The Court of Midnight King

Richard III - is he really one of the greatest villains of all time, or just a permanently misunderstood king whose image has been tarnished and distorted by a propagandist playwright? Ever since Shakespeare's classic image of the demonic hunchbacked psychotic, Richard has been a source of fascination and intrigue for hundreds of years, with various historians arguing for and against his case, and a multitude of actors giving different interpretations of the role. With her latest novel, fantasy author Freda Warrington has followed up her previous series The Jewelfire Trilogy with an exploration of Richard's story from a different and intriguing angle. A thought-provoking blend of myth, magic and historical research, Warrington's novel tells Richard's tale with a Gothic slant and a hint of magic, following the life of Richard, his destined wife Katherine, and the loyal knight Raphael and the difficult choices they are faced in an England haunted by elemental forces and torn by savage warfare. Following Richard's ascent from Duke of Gloucester to King, Warrington's style easily conjures up the mediaeval world, giving the events of the story a vivid and evocative tone while also bringing life to the many characters whose lives cross Richard's path. There are also plenty of surprises, as Warrington isn't afraid to divert from the commonly held picture of Richard, resulting in an interesting exploration of the differences between history, myth and reality. Between the atmospheric prose and the three-dimensional characterization, the only small flaws come in the linking modern-day sequences, depicting a college student's obsession with uncovering the truth about Richard, which emphasize the novel's main themes with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Despite these occasional mis-steps, this is an absorbing reworking of one of history's most fascinating characters, and an affecting mixture of gritty fantasy and well-researched reality. (Kirkus UK)