by their enemies. Shortly before Christmas 1192, Richard is taken prisoner near Vienna by Duke Leopold of Austria. Kept prisoner for several months, the king is then handed over to Henry VI, the Holy Roman Emperor. His captivity lasts for another year, fanning the flames of unrest in his territories in England and beyond.

Negotiator
Talks between Richard's mother Queen Alienor and Henry VI last for months, but finally reach a bitter agreement. The extortionate sum demanded to free the king will empty the treasury and bleed England dry. Philippe Capet and Richard's brother John collude, offering vast sums to see the king kept captive for longer. Their efforts are in vain, leading Philippe to pen a letter to John including the famous line: 'Look to yourself, the devil is loose.'

King
Crowned for a second time to wash away the shame of his captivity, Richard restores order in England, forgiving John his shameful behaviour. His next task is to recover territories lost to Philippe Capet, and to re-establish his dominance over the French king. Forging clever alliances, building strategic castles and when obliged, waging war, the Lionheart carves a unique path into history.

***

Readers are loving Ben Kane:

'Powerful evocation of our history' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'An engaging and exciting read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Gripped me from start to finish' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Epic tales, gorgeous prose, non-stop action' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Rich in period detail and lively in narrative' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Action & Adventure Europe Fiction Genre Fiction Great Britain Historical Fiction Medieval Royalty War & Military Biography Middle Ages England Winter
All stars
Most relevant
wow. words just cannot express how good this whole series is! My heart broke at the end but we knew it was coming i guess.
it would be great to see a Ferdia book come out now.

fantastic

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Loved the whole series, the character development was amazing and I'm sad that it's over. I really hope we get to see more of ferdia!

Amazing series..

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A magnificent sumptuous tile from one of the great storytellers of our time. A beautiful end to a thrilling masterful series. One of Ben Kane’s best. To a standard we have all come to expect from him.
Thanks Ben Please keep writing these masterpieces.

Are we going to Ireland next?

The King….. Magnificent

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Phillip Stevens naration bring this fabulous story to life.
book 3 in the trillogy and it is just as good as the first 2.

love it

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I really struggled with this book. Was easily the worst of the three. It was repetitive in terms of the same scenes of personal conflict being played out over and over again which didn’t contribute to character development or progressing the story.

It seemed poorly edited and not well thought out. I was disappointed as the series had such promise.

No depth of character and repetitive

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