![]() Upon the king's death, however, Stephen, also a grandchild of William I, snatches the crown. Of the 23 children sired by Henry I, son of William the Conqueror, only two were born in wedlock: William, whose drowning opens the novel, and Maude, who's declared the legitimate heir. Here begins the story of England's terrible 18 years from 1135-1153, during which a dead king's daughter, Maude, and her cousin Stephen fight for the crown. Happily, though, the author continues to base her narrative on the firm ground of fact-or at least on what is available after scholars have parted the medieval clouds of chroniclers' bias. ![]() ![]() In her fifth ambitious historical novel (The Reckoning, 1991, etc.)-and the first of a trilogy-Penman once again tells a tale of kings and queens, singular destinies and double-crosses, at an unhurried pace. ![]()
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