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The Court of the Midnight King
The Wars of the Roses - colourful, full of fury and passion. In our histories - and Shakespeare's play - Richard the Third dies on Bosworth Field, hacked to death in a just ending. But another Richard exists, who is still loved in the North of England and remembered as their best ruler. But how can these two opposites have co-existed in the same world? Or did they? Through the eyes of Lady Katherine we see Richard grow up in a strange world where both Mother Goddess and patriarchal Christian God exist, and the struggle between the two religions is mirrored in that between York and Lancaster. From their teenage years, Freda Warrington traces Richard and Katherine's story during one of the most fascinating times in England's history.
575 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
18 people are currently reading
515 people want to read
About the author
Freda Warrington
52 books327 followersFreda Warrington is an award-winning British author, known for her epic fantasy, vampire and supernatural novels.
“The Blood Wine books are addictive, thrilling reads that are impossible to put down and they definitely deserve more attention” – Worldhopping.net
Her earliest novels, the Blackbird series, were written and published in the 1980s. In the intervening years she has seen numerous novels of epic fantasy, supernatural and contemporary fantasy, vampires, dark romance, horror and alternative history published.
Her novel ELFLAND won the Romantic Times BEST FANTASY NOVEL Award in 2009, while her 1997 Dracula sequel DRACULA THE UNDEAD won the Dracula Society's BEST GOTHIC NOVEL Award.
Four of her novels (Dark Cathedral, Pagan Moon, Dracula the Undead, and The Amber Citadel) have been nominated or shortlisted for the British Fantasy Society's Best Novel award. The American Library Association placed MIDSUMMER NIGHT in its Top Ten for 2010.
Recently Titan Book reissued her popular romantic-gothic Blood Wine vampire series set in the 1920s - A Taste of Blood Wine, A Dance in Blood Velvet and The Dark Blood of Poppies - along with a brand new novel, The Dark Arts of Blood. In 2017, Telos Publishing will publish her first short story collection, NIGHTS OF BLOOD WINE, featuring fifteen lush dark tales - ten set in her Blood Wine world, and five others of gothic weirdness.
In 2003, Simon & Schuster published The Court of the Midnight King, an alternative history/ fantasy retelling of the story of King Richard III. To celebrate all the events surrounding the discovery of Richard III's remains in Leicester, The Court of the Midnight King is now available on Kindle and in paperback format. Most of her backlist titles, including the Blackbird series, Dracula the Undead, Dark Cathedral and Pagan Moon, can already be found on Kindle or will be available in the next few months.
Warrington has also seen numerous short stories published in anthologies and magazines. For further information, visit her website Freda Warrington
Born in Leicester, Warrington grew up in the Charnwood Forest area of Leicestershire. After completing high school, she trained at Loughborough College of Art and Design and worked in medical illustration and graphic design for some years. She eventually moved to full-time writing, and also still enjoys design, photography, art, jewellery-making and other crafts, travelling and conventions.
Series:
* Jewelfire
* Dark Cathedral
* Aetherial Tales
* Blackbird
“The Blood Wine books are addictive, thrilling reads that are impossible to put down and they definitely deserve more attention” – Worldhopping.net
Her earliest novels, the Blackbird series, were written and published in the 1980s. In the intervening years she has seen numerous novels of epic fantasy, supernatural and contemporary fantasy, vampires, dark romance, horror and alternative history published.
Her novel ELFLAND won the Romantic Times BEST FANTASY NOVEL Award in 2009, while her 1997 Dracula sequel DRACULA THE UNDEAD won the Dracula Society's BEST GOTHIC NOVEL Award.
Four of her novels (Dark Cathedral, Pagan Moon, Dracula the Undead, and The Amber Citadel) have been nominated or shortlisted for the British Fantasy Society's Best Novel award. The American Library Association placed MIDSUMMER NIGHT in its Top Ten for 2010.
Recently Titan Book reissued her popular romantic-gothic Blood Wine vampire series set in the 1920s - A Taste of Blood Wine, A Dance in Blood Velvet and The Dark Blood of Poppies - along with a brand new novel, The Dark Arts of Blood. In 2017, Telos Publishing will publish her first short story collection, NIGHTS OF BLOOD WINE, featuring fifteen lush dark tales - ten set in her Blood Wine world, and five others of gothic weirdness.
In 2003, Simon & Schuster published The Court of the Midnight King, an alternative history/ fantasy retelling of the story of King Richard III. To celebrate all the events surrounding the discovery of Richard III's remains in Leicester, The Court of the Midnight King is now available on Kindle and in paperback format. Most of her backlist titles, including the Blackbird series, Dracula the Undead, Dark Cathedral and Pagan Moon, can already be found on Kindle or will be available in the next few months.
Warrington has also seen numerous short stories published in anthologies and magazines. For further information, visit her website Freda Warrington
Born in Leicester, Warrington grew up in the Charnwood Forest area of Leicestershire. After completing high school, she trained at Loughborough College of Art and Design and worked in medical illustration and graphic design for some years. She eventually moved to full-time writing, and also still enjoys design, photography, art, jewellery-making and other crafts, travelling and conventions.
Series:
* Jewelfire
* Dark Cathedral
* Aetherial Tales
* Blackbird
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
February 9, 2020
This was an intriguing fantastical storyline that follows the real history of Richard III from boyhood up to Bosworth quite accurately . . . except that there's an element of magic, alternate worlds, and otherworldly religious practices that make it read like it's two tales in one book: a fantasy one and a historical one.
No, scratch that. There's three tales in one book, the third being a present-time mini story that aims to show the current beliefs on Richard of Gloucester. That part was the one I liked the least, because it was so intrusive and bothersome to be pulled out of the 15th century and the Wars of the Roses to present day, and then plunge back into the past again, often not directly to the "real" period and places but to an alternate magical world of dreamlike quality where mythical creatures live, where magic is a fact of life, and where King Richard has had one surprising end after the battle with Tudor.
Warrington is skillful weaving her tale, despite the continuous rough going with the alternating timelines and the dash of confusion about the hopping in and out from the dreamlike magical world to the real one. I also wish she had been less romantic and adoring regarding Richard, though I can see that's more a matter of the chief POVs being a woman, Katherine, who's in love with him, and a man, Raphael, who owes his life and fortune to Dickon. But that aside, this novel was enjoyable and so worth it for its originality.
No, scratch that. There's three tales in one book, the third being a present-time mini story that aims to show the current beliefs on Richard of Gloucester. That part was the one I liked the least, because it was so intrusive and bothersome to be pulled out of the 15th century and the Wars of the Roses to present day, and then plunge back into the past again, often not directly to the "real" period and places but to an alternate magical world of dreamlike quality where mythical creatures live, where magic is a fact of life, and where King Richard has had one surprising end after the battle with Tudor.
Warrington is skillful weaving her tale, despite the continuous rough going with the alternating timelines and the dash of confusion about the hopping in and out from the dreamlike magical world to the real one. I also wish she had been less romantic and adoring regarding Richard, though I can see that's more a matter of the chief POVs being a woman, Katherine, who's in love with him, and a man, Raphael, who owes his life and fortune to Dickon. But that aside, this novel was enjoyable and so worth it for its originality.
July 31, 2020
3.5 stars, originally reviewed at Fantasy Literature.
The Court of the Midnight King (2003), by Freda Warrington, is an alternate history of England’s King Richard III with some supernatural elements. I’m kind of bummed that I didn’t discover it in 2003, because I’d probably have liked it even more. I was going through a big Plantagenet and Tudor phase, and if you could find a way to work Goddess religion into the plot, so much the better. As it is, I found the novel slow for a long stretch, but it won me over in the end.
Warrington tells the story primarily through three original characters. Raphael is an orphan who is taken into Richard’s service and is deeply devoted to him. Kate is the daughter of a pagan priestess and has a liaison with Richard in her youth, then later becomes a lady-in-waiting to Richard’s wife. August is a college student in modern times who begins having visions of Raphael, Kate, and Richard that distract her from her studies and take over her life.
The book starts off well, but then bogs down somewhat in the middle. It took me a while to put my finger on why, but I finally realized that the point-of-view characters simply didn’t have much to do, other than follow the royal characters around the country and observe the events of known history. Yet I wouldn’t recommend The Court of the Midnight King as an introduction to the Wars of the Roses. It jumps around in time, and I suspect that a reader who didn’t have at least some knowledge of the period would be lost. Meanwhile, the personal relationships seem to be going around in circles during this section.
The way Richard is described is also a bit off-putting. My first impression was that Warrington’s Richard was too saintly, but he isn’t — he has plenty of flaws. What’s over the top is the way the point-of-view characters react to him, especially Raphael. The tone becomes adoring, as if Richard were a god, and for a while I enjoyed the book much more when Richard wasn’t on-page.
What kept me going through all of this was Warrington’s beautiful writing, infused with a love of the English landscape, and my fond memories of her AETHERIAL TALES novels. I had hope that she would take this story in a direction I didn’t expect, and that’s exactly what she did.
Once the protagonists start trying to change events, rather than just report them, it was as if the novel came out of its chrysalis and flew. Turns out I like Warrington doing Warrington better than I like Warrington doing history. Roughly the final third of the book is a fantastical whirl that prefigures some of the ideas in Elfland. There’s earth magic, folklore, sacred sexuality, and an otherworldly journey. And history might not turn out exactly as you’d expect.
I can’t confidently recommend The Court of the Midnight King to everyone. You have to know at least a little bit about the Wars of the Roses beforehand; you also have to be willing to follow Warrington when she diverges from that history; and you have to get through a long slow section (and a long book, overall). But if you are in the middle of that Venn diagram, or if you loved Elfland and are curious about a sort of proto-version of some of its concepts, The Court of the Midnight King might be up your alley. Having been republished after the discovery of Richard’s remains, it is now readily available as an e-book.
The Court of the Midnight King (2003), by Freda Warrington, is an alternate history of England’s King Richard III with some supernatural elements. I’m kind of bummed that I didn’t discover it in 2003, because I’d probably have liked it even more. I was going through a big Plantagenet and Tudor phase, and if you could find a way to work Goddess religion into the plot, so much the better. As it is, I found the novel slow for a long stretch, but it won me over in the end.
Warrington tells the story primarily through three original characters. Raphael is an orphan who is taken into Richard’s service and is deeply devoted to him. Kate is the daughter of a pagan priestess and has a liaison with Richard in her youth, then later becomes a lady-in-waiting to Richard’s wife. August is a college student in modern times who begins having visions of Raphael, Kate, and Richard that distract her from her studies and take over her life.
The book starts off well, but then bogs down somewhat in the middle. It took me a while to put my finger on why, but I finally realized that the point-of-view characters simply didn’t have much to do, other than follow the royal characters around the country and observe the events of known history. Yet I wouldn’t recommend The Court of the Midnight King as an introduction to the Wars of the Roses. It jumps around in time, and I suspect that a reader who didn’t have at least some knowledge of the period would be lost. Meanwhile, the personal relationships seem to be going around in circles during this section.
The way Richard is described is also a bit off-putting. My first impression was that Warrington’s Richard was too saintly, but he isn’t — he has plenty of flaws. What’s over the top is the way the point-of-view characters react to him, especially Raphael. The tone becomes adoring, as if Richard were a god, and for a while I enjoyed the book much more when Richard wasn’t on-page.
What kept me going through all of this was Warrington’s beautiful writing, infused with a love of the English landscape, and my fond memories of her AETHERIAL TALES novels. I had hope that she would take this story in a direction I didn’t expect, and that’s exactly what she did.
Once the protagonists start trying to change events, rather than just report them, it was as if the novel came out of its chrysalis and flew. Turns out I like Warrington doing Warrington better than I like Warrington doing history. Roughly the final third of the book is a fantastical whirl that prefigures some of the ideas in Elfland. There’s earth magic, folklore, sacred sexuality, and an otherworldly journey. And history might not turn out exactly as you’d expect.
I can’t confidently recommend The Court of the Midnight King to everyone. You have to know at least a little bit about the Wars of the Roses beforehand; you also have to be willing to follow Warrington when she diverges from that history; and you have to get through a long slow section (and a long book, overall). But if you are in the middle of that Venn diagram, or if you loved Elfland and are curious about a sort of proto-version of some of its concepts, The Court of the Midnight King might be up your alley. Having been republished after the discovery of Richard’s remains, it is now readily available as an e-book.
April 22, 2015
This is probably the most unusual Richard III novel I've ever read, and I've read a few. A young history student in present day UK sees a video of Olivier's Richard III and is instantly obsessed. She (well, had to be a woman, really) starts having odd visions of the Wars of the Roses, but the Mediaeval England we see through these visions are strangely distorted from our knowledge of the period. Possibly the most radical change is that there is a flourishing goddess cult, involving women from all parts of society and dealing in what I suppose would be called earth magic for want of a better term. The visions follow the lives of two young people, one a knight in Richards service, and the other, inevitably, Richards lover. Then it starts getting complicated. The knight starts having visions of Richard as recorded in our histories; at one point he dreams an entire scene from Shakespeare's play. The whole thing comes out as a bit of a mish-mash of new-age sensibilities and fan-girl wish fulfilment. But oddly enough I enjoyed it. The author writes with a vivid pen, deftly painting beautiful, vibrant scenes.
An extract:
London broke upon Raphael like some crazed demonic carnival out of a fog. Houses stood crammed together and teetering with signs of merchants and alehouses thrust like a morass of banners into the steamy air. The streets glistened like stream beds. Pointed roofs ran with sunlight. And the crowd along the streets never in his life had Raphael seen such an array of folk, such wealth and exuberance. Their clothes were like jewels, blue and red and green; their headgear was fashioned in ostentations imitation of royalty, plump velvet cushions crowning the men, gossamer drapery flowing over the hair of women. Gold glinted upon their hands as they waved. Their cheers deafened and thrilled him like the blare of battle horns.
An extract:
London broke upon Raphael like some crazed demonic carnival out of a fog. Houses stood crammed together and teetering with signs of merchants and alehouses thrust like a morass of banners into the steamy air. The streets glistened like stream beds. Pointed roofs ran with sunlight. And the crowd along the streets never in his life had Raphael seen such an array of folk, such wealth and exuberance. Their clothes were like jewels, blue and red and green; their headgear was fashioned in ostentations imitation of royalty, plump velvet cushions crowning the men, gossamer drapery flowing over the hair of women. Gold glinted upon their hands as they waved. Their cheers deafened and thrilled him like the blare of battle horns.
April 9, 2021
It's a weird combination but not a bad result .
When I said it's a weird combination is because in this book you will find magic, fantastic animals, parallel worlds, fictional characters, and historical events with Richard III as one of the main characters.
So yes Is not the typical novel of him I would say is ricardian without be ridiculously romantic.
Some parts of the book are extremely interesting specially when you start enjoying the story and stop focusing or waiting for the historical events, but also other parts are boring specially going to end, I don't know why but I feel that the turn of the story in last chapters was not as good as in the first.
The story of Richard III is not all explored because obviously this book is focused in the dark world and some other stuff like that so if you are hoping to read a full perspective of his life this is not your book you can get to enjoy this having an open mind.
For the other side there are episodes of Richard's life but with the magic and those things still the book presents decent versions of this episodes like his kingship the mistery around the princes and his affair with his nice, even I could say his personality is balanced he is not a hero but not a monster, he acts more like a man of his times but we have very less time to see him, there are other times when his character is very silly for example when he seems be more worry about raphael's health one of his servants that the health of his wife and queen, in general his marriage is not explored and not clear both seem be married for duty but there are one or two hints of affection still is never showed as a love match at all.
So you can accept the story and enjoy it but be aware is not a typical fictional novel of Richard III
When I said it's a weird combination is because in this book you will find magic, fantastic animals, parallel worlds, fictional characters, and historical events with Richard III as one of the main characters.
So yes Is not the typical novel of him I would say is ricardian without be ridiculously romantic.
Some parts of the book are extremely interesting specially when you start enjoying the story and stop focusing or waiting for the historical events, but also other parts are boring specially going to end, I don't know why but I feel that the turn of the story in last chapters was not as good as in the first.
The story of Richard III is not all explored because obviously this book is focused in the dark world and some other stuff like that so if you are hoping to read a full perspective of his life this is not your book you can get to enjoy this having an open mind.
For the other side there are episodes of Richard's life but with the magic and those things still the book presents decent versions of this episodes like his kingship the mistery around the princes and his affair with his nice, even I could say his personality is balanced he is not a hero but not a monster, he acts more like a man of his times but we have very less time to see him, there are other times when his character is very silly for example when he seems be more worry about raphael's health one of his servants that the health of his wife and queen, in general his marriage is not explored and not clear both seem be married for duty but there are one or two hints of affection still is never showed as a love match at all.
So you can accept the story and enjoy it but be aware is not a typical fictional novel of Richard III
August 21, 2022
I'm sorry to say I did not like this book. And I'm sorry primarly because the writing is stunning, the author has a talent in that respect. The style is evocative and flowing. But apart from this I liked almost nothing.
First of all the alternative-element-magic. It was weird. Not that I'm averse to it, but placed in the context of XV century? Not so much of my liking. Besides it reminded me very much of Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon (one of my favourite novels ever), with Kate as a Morgaine, Anne as Gwynyfar, Lady Eleanor as Viviane and Richard as King Arthur. No, seriously the similarities are remarkable, with the secret Pagan powers aiding the King, and Gwynyfar-Anne even asking for a potion to conceive a child, and Morgaine-Kate advising her to be careful, because magic works its own way. Except that in 500 A.D. England, transitioning from a Pagan to Christian land, and in a demi-legendary context, it all sounded consistent. Not so much here.
Another issue for me was the main protagonist: Kate (why all Richard III's mistresses are named Kate even when it's not Kate Haute?). If we take off the magical element, what are we left with? A woman who, after a brief teenage liaison, falls in love with Richard for the rest of her life, and of course he with her, even she if has a devouted and fitting partner at her side, who loves her and cares for her. And as soon as Anne is dead they jump again in bed together and marry. Does it sound different from any other wish fullfilment novel? Honestly not to me. And more so, because Kate is presented to us as the indipendent, clever, resourceful and proto feminist woman. But she seems not. She doesn't refuse Rafael countless time because she treasures her indipendence, as she declares, but just because she can only love Richard. The fact that in the ending their son Robin will be legitimated and become heir to his father is simply nonsense, given that he was born before their wedding and that's the exact reason why Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury were excluded from the throne in the first place. But logic can't spoil a good happy ending, it seems.
Some choices I didn't like at all, such as the handling of the Elizabeth of York affair, or the inserting of the modern woman section, whose purpose is still obscure to me, if not giving poor Raphael his improbable happy ending. It also drew away my attention from the main narration, rather annoyingly.
Other readers might find this a pleasant read (and many did actually), so I would recommend a try if only for the beautiful writing. But for me it didn't live up to my expectations.
First of all the alternative-element-magic. It was weird. Not that I'm averse to it, but placed in the context of XV century? Not so much of my liking. Besides it reminded me very much of Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon (one of my favourite novels ever), with Kate as a Morgaine, Anne as Gwynyfar, Lady Eleanor as Viviane and Richard as King Arthur. No, seriously the similarities are remarkable, with the secret Pagan powers aiding the King, and Gwynyfar-Anne even asking for a potion to conceive a child, and Morgaine-Kate advising her to be careful, because magic works its own way. Except that in 500 A.D. England, transitioning from a Pagan to Christian land, and in a demi-legendary context, it all sounded consistent. Not so much here.
Another issue for me was the main protagonist: Kate (why all Richard III's mistresses are named Kate even when it's not Kate Haute?). If we take off the magical element, what are we left with? A woman who, after a brief teenage liaison, falls in love with Richard for the rest of her life, and of course he with her, even she if has a devouted and fitting partner at her side, who loves her and cares for her. And as soon as Anne is dead they jump again in bed together and marry. Does it sound different from any other wish fullfilment novel? Honestly not to me. And more so, because Kate is presented to us as the indipendent, clever, resourceful and proto feminist woman. But she seems not. She doesn't refuse Rafael countless time because she treasures her indipendence, as she declares, but just because she can only love Richard. The fact that in the ending their son Robin will be legitimated and become heir to his father is simply nonsense, given that he was born before their wedding and that's the exact reason why Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury were excluded from the throne in the first place. But logic can't spoil a good happy ending, it seems.
Some choices I didn't like at all, such as the handling of the Elizabeth of York affair, or the inserting of the modern woman section, whose purpose is still obscure to me, if not giving poor Raphael his improbable happy ending. It also drew away my attention from the main narration, rather annoyingly.
Other readers might find this a pleasant read (and many did actually), so I would recommend a try if only for the beautiful writing. But for me it didn't live up to my expectations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2019
I truly enjoy reading about Richard III, but even more so when the ending has been changed, when, in some other reality, he perseveres. Such is the case here, with some magic thrown in for good measure. And even considering the magic, the differences in his life aren’t that different, so that the Richard of our universe is easily recognizable.
Katherine and Raphael are also both well drawn, so that you come to be emotional invested in their fate. During the length of the book you get to know them, along with Richard, from their early youth to Bosworth Field and beyond.
One glitch I felt was the inclusion of a fourth character, one that was hard not to see as the author inserting herself into the story. The part the character plays is minimal, and I think the information she imparts could have been addressed in a more satisfying way. Either that, or the character should have been given more depth, so that she was more than just an intrusion into the story.
Still, it’s a beautifully written novel which I recommend highly, especially to those who already have an interest in Richard III. For those who don’t, reading this book may just very well start one.
Katherine and Raphael are also both well drawn, so that you come to be emotional invested in their fate. During the length of the book you get to know them, along with Richard, from their early youth to Bosworth Field and beyond.
One glitch I felt was the inclusion of a fourth character, one that was hard not to see as the author inserting herself into the story. The part the character plays is minimal, and I think the information she imparts could have been addressed in a more satisfying way. Either that, or the character should have been given more depth, so that she was more than just an intrusion into the story.
Still, it’s a beautifully written novel which I recommend highly, especially to those who already have an interest in Richard III. For those who don’t, reading this book may just very well start one.
September 21, 2013
Okay, let's get this out of the way up front: This book is fantastical wish fulfilment of the highest order. If that's not your thing, cool, whatever, you will not enjoy this. If, on the other hand, you're not above enjoying some imaginative, deftly-plotted fan fiction with your afternoon tea, this book is great.
I am of the latter category and absolutely enjoyed the hell out of this story. It's fantastical and not particularly believable, but that's part of the fun. The characters are lively, they all have their flaws -- even Richard -- and the plot line is unconventional. I have read my fair share of Ricardian novels, and I always struggle with the endings because there's only one way for it all to go -- *SPOILER* -- an ignominious end and a forgotten burial in a car park. This book keeps you guessing, and it's great.
Also, can I just say, the approach to NO HOSE was unabashed and pretty genius.
I am of the latter category and absolutely enjoyed the hell out of this story. It's fantastical and not particularly believable, but that's part of the fun. The characters are lively, they all have their flaws -- even Richard -- and the plot line is unconventional. I have read my fair share of Ricardian novels, and I always struggle with the endings because there's only one way for it all to go -- *SPOILER* -- an ignominious end and a forgotten burial in a car park. This book keeps you guessing, and it's great.
Also, can I just say, the approach to NO HOSE was unabashed and pretty genius.
April 29, 2010
I sort of hate this books already: it would be tolerable in a dull and "been there before" sort of way if it wasn't for the constant and rather grossly unnecessary flashbacks/flashforwards to the apparent author in their awkward and grotesque nerdy college years having waking sexual fantasies about King Richard. I get the idea right away that she is totally crushing on this king, but to draw it out of the fiction-fantasy world to write about the actual ghost of King Richard coming to life and hovering over her dorm bed to seduce her is not only blatantly unnecessary but draws away from the story which is written in a sort of confusing present and past scenerio. Thus far I would recommend it to nobody. I'm only a quarter through and am really hoping those creepy flashbacks cease and there is more plot developpement.
January 28, 2025
I'm so glad Freda Warrington had this crazy dream and decided to write this book.
It's one of those unique experiences that you'll never have again, andy when it comes to historical novels it's a fresh of breath air. R3's fans will not be disappointed, be sure that the ending will have a special place in your heart.
It's one of those unique experiences that you'll never have again, andy when it comes to historical novels it's a fresh of breath air. R3's fans will not be disappointed, be sure that the ending will have a special place in your heart.
June 30, 2009
One of my very favorite historical fantasy novels, this is a lushly written alternate version of Richard III's history, with magic and romance and a rich sense of period. Gorgeously written, a wonderful book to sink into.
October 27, 2009
Would give it 3.5 stars if I could.
This was a solid 4.5 until the last few chapters...then it just kinda fell apart for me. The direction the author took is interesting, just didn't sit well with me.
This was a solid 4.5 until the last few chapters...then it just kinda fell apart for me. The direction the author took is interesting, just didn't sit well with me.
June 26, 2022
The story of Richard III told through the eyes of two fictional characters, who in the novel played central roles in his life. Reading this was such an incredible journey, I knew going into this, it would be a retelling of the story with much fantasy added to it and that was true. Whilst I don't usually read a lot of historical fiction and prefer sticking to fact this truly amazed me and had me hooked on the story from chapter one.
The only qualm, if you can call it that, that I had with this book is probably that towards the end the chapters just weren't as good as in the beginning. I mean the author did a great job in portraying how the characters grew up, matured and changed, still I felt that during the moments leading up to the battle and maybe a bit afterwards, the way Kate behaved was a little out of character. Especially when she told Raphael about Robin, this was an extremely important moment something she had been hiding from him that would change his entire perception of her and Richard and she just did it....like that?? I mean there were many other ways she could have broken the news to him, hell even catching her and Richard in the act would have been better. Also he had a right to be angry and mad at her, she had kept something this important from him and yet the reason he seems to be mad is that Richard isn't just "his" anymore? His devotion, loyalty and love for him is truly admirable but this was just a very odd reaction. I liked the alternate ending and the way the universes collided yet were so far apart, I felt like out of all books about Richard very few had explored such a possibility or maybe I just haven't read enough idk.
Richard and Kate's relationship had me feeling very conflicted, on one hand of course I "shipped" them, if you will, and I know a happy ending is all one so emotionally invested in a novel could wish for but their story just didn't have the vibe of "they ended up married in front of everyone and lived happily ever after" if you know what I mean? It was more of the tragic romance-that-can't-be, full of what ifs and clandestine meetings on the rooftop, and just that love and devotion they held although they could never admit it even just to each other. At the same time when I thought they were to get married I was against it yet when I thought they weren't I was sad? I was just very confused about my feelings but alas my earlier sentiment remains, I don't think they should have ended up together. I feel like Kate and Raphael should have and she and Richard should have been together a bit longer but ultimately ended up apart. Another thing was that after the battle Richard just wasn't him anymore, obviously everything that happed would have lifted some of the gloom but in just a heart beat he was no longer the mysterious figure and angel of death (as he was was described), that enigmatic aura that had captivated so many was just gone.
My heart broke for poor Raphael, in the end he fulfilled his mission yet lost everything at the same time. The meeting with August was rather odd but I liked it and would like to know where it led. However don't let all that I wrote and went on about for a tad too long lead you to think I didn't love it. I enjoyed this book so much, and it brought me a lot of joy and nostalgia, that I hadn't felt in so long, it's always going to have a place in my heart.
The only qualm, if you can call it that, that I had with this book is probably that towards the end the chapters just weren't as good as in the beginning. I mean the author did a great job in portraying how the characters grew up, matured and changed, still I felt that during the moments leading up to the battle and maybe a bit afterwards, the way Kate behaved was a little out of character. Especially when she told Raphael about Robin, this was an extremely important moment something she had been hiding from him that would change his entire perception of her and Richard and she just did it....like that?? I mean there were many other ways she could have broken the news to him, hell even catching her and Richard in the act would have been better. Also he had a right to be angry and mad at her, she had kept something this important from him and yet the reason he seems to be mad is that Richard isn't just "his" anymore? His devotion, loyalty and love for him is truly admirable but this was just a very odd reaction. I liked the alternate ending and the way the universes collided yet were so far apart, I felt like out of all books about Richard very few had explored such a possibility or maybe I just haven't read enough idk.
Richard and Kate's relationship had me feeling very conflicted, on one hand of course I "shipped" them, if you will, and I know a happy ending is all one so emotionally invested in a novel could wish for but their story just didn't have the vibe of "they ended up married in front of everyone and lived happily ever after" if you know what I mean? It was more of the tragic romance-that-can't-be, full of what ifs and clandestine meetings on the rooftop, and just that love and devotion they held although they could never admit it even just to each other. At the same time when I thought they were to get married I was against it yet when I thought they weren't I was sad? I was just very confused about my feelings but alas my earlier sentiment remains, I don't think they should have ended up together. I feel like Kate and Raphael should have and she and Richard should have been together a bit longer but ultimately ended up apart. Another thing was that after the battle Richard just wasn't him anymore, obviously everything that happed would have lifted some of the gloom but in just a heart beat he was no longer the mysterious figure and angel of death (as he was was described), that enigmatic aura that had captivated so many was just gone.
My heart broke for poor Raphael, in the end he fulfilled his mission yet lost everything at the same time. The meeting with August was rather odd but I liked it and would like to know where it led. However don't let all that I wrote and went on about for a tad too long lead you to think I didn't love it. I enjoyed this book so much, and it brought me a lot of joy and nostalgia, that I hadn't felt in so long, it's always going to have a place in my heart.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2015
A historical fantasy set in the midst of the War of the Roses, The Court of the Midnight King focuses on the reigns of Edward IV and Richard III. As an unabashed lover of historical fiction, I’d have to say this is one of the more unusual Richard III novels I’ve read. Therefore, a brief warning – if you like your historical fiction more historical than fiction, this is a wish-fulfilling fantasy that you ought to avoid. If, however, you appreciate parallel universes, with elements of new-age paganism and ecofeminism, then this is a book for you.
Richard III is a king that causes division among historians and authors alike. Either you believe the Tudors and Shakespeare that Richard was an awful king, guilty of poisoning, infanticide, and incest, or you believe that he was a rather good king, innocent until the dastardly ‘winners’ rewrote history. Seen through the eyes of Raphael, an orphaned knight, and Kate, a priestess with whom Richard has a complicated relationship, The Court of the Midnight King apparently tells the truth about Richard III. Whatever you believe, Freda Warrington’s elegant pose conjures up a world of mysterious forests and fantastical creatures, leaving the reader immersed in the intrigues of medieval England.
It is clear from the outset which side of history Warrington is on – she is fervently pro-Ricardean (as are Raphael and Kate). Her stance is understandable and would be easier to forgive and accept were it not for the constant interruptions to the main storyline. Warrington has framed her fantasy setting with a twenty-first century setting - the life of a history student named August. Obsessed with Richard III to the point of drastically neglecting her coursework, August is apparently dreaming the entire plot. She is determined to find out the truth behind Richard’s terrible reputation yet can do nothing but watch her dreams unfold. If these sections were left out, The Court of the Midnight King would read more like an alternative history than the fan-fiction like style these sections add to it, particularly as both August and Kate have similar thoughts and feelings about Richard (even to the point of thinking similar phrases!). It would be much easier to suspend disbelief if August were not there at the readers shoulder, reminding us that the work is not based in historical fact.
Overall, The Court of the Midnight King is a beautiful piece of writing, and Warrington’s imagery and historical description make up for the anachronistic Motherlodge and most of the silly sections of the work. If you enjoy the style of fantasy present in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon, and are prepared to skim the painful first-person ramblings of an awed history-student (who may or may not represent the author), you should read this book. However, if historically inaccurate endings annoy you – avoid this book at all costs. It’s not worth the hurl across the room when you reach the end of the 500+ pages and realize that despite the deceptive quotes from sources at the start of each chapter, this isn’t anywhere close to non-fiction.
This review was originally posted at The Forgotten Bookshelf
Richard III is a king that causes division among historians and authors alike. Either you believe the Tudors and Shakespeare that Richard was an awful king, guilty of poisoning, infanticide, and incest, or you believe that he was a rather good king, innocent until the dastardly ‘winners’ rewrote history. Seen through the eyes of Raphael, an orphaned knight, and Kate, a priestess with whom Richard has a complicated relationship, The Court of the Midnight King apparently tells the truth about Richard III. Whatever you believe, Freda Warrington’s elegant pose conjures up a world of mysterious forests and fantastical creatures, leaving the reader immersed in the intrigues of medieval England.
It is clear from the outset which side of history Warrington is on – she is fervently pro-Ricardean (as are Raphael and Kate). Her stance is understandable and would be easier to forgive and accept were it not for the constant interruptions to the main storyline. Warrington has framed her fantasy setting with a twenty-first century setting - the life of a history student named August. Obsessed with Richard III to the point of drastically neglecting her coursework, August is apparently dreaming the entire plot. She is determined to find out the truth behind Richard’s terrible reputation yet can do nothing but watch her dreams unfold. If these sections were left out, The Court of the Midnight King would read more like an alternative history than the fan-fiction like style these sections add to it, particularly as both August and Kate have similar thoughts and feelings about Richard (even to the point of thinking similar phrases!). It would be much easier to suspend disbelief if August were not there at the readers shoulder, reminding us that the work is not based in historical fact.
Overall, The Court of the Midnight King is a beautiful piece of writing, and Warrington’s imagery and historical description make up for the anachronistic Motherlodge and most of the silly sections of the work. If you enjoy the style of fantasy present in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon, and are prepared to skim the painful first-person ramblings of an awed history-student (who may or may not represent the author), you should read this book. However, if historically inaccurate endings annoy you – avoid this book at all costs. It’s not worth the hurl across the room when you reach the end of the 500+ pages and realize that despite the deceptive quotes from sources at the start of each chapter, this isn’t anywhere close to non-fiction.
This review was originally posted at The Forgotten Bookshelf
May 13, 2021
An immensely rich and addictive historical fantasy
It's time to put right a historical wrong.
I am a long time fan of Freda Warrington's fantasy and dark fantasy fiction. I also spent most of the early 21st century reading books with headless women with Tudor dress on the cover - the cleavage books. I have done storytelling events about the Woodville women, trudged around Bosworth field for exercise, and had shows at the gorgeous Leicester Guildhall mentioned in this very book.
So why had I not even been aware of this book until a couple of years ago?
I can only assume that I had a fever dream after one of my particularly arduous circuits of Bosworth, and caused an alternate reality in which one of my favourite writers actually did write this novel. And now here it is, I've read it, and I absolutely loved it.
For those fascinated with the history of King Richard iii, and equally fascinated by alternative theories as to the causes behind the lead up to the Battle of Bosworth, you will find plenty here cemented in fact and plausible theory. These facts are deliciously charged by the fanciful thoughts of a modern day student, who is intrigued by revisionist theories, and even sees some of the fans (who after this novel was written, did in fact help get the king's remains discovered and identified). This student imagines two people whose lives are entangled with those of the monarch: Kate, a young follower of Auset, derived from the remnants of Romano-British Isis worship who is, in all but name, a witch, in times when it is more dangerous than ever to practice sorcery. There is also Raphael: a foundling of noble birth, whose family has been lost in the Wars of the Roses, and who finds a place in Richard's household.
The fantastical elements are woven extremely well into the narrative. There are heraldic beasts, striking fear into the soldiers, elementals feeding on the emotions of the protagonists, and of course the witches, railing against the piety of the church and the narrowness of their lives and influencing fate, rendering the separation of dream and reality, history and modernity, extremely thin. In addition the twists of the political landscape and the gritty reality of childbirth, disease and death collide. Meta, yes, but done so well.
If you enjoyed the headless cleavage books, but want to read something more intense and engaging, that despite being a fantasy goes more deeply and intelligently into the history, then this is for you.
It's time to put right a historical wrong.
I am a long time fan of Freda Warrington's fantasy and dark fantasy fiction. I also spent most of the early 21st century reading books with headless women with Tudor dress on the cover - the cleavage books. I have done storytelling events about the Woodville women, trudged around Bosworth field for exercise, and had shows at the gorgeous Leicester Guildhall mentioned in this very book.
So why had I not even been aware of this book until a couple of years ago?
I can only assume that I had a fever dream after one of my particularly arduous circuits of Bosworth, and caused an alternate reality in which one of my favourite writers actually did write this novel. And now here it is, I've read it, and I absolutely loved it.
For those fascinated with the history of King Richard iii, and equally fascinated by alternative theories as to the causes behind the lead up to the Battle of Bosworth, you will find plenty here cemented in fact and plausible theory. These facts are deliciously charged by the fanciful thoughts of a modern day student, who is intrigued by revisionist theories, and even sees some of the fans (who after this novel was written, did in fact help get the king's remains discovered and identified). This student imagines two people whose lives are entangled with those of the monarch: Kate, a young follower of Auset, derived from the remnants of Romano-British Isis worship who is, in all but name, a witch, in times when it is more dangerous than ever to practice sorcery. There is also Raphael: a foundling of noble birth, whose family has been lost in the Wars of the Roses, and who finds a place in Richard's household.
The fantastical elements are woven extremely well into the narrative. There are heraldic beasts, striking fear into the soldiers, elementals feeding on the emotions of the protagonists, and of course the witches, railing against the piety of the church and the narrowness of their lives and influencing fate, rendering the separation of dream and reality, history and modernity, extremely thin. In addition the twists of the political landscape and the gritty reality of childbirth, disease and death collide. Meta, yes, but done so well.
If you enjoyed the headless cleavage books, but want to read something more intense and engaging, that despite being a fantasy goes more deeply and intelligently into the history, then this is for you.
April 29, 2021
The Court of the Midnight King: A Dream of Richard III
By Freda Warrington
Reviewed November 11, 2020
When I originally bought this book, I was attracted by the title – The Court of the Midnight King: A Dream of Richard III. But the cover art threw me off; it didn’t look so much like a dream of Richard III, but more like a demonic or vampiric Richard! So I put off reading this one for a while, but eventually (after being told by other readers that they really like this one) I took the plunge, and I’m glad I did, because the cover art does not do the story justice.
In The Court of the Midnight King, we have a blend of history and fantasy, with touches of alternate history. There are also interweaving chapters that are set in the present day, but to be honest, I found them intrusive and could have done without them.
The main characters in the bulk of the book are Katherine, Raphael, and of course, Richard. Katherine is the daughter of a priestess of Auset and a worshiper herself, who is in love with Richard from the time they meet shortly after the Battle of Barnet. Raphael is orphaned as a youth during the depravations committed by Margaret of Anjou’s troops following their victory at Wakefield. And Richard is…well… Richard. He is neither saint nor sinner; he can be both hard and gentle, but is at heart a good man who struggles with his conscience.
In this version of 15th century England, Christianity and the worship of the Dark Mother Auset exist side by side, although the Church looks upon the Mother Goddess as devil worship, while elemental spirits can be called upon either to help or hinder.
The story, for the most part, follows the actual history of these turbulent times, but with the inclusion of fantasy elements such as followers of Auset calling forth a heavy mist to help the Yorkists win at Barnet, mythical beasts accompanying the armies, and Raphael’s visions. The only major change to history takes place near the end of the story, and I’ll let you read for yourself so you can fully enjoy it.
Ms. Warrington has a lovely way with words. “Wisps of shocked breath” coming from onlookers at a blood sacrifice; mists appearing “to be exhaling” from a spring; and “weeds licked his hands like cold flames, rusty saws carved at his chest.” Very eloquent and poetic.
My only complaint about the book is the periodic inclusion of short chapters set in modern times about a woman who finds herself sharing Raphael’s visions. For the most part, they interrupted the flow of the main story, even though these modern-day snippets were tied in nicely to the main story in the end.
No matter these shortcomings, I still give this book a 5-star rating for its beautiful writing and a lovely story.
By Freda Warrington
Reviewed November 11, 2020
When I originally bought this book, I was attracted by the title – The Court of the Midnight King: A Dream of Richard III. But the cover art threw me off; it didn’t look so much like a dream of Richard III, but more like a demonic or vampiric Richard! So I put off reading this one for a while, but eventually (after being told by other readers that they really like this one) I took the plunge, and I’m glad I did, because the cover art does not do the story justice.
In The Court of the Midnight King, we have a blend of history and fantasy, with touches of alternate history. There are also interweaving chapters that are set in the present day, but to be honest, I found them intrusive and could have done without them.
The main characters in the bulk of the book are Katherine, Raphael, and of course, Richard. Katherine is the daughter of a priestess of Auset and a worshiper herself, who is in love with Richard from the time they meet shortly after the Battle of Barnet. Raphael is orphaned as a youth during the depravations committed by Margaret of Anjou’s troops following their victory at Wakefield. And Richard is…well… Richard. He is neither saint nor sinner; he can be both hard and gentle, but is at heart a good man who struggles with his conscience.
In this version of 15th century England, Christianity and the worship of the Dark Mother Auset exist side by side, although the Church looks upon the Mother Goddess as devil worship, while elemental spirits can be called upon either to help or hinder.
The story, for the most part, follows the actual history of these turbulent times, but with the inclusion of fantasy elements such as followers of Auset calling forth a heavy mist to help the Yorkists win at Barnet, mythical beasts accompanying the armies, and Raphael’s visions. The only major change to history takes place near the end of the story, and I’ll let you read for yourself so you can fully enjoy it.
Ms. Warrington has a lovely way with words. “Wisps of shocked breath” coming from onlookers at a blood sacrifice; mists appearing “to be exhaling” from a spring; and “weeds licked his hands like cold flames, rusty saws carved at his chest.” Very eloquent and poetic.
My only complaint about the book is the periodic inclusion of short chapters set in modern times about a woman who finds herself sharing Raphael’s visions. For the most part, they interrupted the flow of the main story, even though these modern-day snippets were tied in nicely to the main story in the end.
No matter these shortcomings, I still give this book a 5-star rating for its beautiful writing and a lovely story.
May 2, 2012
[3 1/2 stars]
Hm, I'm torn on this one. It certainly has an interesting central concept, juxtaposing the fading days of a female-oriented, Earth Mother-worshipping religion with the last years of the Wars of the Roses, I've always been intrigued by Richard III (and by alternate histories), and it contains the author's usual elegant prose. But the characterisation is definitely a bit thinner than I'm used to in Warrington's work. Though there's some good material in them, the modern age bookends to chapters feel clumsy, and there's far too much talking about important historical events after the fact ("oh, by the way, this happened since the last chapter"), leeching the narrative of some great sources of tension. But what she does capture well is the wretchedness of the York family, tearing itself apart over and over, not to mention the biting, backstabbing world of (quasi-)15th century England, and the mild fantasy aspects of the novel are quite vivid and well-handled.
Hm, I'm torn on this one. It certainly has an interesting central concept, juxtaposing the fading days of a female-oriented, Earth Mother-worshipping religion with the last years of the Wars of the Roses, I've always been intrigued by Richard III (and by alternate histories), and it contains the author's usual elegant prose. But the characterisation is definitely a bit thinner than I'm used to in Warrington's work. Though there's some good material in them, the modern age bookends to chapters feel clumsy, and there's far too much talking about important historical events after the fact ("oh, by the way, this happened since the last chapter"), leeching the narrative of some great sources of tension. But what she does capture well is the wretchedness of the York family, tearing itself apart over and over, not to mention the biting, backstabbing world of (quasi-)15th century England, and the mild fantasy aspects of the novel are quite vivid and well-handled.
October 27, 2014
A very different take on Richard III. Some elements had me scratching my head at first, particularly the idea that a pagan/goddess related religion could exist openly in the 15th century with little to no repercussions. It was worth it though, because this is a fantastic read! Loved the characterization of Richard in particular, and Kate made for a lovely protagonist. Highly recommended!
May 1, 2015
I loved this book. I've always been a supporter of Richard III and love reading books about him. this was his story with a touch of fantasy...I'll say no more for fear of spoiling it.
October 12, 2023
This is an interesting idea - setting the Wars of the Roses in a parallel fantasy world, where the cult of the Mother Goddess survives underground alongside the mediaeval Christian faith, and creatures like graylix and petitsmorts exist in the waking world. (Could the battle of Bosworth have been lost because the Earl of Oxford retained six couple of graylix without a royal warrant?)
And it creates the intriguing scenario where the King believes himself damned and riddled with guilt before the battle... because, as it transpires, his cause has been aided by unsolicited sorcery throughout his life, from the mist at the battle of Towton to the storm that doomed Buckingham's rebellion. Only we see these events from the perspective of the female protagonist, to whom the power of Great Mother Auset is a natural thing and not blasphemous at all.
There are definitely echoes of Marion Zimmer Bradley here (and the author manages to have her cake and eat it by showing her empowered women as a beleaguered, dying force in contrast to their meek orthodox sisters). She makes the interesting choice to attach her Kate to the Warwick household and to Isabel in particular, giving us an unusual perspective. But the author also chooses to feature what feels like an indulgent modern day self-insert character who is supposedly being haunted by the story of these fifteenth-century characters, and that does jar a lot.
The thing is that I can sort of see why she does it; she needs to clarify that this is apparently not our own past but a parallel one, thus offering up the tantalising possibility that maybe the outcome is not fore-ordained: maybe Kate's ability to drive away the sickness elementals clinging to Anne will succeed in saving the Queen's life, maybe Raphael's nightmares of a Shakespearean future will enable it to be averted. And she uses these interludes to address challenging questions such as whether Ricardians (the obvious target audience of this book) are attracted to the character because they believe him injured and innocent, or whether they seek desperately to prove him innocent because they are attracted to him for other reasons, and to suggest that maybe in terms of the Mother Goddess "The King Must Die".
Unfortunately she is no Mary Renault, nor a Rosemary Hawley Jarman, who depicts her unnamed Man of Long Sight and Nut-Brown Maid (and we never do become conscious that the protagonists of We Speak No Treason are left unnamed, which is a mark of great writing) in a far more credible relationship with the King. Apparently Warrington is an author of vampire novels, which might explain some of the extremely overwrought writing, not to mention fan-girling, in this book; she evokes beautiful descriptions of time and place, but not of men or the relationships between them. His face was a shell with light shining through it; frail and pearly like that of a heavenly messenger, but more eerie than saintly. Raphael could imagine the same luminous face belonging to the most beautiful of the angels, the morning star, Lucifer. The King's hair was feathered shadow around his shoulders. His eyes were grey and shrouded like twilight".
And the ending... again, it's almost earned, and intriguing with its hints of a pre-Tudor Reformation, but it does feel like strained wish fulfilment. (And it leaves the problem of Raphael, which is not solved gracefully. )
On the whole I think the book would probably have worked better as a straight full-immersion alternate universe fantasy, like The Dragon Waiting. But then it would have to be more obviously fantasy, rather than just a few token elements.
And it creates the intriguing scenario where the King believes himself damned and riddled with guilt before the battle... because, as it transpires, his cause has been aided by unsolicited sorcery throughout his life, from the mist at the battle of Towton to the storm that doomed Buckingham's rebellion. Only we see these events from the perspective of the female protagonist, to whom the power of Great Mother Auset is a natural thing and not blasphemous at all.
There are definitely echoes of Marion Zimmer Bradley here (and the author manages to have her cake and eat it by showing her empowered women as a beleaguered, dying force in contrast to their meek orthodox sisters). She makes the interesting choice to attach her Kate to the Warwick household and to Isabel in particular, giving us an unusual perspective. But the author also chooses to feature what feels like an indulgent modern day self-insert character who is supposedly being haunted by the story of these fifteenth-century characters, and that does jar a lot.
The thing is that I can sort of see why she does it; she needs to clarify that this is apparently not our own past but a parallel one, thus offering up the tantalising possibility that maybe the outcome is not fore-ordained: maybe Kate's ability to drive away the sickness elementals clinging to Anne will succeed in saving the Queen's life, maybe Raphael's nightmares of a Shakespearean future will enable it to be averted. And she uses these interludes to address challenging questions such as whether Ricardians (the obvious target audience of this book) are attracted to the character because they believe him injured and innocent, or whether they seek desperately to prove him innocent because they are attracted to him for other reasons, and to suggest that maybe in terms of the Mother Goddess "The King Must Die".
Unfortunately she is no Mary Renault, nor a Rosemary Hawley Jarman, who depicts her unnamed Man of Long Sight and Nut-Brown Maid (and we never do become conscious that the protagonists of We Speak No Treason are left unnamed, which is a mark of great writing) in a far more credible relationship with the King. Apparently Warrington is an author of vampire novels, which might explain some of the extremely overwrought writing, not to mention fan-girling, in this book; she evokes beautiful descriptions of time and place, but not of men or the relationships between them. His face was a shell with light shining through it; frail and pearly like that of a heavenly messenger, but more eerie than saintly. Raphael could imagine the same luminous face belonging to the most beautiful of the angels, the morning star, Lucifer. The King's hair was feathered shadow around his shoulders. His eyes were grey and shrouded like twilight".
And the ending... again, it's almost earned, and intriguing with its hints of a pre-Tudor Reformation, but it does feel like strained wish fulfilment. (And it leaves the problem of Raphael, which is not solved gracefully. )
On the whole I think the book would probably have worked better as a straight full-immersion alternate universe fantasy, like The Dragon Waiting. But then it would have to be more obviously fantasy, rather than just a few token elements.
January 17, 2021
Oh, how I wish The Court of the Midnight King had existed back when I was a teenager obsessed with
The Sunne in Splendour
and all things Richard III-related; I probably would have read it ten times. As it is, I hope to re-read it again sometime in the future. It is a magnificent book, the perfect blend of historical and fantasy romance, as well as a psychological exploration into why certain historical figures grow to fascinate us so much.
I loved that a story with which I was already familiar managed to nonetheless keep me guessing right up until the end, thanks to the original twists Warrington wove into it. I found myself wanting to rush along to see how it would all wrap up, while at the same time wishing the book would go on forever because it was so, so good and so fun to read.
If you are at all into (i.e. fixated on) the story of Richard III, then you have to give this version of it a try. I doubt you’ll regret it. A solid and easy five stars.
I loved that a story with which I was already familiar managed to nonetheless keep me guessing right up until the end, thanks to the original twists Warrington wove into it. I found myself wanting to rush along to see how it would all wrap up, while at the same time wishing the book would go on forever because it was so, so good and so fun to read.
If you are at all into (i.e. fixated on) the story of Richard III, then you have to give this version of it a try. I doubt you’ll regret it. A solid and easy five stars.
January 13, 2026
A wonderful mix of romantasy and counter factual history written in absolutely beautiful language - it’s a favourite of mine now
January 7, 2016
I have had a keen interest in Richard III and the period of the Wars of the Roses since I saw Richard III when I was seven years of age-and it scared the daylights out of me.
Since then I have read several works about Richard III including the magnificent The Sunne In Splendour: A Novel of Richard III, Fortune's wheel and The Princes in the Tower. As well as seen the novilistic Richard III set against the backdrop of a 1930's Nazi type dictatorship in an imaginary England of the time.
This book definitely portrays Richard in a saintly light, and the villains of the piece are the Woodvilles (a vivid and engaging portrayal of Earl Rivers, Anthony Woodville) and later on the camp around Henry Tudor (Warrington has Margaret of Beaufort, Henry's mother play a particular sinister central twist)
And Ricardians will be glad to see their hero absolved of all blame for the murder of the princes in the tower.
Quite a vivid portrayal of the times, but this is a science fantasy as and not just a historical novels.
It has a feminist take on the narrative, cantering around a the old pagan religion of the earth mother goddess Auret, existing alongside and in competition with Christianity reminiscent of the The Mists of Avalon (Mists of Avalon 1) and Rosalind Miles Guinevere series.
It is filled with fantasy creations, such as mythical war creatures called Greylixes , elementals and much sorcery. The central characters in the novel are a seer and a pagan priestess who is also Queen Anne's favoured lady in waiting
A parallel universe exists here linking us with a student in the present day obsessed with Richard III, and who engages with the ghosts of the characters and whose world is linked to theirs in a time warp.
You would have to have an affinity for fantasy to enjoy this.
I found the discussion of the future of Richard's image by the central character a bit tedious and didnt like the way in which the ending presented Richard having won the battle and survived in an alternate reality,
But Warrington writes beautifully and is a master word smith.
Since then I have read several works about Richard III including the magnificent The Sunne In Splendour: A Novel of Richard III, Fortune's wheel and The Princes in the Tower. As well as seen the novilistic Richard III set against the backdrop of a 1930's Nazi type dictatorship in an imaginary England of the time.
This book definitely portrays Richard in a saintly light, and the villains of the piece are the Woodvilles (a vivid and engaging portrayal of Earl Rivers, Anthony Woodville) and later on the camp around Henry Tudor (Warrington has Margaret of Beaufort, Henry's mother play a particular sinister central twist)
And Ricardians will be glad to see their hero absolved of all blame for the murder of the princes in the tower.
Quite a vivid portrayal of the times, but this is a science fantasy as and not just a historical novels.
It has a feminist take on the narrative, cantering around a the old pagan religion of the earth mother goddess Auret, existing alongside and in competition with Christianity reminiscent of the The Mists of Avalon (Mists of Avalon 1) and Rosalind Miles Guinevere series.
It is filled with fantasy creations, such as mythical war creatures called Greylixes , elementals and much sorcery. The central characters in the novel are a seer and a pagan priestess who is also Queen Anne's favoured lady in waiting
A parallel universe exists here linking us with a student in the present day obsessed with Richard III, and who engages with the ghosts of the characters and whose world is linked to theirs in a time warp.
You would have to have an affinity for fantasy to enjoy this.
I found the discussion of the future of Richard's image by the central character a bit tedious and didnt like the way in which the ending presented Richard having won the battle and survived in an alternate reality,
But Warrington writes beautifully and is a master word smith.
February 21, 2015
An odd one, this one. In a sentence, it's a historical fantasy about Richard III.
DON'T READ it if you're going to grit your teeth every time you come across something that you know either didn't happen or could never have happened in a million years in the world as we know it or knew it. On the other hand, don't go expecting that this is so fanciful that you won't come away with a fresh perspective on the characters and events leading up to what has become known as the Battle of Bosworth. There's enough solid historical grounding of the characters and politics of the time to make it interesting as (yet another) Richard III novel, worthy for comparison in many ways with other straight (ie. non-fantasy) historical novels about Richard.
So, what is fantastical about this novel? DON'T READ ON IF YOU WANT A COMPLETE SURPRISE....
... Without giving too much away, firstly it's an England in which a matriarchal pagan religion (seemingly a vestige of Isis worship) is fighting for survival in a patriarchal Church-led society. There are also strange mythical creatures being used in the various battles between York and Lancaster. And as the novel progresses, the lines between the outer and the hidden worlds become blurred and what is reality and what is dream is not always clear.
Oh, and there's a "time split" element, with a modern-day university student somehow living the events in the past through her daydreams...........
There were moments I was either saying WTF to myself or plain wondering what the fantastical elements even added, but by the time you get to the end of the story, I was pretty much loving it. What that ending actually is, you have to read the whole thing to find out.
DON'T READ it if you're going to grit your teeth every time you come across something that you know either didn't happen or could never have happened in a million years in the world as we know it or knew it. On the other hand, don't go expecting that this is so fanciful that you won't come away with a fresh perspective on the characters and events leading up to what has become known as the Battle of Bosworth. There's enough solid historical grounding of the characters and politics of the time to make it interesting as (yet another) Richard III novel, worthy for comparison in many ways with other straight (ie. non-fantasy) historical novels about Richard.
So, what is fantastical about this novel? DON'T READ ON IF YOU WANT A COMPLETE SURPRISE....
... Without giving too much away, firstly it's an England in which a matriarchal pagan religion (seemingly a vestige of Isis worship) is fighting for survival in a patriarchal Church-led society. There are also strange mythical creatures being used in the various battles between York and Lancaster. And as the novel progresses, the lines between the outer and the hidden worlds become blurred and what is reality and what is dream is not always clear.
Oh, and there's a "time split" element, with a modern-day university student somehow living the events in the past through her daydreams...........
There were moments I was either saying WTF to myself or plain wondering what the fantastical elements even added, but by the time you get to the end of the story, I was pretty much loving it. What that ending actually is, you have to read the whole thing to find out.
April 19, 2016
I read this a while back, and am only now writing a review. At the time I rated this 5 stars, but I cannot confirm if I would still rate it the same if I were to re-read it today. But I clearly think it would deserve no less than 4.5 from my recollection.
I am a fan of this author and have read many of her books. She is very unconventional in her writing One can never expect the story to follow in a certain anticipated direction. Warrington almost always throws a monkey wrench in the plot steering the characters into a completely different direction then expected. If you expect the girl to end up with the guy.... um no. She will end up with a different guy (just a made up example).
This particular story I really liked because at the time I was very interested in Richard the III. I felt very sorry for him, as does Warrington (apparently) who is British, and always thought he got a bad rap. I think the author mentioned in either the foreword or afterword that she wrote this during the time when Richard's remains were located and was all the rage in the news.
Anyway, I remember this being very interesting, unique and different. This book is not heavy on romance and from what I recall it even has some paranormal aspect in it as well.
One day I will come back to re-read and write a proper review. I hope what I have written today helps.
December 2, 2016
Freda Warrington is, in my opinion, one of the best living fantasy writers. Although many of her novels are little known here in the USA, she has been an active author in the UK for many years. The Court of the Midnight King, which I purchased used, thus obtaining an actual British edition, is more of an alternate reality tale and should not be lumped in the historical novel category.
The premise is the possibility that King Richard III did not commit the atrocities he is credited with but was actually a just and competent ruler of his country during the troubled "War of the Roses", nor was he deformed or hunchbacked as Shakespeare portrayed him. I still haven't searched out the analysis of his recently discovered bones, which were still lost at the time Warrington's story was crafted, but now I am most curious to see what has been concluded from the evidence found under the parking lot.
The premise is the possibility that King Richard III did not commit the atrocities he is credited with but was actually a just and competent ruler of his country during the troubled "War of the Roses", nor was he deformed or hunchbacked as Shakespeare portrayed him. I still haven't searched out the analysis of his recently discovered bones, which were still lost at the time Warrington's story was crafted, but now I am most curious to see what has been concluded from the evidence found under the parking lot.
August 15, 2015
This is a very atmospheric and magical book, describing the time of Richard III, but from the point of view of an adherent of the pagan female deities in a world which is similar to ours in the fifteenth century but with subtle differences. And here the outcome of the Battle of Bosworth may not be a foregone conclusion.
I enjoyed the most the way the author evokes a different but vibrant and magical world and I liked her depiction of Richard as a young man and a person who evolves through the story.
It is definitely a book to keep so that you can re-read it!
I enjoyed the most the way the author evokes a different but vibrant and magical world and I liked her depiction of Richard as a young man and a person who evolves through the story.
It is definitely a book to keep so that you can re-read it!
March 17, 2015
World's within Worlds
A well written book but as convoluted as a maze. Reality and alternate worlds combine to reveal a hazy world. It is very creative but could have used some editing because in many places words were missing. I have given two stars because I consider some things blasphemous. It definitely tends toward the Wiccan world view.
A well written book but as convoluted as a maze. Reality and alternate worlds combine to reveal a hazy world. It is very creative but could have used some editing because in many places words were missing. I have given two stars because I consider some things blasphemous. It definitely tends toward the Wiccan world view.
September 27, 2015
I love the idea of taking know parts of history and using that storyline in an unconventional way. There sometimes is a limit to the amount of times historical facts can be tossed about into the telling of a certain POV mixed with logical thoughts on what may have went on...when there is also so much more that can be added by making it into not just historical fiction but historical fantasy.
March 16, 2026
Noblewomen working behind the scenes as priestesses of Isis? Okay, sounds interesting. I can get behind it.
But priests randomly slaughtering the sons of a suspected heretic just because she tried to stop them in their work? In an age when they claim the king is a living saint and everyone is pious, even before going to battle? Doesn't fly. Even Mary I would've given Eleanor a trial.
But priests randomly slaughtering the sons of a suspected heretic just because she tried to stop them in their work? In an age when they claim the king is a living saint and everyone is pious, even before going to battle? Doesn't fly. Even Mary I would've given Eleanor a trial.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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