Book: The Accursed Kings

Medieval French flag House of Capet

Likely due to all this time on our hands as a result of the government imposed COVID lockdown, I’ve been seeing a lot ‘request for book recommendation’ posts on social media.

My book recommendation for any reader, if you haven’t read it yet, is The Accursed Kings series by Maurice Druon.

Without a doubt it’s my go-to recommendation for anyone. It’s the kind that leaves you sad it’s over. And it should last you the rest of this crazy lockdown.

From Wikipedia:

The Accursed Kings (French: Les Rois maudits) is a series of historical novels by French author Maurice Druon about the French monarchy in the 14th century. Published between 1955 and 1977, the series has been adapted as a miniseries twice for television in France. American author George R. R. Martin called The Accursed Kings "the original game of thrones", citing Druon's novels as an inspiration for his own series A Song of Ice and Fire. Set during the reigns of the last five kings of the direct Capetian dynasty and the first two kings of the House of Valois, the series begins as the French King Philip the Fair, already surrounded by scandal and intrigue, brings a curse upon his family when he persecutes the Knights Templar. The succession of monarchs that follows leads France and England to the Hundred Years' War.

The books have seen a revival largely because George R. R. Martin called The Accursed Kings "the original game of thrones", citing the novels as an inspiration for his own series A Song of Ice and Fire. It would seem to me that if the series served as inspiration for GRRM, it’s in the scale of the story. It’s nothing like GOT and I suspect GRRM and I fell in love with different parts of this book. Some of the best characters I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.

A MUST READ - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - ALL AUDIENCES 13+

Get it here on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ADrCY1