Skip to content
Responsive image
Vendor
Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories

A KING'S RANSOM

Sharon Kay Penman

In this stunning sequel to Lionheart, her New York Times bestseller, Penman continues the epic saga of Richard, Coeur de Lion, the legendary medieval warrior-king.
Although by Papal decree no harm was to come to any crusader, on sailing for home after the Third Crusade, Richard was taken prisoner by the Holy Roman Emperor. He would languish in chains for more than a year while his indomitable mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, rallied all her resources to raise the exorbitant ransom Heinrich demanded. But Richard knew nothing of her efforts and was utterly at the mercy of a hated and hateful enemy, his hopes of freedom repeatedly dashed.

But pay it Eleanor did, bringing it to Heinrich personally. Still, more was demanded: That Richard should swear fealty to Heinrich as his liege lord, a humiliation worse than the chains that had bound him. Only his mother’s entreaties finally persuaded him to kneel before the Emperor.

Richard was to live only five years longer, and those years were beset with danger: betrayals, intrigues, wars, and illness were ever present. (So were his infidelities, marking the destruction of his marriage in much the way his father’s had done.) Yet through it all, the power, courage, and intelligence of the man shines through in this remarkable novel, making it easy to understand why his untimely death was so shocking and why his legend lived on. Edgar Award-nominated Sharon Kay Penman is the author of eight historical novels and four medieval mysteries, including Lionheart (Putnam, October 2011) and Devil’s Brood (Putnam, October 2008). Both sold in Czech/BB Art and Russian/Veche.
Available products
Book

Published 2014-02-04 by A Marion Wood Book / Putnam

Book

Published 2014-02-04 by A Marion Wood Book / Putnam

Comments

Detailed down to the last flagon of wine, Penman’s work will please serious fans of historical fiction. . . Characters rise from the pages—Richard, brave warrior, skilled diplomat; Heinrich, "If he were cut, he’d bleed ice"; the mercenary Mercadier; and multitudes more. Seven years of sieges and battles, confrontations in castles and on horseback are lovingly detailed. . . Penman’s latest is a massively entertaining work of historical fiction for dedicated fans. Read more...

Penman again gives readers a well-researched and impressively detailed narrative displaying a strong commitment to historical accuracy and richly drawn, sympathetic characters. Penman has a rare gift for making the complicated political world of medieval Europe accessible to today’s readers, and her many fans will be well rewarded by this latest offering.

Penman’s long-awaited sequel to her book Lionheart covers the last seven years of Richard’s life. There’s betrayal, war, illness and intrigue….She includes everyday details that get you right into the story . . . once you start reading you won’t want to stop. Read more...

A panoramic retelling of the tumultuous last years of Richard the Lionheart’s life . . . Penman has absorbed herself so fully into the heart and mind of her protagonist that an undeniably flawed but refreshingly human Richard virtually walks off the pages. This atmospheric fictional biography showcases the author’s mastery of all things medieval while providing some refreshingly new twists on the life and times of a hallowed hero.