The Court of the Midnight King: A Dream of Richard III
Genre: Kindle Edition
Brand: Bloodwine Books
Author: Freda Warrington
Price: £0.00
“Superb fusion of dazzling alternative history and smouldering romance." -Justina Robson, author of Natural History.
RICHARD III - the most famous and eternally fascinating king of all time. To this day, he excites furious controversy. With the real-life discovery of his remains buried in Leicester, UK, interest in King Richard III is now at fever pitch. Was he Shakespeare's charismatic, witty, shadowy villain, or a man of his time whose character was redeemed by later scholars? Or is the truth more complicated? King Richard was a man who, good or evil, can never be forgotten.
In THE COURT OF THE MIDNIGHT KING, meet Richard III as you’ve never seen him before.
Freda Warrington’s lushly written alternative version of his story is replete with magic and a rich sense of period. This is not one for dry historians, but for lovers of fantasy, history and romance with a thirst for magical possibilities and a love of vividly portrayed characters.
To Lady Katherine, Richard of Gloucester is a dark angel. To his faithful knight Raphael, he is a creature of light. To others, a complex and seductive mystery. In a world slightly askew from ours, amid the furious strife of the Wars of the Roses, a chance meeting binds Kate and Richard together, while Raphael becomes haunted by nightmare visions of the future…
Here is a novel that sets out to portray, not an historically accurate story (impossible), but rather a dream journey into the psyche in order to examine why Richard remains so captivating to millions. “The Court of the Midnight King is a story about trying to know the unknowable. We never can. But we never stop trying.”
By the award-winning fantasy author Freda Warrington, author of Elfland, A Taste of Blood Wine, The Amber Citadel, Dracula the Undead, and many more highly acclaimed novels. (This text also contains a preview of A TASTE OF BLOOD WINE).
"One of my very favourite historical fantasy novels. Gorgeously written, a wonderful book to sink into." -Stephanie Burgis, author of A Most Improper Magick.
SHORT TASTER: Richard turned, his face aglow and ghastly. “I’ve never spoken of this to anyone. I could never confess my terror, not to my brothers, nor even to my mother. She would only have told me to pray for redemption. How could I explain what horror I’d seen, still less explain that this darkness is so interwoven with my soul that an eternity of praying and an army of priests could never exorcise it? They’d have thought me bewitched. All I’ve done to avert this destiny has been in vain. I might as well have torn down the altar, burned my prayer books, ripped out my own heart and offered it to Satan.”
His voice rose, making Raphael start. He was suddenly alight with passion. “Well, let Tudor come! Let them have the apocalypse they want. I shall fight as I have lived, and take as many with me as I may to the pits of hell.”
Outside, Raphael heard the first sounds of the camp coming to life.
King Richard rose, moved towards the pavilion’s entrance and lifted the flap. The first indigo glimmer of dawn brushed distant Redemore Plain. In the gloom, Raphael saw tiny figures toiling up the hill.
Very quietly, Richard said, “For all I’ve done, for all I am, and for all the sins of my family, I am punished. I’ve spun a web of soot and barbs. And now, the final act.”
RICHARD III - the most famous and eternally fascinating king of all time. To this day, he excites furious controversy. With the real-life discovery of his remains buried in Leicester, UK, interest in King Richard III is now at fever pitch. Was he Shakespeare's charismatic, witty, shadowy villain, or a man of his time whose character was redeemed by later scholars? Or is the truth more complicated? King Richard was a man who, good or evil, can never be forgotten.
In THE COURT OF THE MIDNIGHT KING, meet Richard III as you’ve never seen him before.
Freda Warrington’s lushly written alternative version of his story is replete with magic and a rich sense of period. This is not one for dry historians, but for lovers of fantasy, history and romance with a thirst for magical possibilities and a love of vividly portrayed characters.
To Lady Katherine, Richard of Gloucester is a dark angel. To his faithful knight Raphael, he is a creature of light. To others, a complex and seductive mystery. In a world slightly askew from ours, amid the furious strife of the Wars of the Roses, a chance meeting binds Kate and Richard together, while Raphael becomes haunted by nightmare visions of the future…
Here is a novel that sets out to portray, not an historically accurate story (impossible), but rather a dream journey into the psyche in order to examine why Richard remains so captivating to millions. “The Court of the Midnight King is a story about trying to know the unknowable. We never can. But we never stop trying.”
By the award-winning fantasy author Freda Warrington, author of Elfland, A Taste of Blood Wine, The Amber Citadel, Dracula the Undead, and many more highly acclaimed novels. (This text also contains a preview of A TASTE OF BLOOD WINE).
"One of my very favourite historical fantasy novels. Gorgeously written, a wonderful book to sink into." -Stephanie Burgis, author of A Most Improper Magick.
SHORT TASTER: Richard turned, his face aglow and ghastly. “I’ve never spoken of this to anyone. I could never confess my terror, not to my brothers, nor even to my mother. She would only have told me to pray for redemption. How could I explain what horror I’d seen, still less explain that this darkness is so interwoven with my soul that an eternity of praying and an army of priests could never exorcise it? They’d have thought me bewitched. All I’ve done to avert this destiny has been in vain. I might as well have torn down the altar, burned my prayer books, ripped out my own heart and offered it to Satan.”
His voice rose, making Raphael start. He was suddenly alight with passion. “Well, let Tudor come! Let them have the apocalypse they want. I shall fight as I have lived, and take as many with me as I may to the pits of hell.”
Outside, Raphael heard the first sounds of the camp coming to life.
King Richard rose, moved towards the pavilion’s entrance and lifted the flap. The first indigo glimmer of dawn brushed distant Redemore Plain. In the gloom, Raphael saw tiny figures toiling up the hill.
Very quietly, Richard said, “For all I’ve done, for all I am, and for all the sins of my family, I am punished. I’ve spun a web of soot and barbs. And now, the final act.”