Welsh Princes Trilogy
3 primary works Complete
Book 1
Sharon Penman's Here Be Dragons is an absorbing historical novel of power and betrayal, loyalty and political intrigue in thirteenth-century England, Wales and France.
Thirteenth-century Wales is a divided country, ever at the mercy of England's ruthless, power-hungry King John. Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, secures an uneasy truce by marrying the English king's beloved illegitimate daughter, Joanna, who slowly grows to love her charismatic and courageous husband. But as John's attentions turn again and again to subduing Wales – and Llewelyn – Joanna must decide where her love and loyalties truly lie.
The turbulent clashes of two disparate worlds and the destinies of the individuals caught between them spring to life in this magnificent novel of power and passion, loyalty and lies. The book that began the trilogy that includes Falls the Shadow and The Reckoning, Here Be Dragons brings thirteenth-century England, France, and Wales to tangled, tempestuous life.
Book 2
Sharon Penman's Fall the Shadow brilliantly portrays the struggle for power in England in the Middle Ages.
Simon de Montfort was a man ahead of his time in the thirteenth century, a disinherited Frenchman who talked his way into an English earldom and marriage with a sister of the English king, Henry III. A charismatic, obstinate leader, Simon soon lost patience with the king's incompetence and inability to keep his word, and found himself the champion of the common people.
This is his story, and the story of Henry III, as weak and changeable as Simon was brash and unbending. It is a tale of opposing wills that would eventually clash in a storm of violence and betrayal. An irresistible saga that brings the pages of history completely, provocatively, and magnificently alive. Falls the Shadow is the second novel in the Welsh Princes Trilogy, following on from Here Be Dragons and the trilogy concludes with The Reckoning.
Book 3
From New York Times bestselling author Sharon Penman, The Reckoning completes the captivating sequence of novels on the struggle between the independent Welsh Princes and the growing English strength which began with Here be Dragons and continued with Falls the Shadow.
‘Never forget, Llewelyn, that the world's greatest fool is a Welshman who trusts an English king.’
His father's words haunt Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales, who has been ruling uneasily over his fractious countrymen. Above all else, Llewelyn fears that his life and his own dream?of an independent, united Wales?might be lost to Edward I's desire to expand his English empire.
Alive from the pages of history, this is the hauntingly beautiful and compelling tale of a game poised to play itself out to its bloody finale as English and Welsh cross swords in a reckoning that must mean disaster for one side or the other.
For anyone who has ever wanted to experience the rich tapestry of British history and lore, this bold and romantic adventure is a must be read.