THE FIRST BOOK IN BEN KANE’S EPIC RICHARD THE LIONHEART SERIES – HISTORICAL FICTION WRITING AT ITS FINEST’A rip-roaring epic, filled with arrows and spattered with blood’ Paul Finch1179. Henry II is King of England, Wales, Ireland, Normandy, Brittany and Aquitaine. The House of Plantagenet reigns supreme. But there is unrest in Henry’s house. Not for the first time, his family talks of rebellion. Ferdia – an Irish nobleman taken captive during the conquest of his homeland – saves the life of Richard, the king’s son. In reward for his bravery, he is made squire to Richard, who is already a renowned warrior. Crossing the English Channel, the two are plunged into a campaign to crush rebels in Aquitaine. The bloody battles and gruelling sieges which followed would earn Richard the legendary name of Lionheart. But Richard’s older brother, Henry, is infuriated by his sibling’s newfound fame. Soon it becomes clear that the biggest threat to Richard’s life may not be rebel or French armies, but his own family… ‘Ben’s deeply authoritative depiction of the time is delivered in a deft manner.’ Simon Scarrow