The Poisoned Crown

Written by Maurice Druon

Narrated by Peter Joyce

“This is the original Game of Thrones.” George R.R. Martin.

The puny, self-impotent Louis X, having caused his first wife to be murdered and his mistress exiled, becomes besotted with the lovely Clemence, his new Queen. Vacillating between self-pity and vainglory he is caught between the vaulting ambitions of proud, profligate barons…

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Sep 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9780007527380

Maurice Druon

Maurice Druon was a French resistance hero, a Knight of the British Empire and a holder of the Grand Croix de la Légion d'Honneur. He was also a member of the Académie Française and a celebrated novelist, best known for his series of seven historical novels under the title of The Accursed Kings, which were twice adapted for television. A passionate Anglophile, he was a great expert on all things English, including its medieval history, which provides great inspiration for the series.

Reviews for The Poisoned Crown

[joanne53 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Templer's curse continues to haunt the Capets as their dynasty dies.

[caropi-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book continue the story that started with the curse of the last knight templar, and it this case it seems that the curse is becoming real. The crown of France seems to slowly felt... Great continuation of this amazing period in history.

[helenliz_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is lively history. Lots of action, lots of intrigue, lots of characters who flit in and out. I wish my knowledge of French history was a bit better, to be able to place some of the names the cropped up a little more readily. Focused on the reign on Louis X, one of France's less effectual monarchs, it's a nail in the coffin of primogeniture, when the ineffectual older brother becomes king when the whole kingdom thinks that his younger brother would do a better job. There's lots going on in this, and it's a good listen. One of a series, I'd pick it up again.

[john257hopper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the third book in the author's Accursed Kings series of novels set in the early 14th century during the period of crisis within the ruling Capetian dynasty when after the death of the Iron King, Philip IV, his three sons ruled for short periods, thus encouraging England's King Edward III to claim the French throne through his mother, thereby precipitating the conflict known later as the Hundred Years War. The first of these sons, Louis X is the subject of this novel, and in particular his relationship with his second wife Clementia of Hungary. More plotting, scandal and family tensions abound, though the plot of this novel seems a little lighter than that of the first two books, It's a very good series and I will certainly continue reading it.

[wishanem · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The third book in the series which begins with "The Iron King."

I felt like this book suffered a little from being the middle of the series. The events which began in the previous books kept developing, and new elements were introduced, but very little was resolved. The man who is King in this book is a particularly unlikeable character who spends a great deal of time whining, and that wore on me a bit.

The ending was also a bit more of a cliffhanger than the last two books, so while I look forward to reading the next volume I didn't like this one as much as its predecessors.