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Bloodline

(Wars of the Roses #3)

Conn Iggulden

4.24 · Rating details · 5,097 ratings · 299 reviews

This novel from bestselling author Conn Iggulden is the third book in the critically acclaimed Wars of the Roses series. Following Stormbird and Trinity this novel will continue through the brutal Civil War that we now know as the Wars of the Roses.

Bloodline sees the Lancastrian and Yorkist factions clash at the battle of Towton - the single most bloody conflict every foug

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Kindle Edition, 420 pages

Published October 8th 2015 by Penguin

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Jun 13, 2016 Sean Barrs rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-star-reads, historical

This was just so damn good. The entire novel felt like one great big action sequence, as Iggulden captured the desperate, and crucial, nature of the fighting superbly. It was violent and intense; it was clever and brutal, more importantly though, it was careful. Edward and Warwick knew that their future and the continuing existence of their houses rested on this conflict. They couldn’t lose: they couldn’t make a mistake. So they didn’t.

The sons truly have been unleashed

description

-King Edward VI and Ea ...more

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Sep 13, 2016 Alice Poon rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

I had previously read the first novel in the series Stormbird and liked it but did not love it - the fictional character Derry Brewer was irritatingly unreal to me. In this third novel he only has a small part and his behavior and actions are much more believable.

The novel is divided into two parts: the first mainly dealing with the vicious Battle of Towton between the Lancastrian army led by Margaret of Anjou (Henry VI's wife) and the one led by Edward of York and Richard Neville ("the Kingmake I had previously read the first novel in the series Stormbird and liked it but did not love it - the fictional character Derry Brewer was irritatingly unreal to me. In this third novel he only has a small part and his behavior and actions are much more believable.

The novel is divided into two parts: the first mainly dealing with the vicious Battle of Towton between the Lancastrian army led by Margaret of Anjou (Henry VI's wife) and the one led by Edward of York and Richard Neville ("the Kingmaker"), and the second part focusing on the poisonous feud between Elizabeth Woodville (Edward IV's wife) and Richard Neville, and the latter's ultimate downfall.

The battle scenes are skillfully drawn to keep readers on their toes, but after a while, they lose some of their pull (at least they did for me). I personally found Part Two to be much more satisfying than the first, if only for the vivid characterization of the leading actors like Edward IV, Elizabeth Woodville and Richard Neville, and the piquant description of their increasingly convoluted relationships with each other as self-interest comes into play. In particular, Richard Neville is painted in a sympathetic light, which is not hard at all to believe.

Upon Elizabeth entering Edward's life, the friendship and trust between him and Richard begins to sour. Richard, once a loyal mentor and right-hand man to King Edward, is made to look like a fool in the French court on at least two occasions; his two brothers are made to suffer overt and callous humiliation, with the Neville family losing estates and titles; and Edward meanly rejects Richard's petition for his daughter to wed the Duke of Clarence (Edward's brother). So, we can at least understand his rage and his desire for revenge, even if we do not see the prudence of his making a precipitous and brash move to imprison Edward and consider putting Henry back on the throne. As things turn out, he sadly underestimates Edward's popularity among the subjects, which is enough to doom him to failure. His subsequent regret is almost a foregone conclusion.

This was a good historical fiction read that is worth 4 solid stars.
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Sep 30, 2015 Sean Smart rated it it was amazing

This series just keeps getting better and better, but being a Yorkist I wish Edward IV was portrayed more positively but I suspect it's accurate. Can't wait for the next volume but a year to wait I guess ...more

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Aug 07, 2015 Andy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, top10-2015, hist-f-renaissance

Nearly a 5 Star as its a 4.5pts for me.

Back on familiar ground with the third instalment of Conn Iggulden’s War of the Roses!

It grows on you, many new characters come to the fore after the last series climaxed in the fall of the Duke of York & it takes a little time to attune but once you are there its a smooth ride of a story. By now Derry is older & maybe not so wiser whilst the Queen has matured as she’s doubled in age from the frightened 15 year old girl that arrived in England. The sons of ...more

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Aug 06, 2015 happy rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction-historical

Once again Mr. Iggulden has written a very, very good historical novel. This entry in his Wars of the Roses series covers the time from just after the Battle of Wakefield to when Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick AKA the King Maker, decides to throw his lot in with Lancastrian cause, roughly from 1460 – 1469. The novel is divided into two parts. The first part covers the time for just after the Battle of Wakefield to the Battle of Towton. I felt this section had some of the best and most evoc Once again Mr. Iggulden has written a very, very good historical novel. This entry in his Wars of the Roses series covers the time from just after the Battle of Wakefield to when Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick AKA the King Maker, decides to throw his lot in with Lancastrian cause, roughly from 1460 – 1469. The novel is divided into two parts. The first part covers the time for just after the Battle of Wakefield to the Battle of Towton. I felt this section had some of the best and most evocative scenes in the novel. They included to impaling of the heads of the losers at Wakefield on the Micklegate Bar-one of the Gates of the City of York, the Lancastrian forces recovering Henry VI after the 2nd Battle of St. Albans, the refusal of the City of London to open its gates and welcome Henry and his queen and finally the authors depiction of the Battle of Towton.

The second part of the novel opens about 4 yrs after Towton and is more of a political potboiler than an adventure story. Mr. Iggulden tells the story of the fall of the Earl of Warwick. While it too has some excellent sequences, it moves much slower pace than the first part. In this half of the novel, the author looks at how Edward IV’s Queen, Elizabeth Woodville, moves to neutralize influence of the house of Neville and how that eventually drives Warwick into exile. The picture drawn of Warwick as he tries to figure out just what is happening to him and his family is very well done. Some of the events included in this section of the novel include John Neville’s, Warwick’s brother, “legal” executions of the Queen’s father and brother after being stripped of the Earldom of Northumberland, the embarrassment of Warwick at the King of France’s court as he is trying to negotiate a commercial treaty with France. In this scene Warwick is actually meeting the French King when he is told that Edward has concluded a treaty with Burgundy, France’s wayward Dukedom, totally embarrassing him in front of the French Court. The romance between Warwick’s daughter and the Kings brother is also well done as its consequences when the King forbids the wedding between the two.

As far as the characters go, most of those written about in the novel are actual historical figures. The main exception to this is Derry Brewer. He makes his return after being almost totally absent in the second novel of the series. His is depicted almost as Margaret’s, Henry VI's Queen and de facto leader of the Lancastrian cause, right hand man. He is always there to give advice and pass on intelligence. Sometimes the advice is good and sometimes it isn’t, but he still remains high in her esteem.

I felt that Warwick is portrayed fairly sympathically, especially in the second half of the novel. He is shown as feeling that he has earned his position as the most powerful non royal in England. He feels wronged by the Queen as she attempts to distance his family from the King and put her numerous relatives in place of the Nevilles. It all comes to a head when the Queen basically vetoes the marriage of Warwick’s daughter, Isabel, to Edward’s brother George, Duke of Clarence. The relationship between the two is portrayed as a love match. Warwick is depicted as not quite understanding why the King won’t approve the union. He sees it as a natural match – good for both the young people involved and at the same time cementing his family’s relationship with the Royal family. I thought the author did a good job a explaining the Queen’s reasons for strongly suggesting that the Edward not approve the match. The novel ends on Warwick and the two young lovers fleeing England and going ahead with the wedding despite Edward’s disapproval.

King Edward is the other main character of the novel. In the first half he is depicted as a head strong youth wanting revenge on those who killed his father. In the second half is pictured as totally infatuated with his wife and as willingly going along with her plans to disentangle the crown from the Nevilles in general and Warwick in particular. Obviously this back fires when Warwick flees England.

If there is a villain in the novel it is definitely Edward’s Queen, Elizabeth. She is portrayed as scheming and underhanded. She is not above using her influence on the King to get what she wants. That is usually displacing some Neville relative with one of her own family.

I thought the battle scenes, while not particularly gruesome where very well done, esp Towton. The movement of York’s army through the snow was really brought to life. In his author’s note, Mr. Iggulden says that if the high estimates are to be believed, Towton was even more deadly the first day of the Somme in 1916. In in contrast to the Somme and its machine guns and artillery, all the deaths at Towton were with arrows, swords, axes, billhooks, halberds and other edged weapons – hand to hand combat.

In summary, this is a very good historical novel. Mr. Iggulden brought me into the times and minds of those who experienced the chaos and uncertainty of those ten years. This just might be the best of the series and one of his best novels. I would give this 4.25 stars so I’ve rounded down for good reads.
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Aug 06, 2015 Samantha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: british-history, plantagenets

I love how Iggulden brings something new to the Wars of the Roses in each installment in this series. He has taken a story that has been told many times and adds in a few new details that other authors left in the background. An example: the opening scene at York's Micklegate with men struggling to place the heads of Richard of York, Richard Neville of Salisbury, and Edmund of Rutland on spikes. I think I was holding my breath.

Margaret should have taken the Duke of York's warning more seriously. ...more

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Aug 27, 2015 Kate rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites-read-in-2015, out-in-2015-and-read

Conn Iggulden is one of the finest storytellers out there and it's no surprise to me that Bloodline proved to be an outstanding, powerful novel that fully immersed me in the events of the Wars of the Roses for two glorious days. History - and some of the most dominant personalities of the mid 15th century - comes alive on the page.

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Aug 06, 2015 Gretchen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: wars-of-the-roses

After being slightly disappointed with the previous book in this series, I was anxious to see if Iggulden returned to some of what made Stormbird so fantastic. I was not disappointed with Bloodlines. This King Edward, oh my. What a beefcake.

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Sep 13, 2017 Sud666 rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

This book starts with the buildup to the famous battle of Towton. Edward Plantagenet of House York has taken to the field. The English people and many lords are rising up for him. But Henry, primarily Queen Margaret, also have their forces. The two meet in a large snowstorm outside of Towton.

The rest of the book gets into the conflict that arises by Edward marrying Elizabeth Woodville and then promoting her family to high positions, which then cause problems with the Nevilles.

The Wars of the Ros ...more

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Jul 25, 2020 Paola rated it it was amazing

I've read different books about the war of roses, but I feel this saga is one of my favorites about that period of war between cousins in order to achieve power.
In this book the house of York will rise with a powerful warrior king led to the throne by none other than the famous kingmaker, and the Nevilles will achieve their goals under king Edward's reign, until a she wolf changes things... ...more

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Jan 05, 2017 Boudewijn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, local-library, english

This is a great book, superbly plotted and paced. Conn Iggulden is in a class of his own when it comes to epic, historical fiction

After the death of Richard, duke of York, the warrior queen Margaret of Anjou continues her battle against the houses of York and Neville, trying to secure the throne for her husband, Henry VI of Lancaster.

This third book is the best one yet. There are two battles and fortunes waivered. We see the rise of King Edward IV, the decline of Margaret of Anjou. The spotlight ...more

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Dec 12, 2015 The Book Queen marked it as on-hold

For Christmas 2014, I received the second book in this series, Trinity. For Christmas 2015, I received Bloodline. And I'm feeling slight deja vu, because I'm doing exactly the same thing to Bloodline as I did to Trinity: putting it on hold. There's nothing wrong with it - in fact, it's really good - it's just not grabbing my attention at the moment. I have so many other books I received for Christmas to read, and this one is massive and will take me forever to get through, so it's going on hold ...more

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Apr 04, 2018 Mark Harrison rated it really liked it

The York and Lancaster clans continue their struggles for the throne but each victory creates more factions and more plotting. Brilliant, true story and totally captivating with intrigue and battles on a huge scale. Love Warwick.

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Feb 28, 2019 Alisa rated it really liked it

It's a time to feel sympathy for the Yorks in Conn Iggulden's Bloodline. The Duke and his young son are dead, their heads adorning pikes. The duke's oldest son, Edward, seeks revenge. If you know your history, you know how this turns out, but there's still a great deal of pleasure in reading about it. With the help of the Earl of Warwick, the Kingmaker, Edward takes what he considers his rightful place in England.

Nothing's ever easy, though, is it? You're meant to be king, and there's a pesky, w ...more

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Oct 20, 2015 Cormac Healy rated it it was amazing

Ok, this actually pains me a little to write this but I have been a massive Conn Iggulden fan since as a teenage lad I picked up Wolf of the Plains and got sucked into the world of Genghis Khan, which has remained both my favorite book of his and my favorite historical fiction book of all time. Until now. Maybe. I'm actually still undecided. But one thing I am decided on is the awesomeness of this book.

The third in the trilogy on the Wars of the Roses and things are in full swing. There are batt ...more

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Oct 05, 2015 Robert French rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2015

Superb historical fiction. Conn Iggulden is without doubt, one of the best writers of historical fiction today. The complexity of the various factions and switches in fortune during the Wars of the Roses can be difficult to follow. From the very start, even after a year of waiting, you are quickly drawn back into the history and excitement. Now comes the wait for the next in the series. After all, the Wars of the Roses have still not drawn to a close. ...more

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Jun 03, 2020 Dan (Reader&Writer) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

An exciting read, great if you want to learn about the war of the roses. Though make sure you fact check before taking it all to literally!

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Jul 26, 2016 Linda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Readers, read the book.

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Nov 26, 2017 Thomas rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 06, 2021 Rosie Lee rated it it was amazing

Book 3 and what a fabulous read action packed and a real page turner one more book in the series to read and what then😞

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Mar 10, 2017 Chris rated it really liked it

Shelves: biographical-hist-fiction

Bloodline is a continuation of the excellent historical fiction series about the Wars of the Roses. This book takes place between 1461 and and 1469, coverings several of the major battles between the two factions. It also covers the downfall of the Neville family due to the influence of Elizabeth Woodville, King Edward IV's queen.

Iggulden's battle scenes are excellent. In this book, he paints a vivid picture of the famous Battle of Towton, which was one of the largest battles fought on English ...more

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Oct 23, 2015 Kara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: plantegent-fiction

Another excellent edition in Iggulden's War of the Roses series.

Here he brings the battles front and center with an absolute minimum of backroom deals and bedroom intrigues. Its a masculine take on the events, which makes for an interesting angle, given other takes on the events of the era. This is historical fiction meets military fiction. He wants the reader to GET IT why, exactly, the Battle of Towton goes down in history as one of the worst battles EVER.

And as Iggulden's teases out the perh ...more

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Jul 21, 2016 Jacqueline rated it it was amazing

It's the individual authors take on these historical times and how each author brings them life in different way that makes historical fiction so much for me and how I am able to read so many books based on the same points in time and still learn something new from each of them without ever getting bored. I loved Sharon Kay Penman's books, especially The Sunne in Splendour. But Iggulden gives me a different view. If you want more action less talking and if you love descriptive passages of histor ...more

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Apr 05, 2016 Cherie rated it really liked it

It took a long time to finish this with exams and work piling up my desk, but nevertheless, finished it I did. AND HELL YEAH WAS THAT A GOOD BOOK!

I like how despite the fact that it is the third instalment of the series, the story is as gripping as the other two. However, the only flaw is that it seemed a little bit one-sided? In other words, it's more like a historical account of the Nevilles than the Plantagenets themselves. It would be nice to read through more of the Woodvilles or Plantagene ...more

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Sep 18, 2016 J.P. Ashman rated it it was amazing

The jump from the last update to this was in one read. I couldn't put it down!

I love historical fiction and yet (apart from documentaries and text books) this series is my first foray into Wars of the Roses. I'm enjoying what Conn has done with it so far. An interesting viewpoint on the main players in this, the original Game of Thrones. The battles are visual and visceral and the setting and characters quickly become familiar. Warwick was my fave in this book and I look forward to the next to c ...more

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Nov 14, 2015 The Book Queen marked it as to-read · review of another edition

GUESS WHAT I HAVE NOW HUH
THAT'S RIGHT
THIS BOOK
I'M SO EXCITED
WHEEEEEEEEEE
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Apr 17, 2017 Cat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Another great book in the War of the Roses series. I’m not surprised really, Conn Iggulden is one of the best authors ever.
You’re not just reading facts about true events from the past, you are there, fighting with Margaret of Anjou, Richard of York, Richard of Warwick, and my favourite character, Derry Brewer.

In this book, I finally get to read the big battle of Towton. Of course, I wasn’t disappointed. I was on the edge of my seat even though I knew the outcome.

I was really looking forward to ...more

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Oct 18, 2015 *Thea 'Wookiee'sMama' Wilson* rated it it was amazing

My Thoughts On The Book:

'A page-turning thriller'
Mail on Sunday

The Plot Of The Story:
Wowsers! These books just get better and better with each and every book!
Finally in this book we catch up with the more well known portion of The War Of Roses as Edward of York becomes king and takes widowed Elizabeth Woodville as his wife. Slowly the Woodville family begins to insinuate themselves into every corner of the crown, much to the disgust of Warwick, the Kingmaker.
Margaret of Anjou is still on the ...more

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Jun 26, 2015 Rebekah May rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, favourite-books, read-in-2016, read-in-2015, adult

Book 1: Stormbird review
Book 2: Trinity review
Book 4: Ravenspur: Rise of the Tudors review

Reread: May 2016
It's been less than a year since I first read this, but I decided to reread the entire series in preparation for the new book coming out this month. I have to say, I enjoyed this so much more reading it straight after books one and two. It flowed a lot better and I was left more satisfied at the end. Also, for some reason I thought this was a trilogy - I'm not entirely sure where I picke ...more

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Jun 19, 2018 Alison rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Really enjoying this series and NEED to get the next one soon because despite knowing what happens I need to know what happens! Been grateful for the 'historical notes' at the end of each novel to clear up a couple of 'but I thought...' moments. ...more

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About Conn Iggulden

Conn Iggulden

4,156 followers

Also publishes under author name C.F. Iggulden.

I was born in the normal way in 1971, and vaguely remember half-pennies and sixpences. I have written for as long as I can remember: poetry, short stories and novels. It’s what I always wanted to do and read English at London University with writing in mind. I taught English for seven years and was Head of English at St. Gregory’s RC High School in Lo Also publishes under author name C.F. Iggulden.

I was born in the normal way in 1971, and vaguely remember half-pennies and sixpences. I have written for as long as I can remember: poetry, short stories and novels. It’s what I always wanted to do and read English at London University with writing in mind. I taught English for seven years and was Head of English at St. Gregory’s RC High School in London by the end of that period. I have enormous respect for those who still labour at the chalk-face. In truth, I can’t find it in me to miss the grind of paperwork and initiatives. I do miss the camaraderie of the smokers’ room, as well as the lessons where their faces lit up as they understood what I was wittering on about.

My mother is Irish and from an early age she told me history as an exciting series of stories – with dates. My great-grandfather was a Seannachie, so I suppose story-telling is in the genes somewhere. My father flew in Bomber Command in WWII, then taught maths and science. Perhaps crucially, he also loved poetry and cracking good tales. Though it seems a dated idea now, I began teaching when boys were told only girls were good at English, despite the great names that must spring to mind after that statement. My father loved working with wood and equations, but he also recited ‘Vitai Lampada’ with a gleam in his eye and that matters, frankly.

I’ve always loved historical fiction as a genre and cut my teeth on Hornblower and Tai-Pan, Flashman, Sharpe and Jack Aubrey. I still remember the sheer joy of reading my first Patrick O’Brian book and discovering there were nineteen more in the series. I love just about anything by David Gemmell, or Peter F. Hamilton or Wilbur Smith. I suppose the one thing that links all those is the love of a good tale.

That’s about it for the moment. If you’d like to get in touch with me leave a comment in the forum or you can tweet me @Conn_Iggulden. I’ll leave it there for the moment. If you’ve read my books, you know an awful lot about the way I think already. There’s no point overdoing it.

Conn Iggulden
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Quotes from Bloodline

“The loss of innocence was a powerful thing, especially to a woman. Yet what came after was always better cloth, for all the single red stains. Derry knew women hid such things each month. Perhaps that was the heart of women’s secrets and their inner lives. They had to hide blood—and they understood it.” — 0 likes

“God giveth and God taketh away. Just be sure you’re present when he giveth – and somewhere else when he taketh it all back.” — 0 likes

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(Wars of the Roses #3)

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