The Iron King

A great period novel about Philip IV (Philip the Fair) of France during his reign 1284-1305. The Church played a great role during this time period as the papacy was "moved" to Avignon. Philip persecuted and burned at the stake Jews and the Knights Templar, because he owed them millions of dollars that he could never repay them. He also had three very dishonest daughters-in-laws who were confined to dungeons after committing adultery for the remainder of their lives. This book has been touted as the first "Game of Thrones", but since I'm not familiar with the Game of Thrones, I am unable to address that. The only "trouble" I encountered in the book were long phrases or sentences in French that I could not translate in context and had to look up, which made for choppy reading. I also would have liked a genealogical tree. For those two reasons, 4 stars instead of 5. There are 7 books in this series and I will read the next one

Great book great narration. It reminded me of ASOIAF. Recommended.

This book took me a very very long time to get through, which is partly why I rated the book so low. I believe most of this problem stemmed from the writing. I looks as if the original was written in French and then translated by someone unnamed. Unfortunately the translation is not very good. The language is very awkward and inconsistent. I unfortunately could not get passed it, and it mostly ruined the book for me. It was too distracting. The characters also seemed to lack character development with is usually a high like on my list. And lastly, the blurb about the book being the “original Game of Thrones” really mislead me. They are not as alike as it makes you believe. I loved the Game of Thrones series. This one fell flat for me. Perhaps I would be able to pick this book up at another time and have the language not bother me as much as it did this time around. As it stands however, I did not enjoy plowing through this one.

Loved it ! I can't wait for the next one .

I read this series when I was in my teens and I was thrilled that it was being re-released by Harper Collins. The prose is still fresh in my mind, though dated, given that it was first published in 1956. The characters of course are legendary. Truth be told, this series, in addition to Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" hooked me on the medieval period in history. In fact, when the Cardinals met in conclave last week, I was reminded of Druon's account of the conclave in Avignon when Philippe le Bel's son, Philippe the Long walled up the entrances to the chapel and kept the Cardinals walled in until they came to a decision! The Iron King is the first of the seven part series, and begins with Philippe le Bel's suppression of the Templars and the aftermath of the so-called 'curse' Jacques deMolay pronounced on the King and his heirs before his death at the stake. Misfortune did fall on the shoulders of the king and those who succeeded him. This handsome king had his hands full not only with building up the Kingdom of France and keeping the French under his heel, but with his own household and the infamous scandal of the Tower of Nesle. His daughters-in-law took lovers, cuckholded their royal husbands and you may guess what happens to them. The first book also gives us a glimpse at Philippe's daughter Isabella, queen to England's Edward II and her interesting life.This is a quick and engrossing story and you will not be disappointed if you love medieval history as much as I do.I received an ARC of this book and I was a bit annoyed by the marketing device of "THE ORIGINAL GAME OF THRONES!" but if it will bring Mr. Druon's work more readers, so be it. I'm sure I'm not the only one who enjoyed the ARC, as when I received in the mail, the package had been opened and it looked like someone had already ready it! Fortunately, I've pre-ordered a copy for my e-readers and won't have to worry about fingerprints and stains on those copies.

Good book. The issue I had was that the audio cut out more than 10 times for about 15 seconds each because the file is bad. That’s like having random pages ripped out of the book. Very annoying. Otherwise it would have received 5 stars.

When GRRM tells me to read a book I generally give that book a serious look - he isn’t some grand prophet of my reading tastes, but he does throw out a good read for me from time to time. Fortunately, The Iron King was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Historical Fiction can be pretty hit or miss with me - it really makes no difference whether I know the history of a given a book or not, it just must be a good read... The Iron King is that! I knew very little of the historical events of this novel going in, but that made little difference in the end. I look forward to the future books of this series being re-released and reading more from Maurice Druon.

Why is it unavailable in the us ? Other books in the series are available though

Very good series about the French kings. I started in December and I am already on the fourth of seven volumes. If I had to compare it to something, I would mention the book "I, Claudius," although they say that the author of Game of Thrones was inspired by this series of books. I haven't read them, so I can't give an opinion. If you like palace intrigues, you will love this series. Volume 1 is called "The Iron King." (Translated from Spanish)

However amazing a life may seem, only those who are outside of it see it that way. The days lived, whether full or empty, calm or restless, are all equally days gone by, and the ashes of the past weigh the same in all hands. Maurice Druon - The Accursed Kings - The law of men. (Translated from Spanish)

Herein are political machinations, violence, and scandals, but also the everyday concerns of Medieval life such as the weather and crop yields. The pace is a bit uneven as a result of the dense details which contextualize the exciting bits. But that excitement! Right away there's frustrated romance, bitter intrigue, and the dramatic monologue of a man facing execution.

When it moves forward the story is being driven by the large cast of characters, who in spite of being historical figures are often larger-than-life. The dialogue in this series is like that of a stage play, more fraught and less naturalistic than typical modern novels. I thought that worked, but it is a big change from the typical modern novel.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in 14th Century French politics.

In this third installment of the cursed kings saga, we see the maturity of the protagonists, while other characters take on greater prominence. A plot full of intrigues and conspiracies to gain power and satisfy their ambitions, one as pope and the other as king. (Translated from Spanish)

If you go into this thinking it's "The Game of Thrones" you'll be disappointed.

Philip IV of France is putting an end to the Templars, in a bid to grasp their fortune for the crown, and he gets his lineage cursed in the process. Given the preponderance of Templars in fiction, I was happy that they don't long hold the stage. The story quickly progresses to illicit affairs among the princesses in line for the throne, and the subsequent fallout. It offers some closure but leaves several balls in the air for the rest of the series to untangle.

This is written in the style of my favourite historical fiction, steering close to the actual record. Druon explores the thoughts and feelings of real people who experienced these events, embellishing only where it serves to fill in the blanks. Occasionally his narrator's voice offers comment, speaking from a perspective 700 years in the future, but for the most part he stands back and merely portrays. There are some fantastic end notes well worth reading, that I wish more fiction authors playing with the past would trouble themselves to include. It's a far cry from fantasy fiction like Game of Thrones, an often cited comparison, but the influence of this 1950s work on George Martin is clear in large and small ways: nobility caught up in earthly pleasures, people in high positions making grim and dramatic falls, the recitation of enemies' names. It hasn't nearly the breadth of that saga, despite the huge number of names who appear, and only a small measure of the atmosphere. If you appreciate the history it's teaching you, you won't mind those shortcomings.

Throughout this fourth part, it is explained that to attain a royal throne, one must be ambitious, tenacious, calculating, and accept the benefits of crime. There are several unexpected twists throughout the novel, which makes the pace faster. On a personal level, I am really enjoying the saga. (Translated from Spanish)

In its genre, a highly recommended book with one of those unexpected twists that leaves you stunned. On to the next one in the series! (Translated from Spanish)

I remember it was my favorite of the series, and that says a lot because I loved all the others (except the last one)... I don't know, this one is very varied and dramatically quite intense with the story of Guccio and Maria that, tragically, is intertwined with the parallel story of the French kings... In short, a highly recommended read. (Translated from Spanish)

Excellent reading about the struggles for the throne of France after the death of Louis X, involving his brother Philip Count of Poitiers, who skillfully uses the Salic Law. There is intrigue, murder, and a struggle for power. (Translated from Spanish)

The Accursed Kings series is probably Druon's most popular work and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Perhaps my expectations were low. I like historical fiction with a strong basis of accurate historical information and a grounding in detailed cultural and quotidian activities of people. The Iron King, first in the series, held my interest.

The series consists of seven novels that concern the French Kings of the 14th century. It begins with the burning at the stake of the remaining Templars by Philip the Fair. As if his reign wasn't already beset with enough scandal and intrigue, with his dying breath, the Grand Master of the Templars visits a curse on Philip and those associated with his reign including the Pope to the thirteenth generation. Nogaret, the King's counselor is the first to die suffocating from poisoned candles, followed by Clement and then Philip himself of a cerebral hemorrhage. In the meantime, the equerry lovers of Philip's sons' wives (Louis of Navarre will soon succeed Philip as King of France) are entrapped by Isabelle, Philipp's daughter and Queen of England. The two are horribly executed by the King who then dies while on a hunt. The wives are sent off in exile to play a prominent role in the next book. It's all good fun.

Now on to The Strangled Queen, second in the series.

The whole saga is excellent, this particular book explains why women could not inherit the throne. Poisonings, intrigues, politics, and the miseries of humanity portrayed in the most raw way. Reading it, one genuinely believes that the characters thought everything the author recounts. (Translated from Spanish)

Overall, I felt this was okay. The writing was kind of boring, I'm not sure if it's the translator or if it was originally boring. I did end up not quite finishing this book however, and will be giving away my copy.

The rise of King Philip of Poitiers through intrigues and murders. Very good historical novel. (Translated from Spanish)

Excellent books, with impeccable writing, capture you from the beginning and you also learn history. Book 7 is somewhat repetitive, so if you don't read it, it's no big deal; the entire story is contained in the 6 volumes. (Translated from Spanish)

I think it was my favorite of the 7 books. Essentially, I was captivated by Clemencia's pregnancy. As I mentioned earlier, it's a very well-written and documented saga, engaging, entertaining, and it maintains a good level throughout the volumes. (With the seventh being the only one that I find questionable, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's worth diving into this reading). (Translated from Spanish)

This book took a little time to get into, especially as all the characters were introduced. However as we approached the second third of the book I was totally hooked and needed to find out what happened next. Clearly this book has set it up well for others that will follow in the series. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to continuing this series soon. I certainly recommend it to people who enjoy good quality historical fiction.

The series of books that George RR Martain used as his inspiration for Game Of Thrones. Written in 1956, it is the story of the French King Philip Capet, or the Fair,with his impossibly inadequate children and the intrigue and corruption of the French Court in the 14th century. Unlike Game of Thrones , it is based on a true story, so no dragons.

George R. R. Martin called this "the original game of thrones", and that's apt. Interesting to read the beginnings of the 100 years war from the French perspective, rather than the English one, as I usually do.

No, I did NOT decide to read this because of George R.R. Martin; I was not enamored of his GoT! I wanted a sense of medieval France [most medieval historical fiction novels seem to be set in England and this was something unusual. And, I thought to pick up a little French history along the way.] The characters were absolutely unloveable: from Philip the Fair down to his dysfunctional family and courtiers. Everyone is absolutely selfish, hedonistic, manipulative, cruel, and some are even amoral. The story does draw you in to the political machinations of that period; I can't say how much the author exaggerated them and the absolute evil of his characters. The burning at the stake of the Templar Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, and his curse were absolutely chilling. The adulteries of the daughters-in-law and their lovers led to an inevitable, horrible conclusion. Part towards the end where the curse was beginning to be fulfilled was eerie. The parts about the Lombard bankers was boring.

Got the idea to read this book from looking at George RR Martin's influence for Game of Thrones. Said he wrote this book with this series in mind. Martin had to throw in sci-fi/fantasy elements to GOT to throw people off the scent of being a derivative work; there are so many similar incidences. In fact, while reading many of the characters in the book I visualized as being the characters from GOT. If you are a fan of that show, which I am, you will like these books. I have not read the GOT series, and I would but I typically do not enjoy a book that is the basis for a movie or show I've already seen.

This is the first book in The Accursed Kings series of French historical novels written in the 1950s by noted Academie francaise member Maurice Druon, and cited by George R R Martin as one of his inspirations for his fantasy series beginning with A Game of Thrones. It is set in the high Medieval period at the close of the reign of King Philip IV the Fair, the King who suppressed the Templars and whose daughter Isabella married and probably murdered the English King Edward II and later supported the claim of her son Edward III to the throne of France. This novel covers very dramatic events - the burning at the stake of the Templar leader Jacques de Molay, the serial adultery of the King's daughters-in-law, hideous executions, poisonings and betrayals. Unlike Game of Thrones, it's all real history, though; history being more my cup of tea than fantasy, I expect I'll be reading the second book in this series, The Strangled Queen, before I read A Clash of Kings (Druon's novels are much shorter also!). Great stuff.