Dickon — Marjorie Bowen

Richard III is England's most controversial king. Some believe him to be a sinister murderer and others believe he is one of England's most patriotic monarchs.

In this fantastic piece of historical fiction, Marjorie Bowen delves into the childhood of Richard Plantagenet and reveals a moving tale.

Shaken by the tragic loss of his father and his older brother at the Battle of Wakefield, Richard and his elder brother George, later Duke of Clarence, are forced to flee the House of York to the Low Countries.

Here he overhears the gory details of the murders which have dealt him such a devastating blow and is visited by strange visions of a devil.

These haunting manifestations stay with him as he returns to England following the defeat of the Lancastrians.

As his eldest brother is crowned he trains as a knight and learns skills he later puts to the test as King of England.

Despite his growing sense of foreboding, Richard becomes a powerful and honourable ruler who struggles valiantly to ensure peace in England, offering leniency and mercy to some of the traitors brought before him.

But he is shocked when Richard Warwick, his cousin, nicknamed “Kingmaker”, betrays him in his hour of need and when George Clarence, his beloved brother, is seduced into treachery by his own lust for power.

A web of dynastic plots and treason trouble him.

He learns that the women surrounding him would sooner become nuns than witness more violence in the name of war and he tries to shield Anne Neville, his devoted wife, from his vicious enemies.

But will his efforts be in vain?

This is a story of conflict, violence and heartache. From his lonely childhood, to happier moments with Anne and the glory of victory, to his fateful death on Bosworth Field, the life of Richard III is written in the blood of those he most loved.

Praise for Marjorie Bowen:

“A book remarkable alike for its vividness and for its historical perspective” DAILY EXPRESS

“… one of the most novel features of Miss Bowen's book is the care she takes to see the point of view of Mary's lovers. She makes a plausible case for Bothwell and even joins the very select band of those who have something good to say for Darnley” TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

“Fresh, vivid, exciting and enthralling … This is a fine book” THE SPHERE

“A book in every way worthwhile … as an individual contribution to the subject, Miss Bowen's work is of the exceptional class” THE SCOTSMAN

Born in 1885, Marjorie Bowen (pseudonym of Margaret Gabrielle Vere Campbell Long) was one of Britain's most prolific authors of the twentieth century. Writing was more than just a hobby: her works were the primary source of financial support for her family. Between 1906 and her death in 1952, Bowen wrote over 150 books, garnering much acclaim for her popular histories and historical and gothic romances. Alongside masterful descriptions and concise, efficient prose, she deftly rendered larger-than-life subjects in the minds of her readers. To this day, aficionados of the genres covet Bowen's work.

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