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mnstucki's review against another edition
3.0
Incredibly, graphically violent in some places, which is why it wasn't a four-star book for me. I would love to finish the series because this is a time period I know virtually nothing about and I overall enjoy Iggulden's storytelling, but I'm not sure whether I will be able to bring myself to do it knowing how graphic the violence will be.
laura_c_'s review against another edition
3.0
War of the Roses Round 2! Liked this one better than Cecily - it covers a shorter span and has more perspective characters, plus the cartoonishly villainous Yorks were quite funny. It's not exactly married to historical accuracy, has slightly weird chaptering divisions and I don't love all the characters but it's basically a fun read. Will we ever find out who (or what) was the titular Stormbird?
julia2manybooks's review against another edition
DNF. Helaas. Stond lang in de kast maar ik kwam er niet in. Eerste deel van boek 1 gelezen.
susani_'s review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book and can’t wait till I get the second book in the series ☺️
sandracabanes's review
5.0
En realidad, 4'75 ⭐
Hacía unos meses que no leía narrativa histórica pura y dura, y este libro ha sido todo un descubrimiento. No hay mucho que pueda contar sin desvelar gran parte de la trama (además de que la saga está basada en un hecho real), así que solo puedo decir algunas cosas en general.
Para ser el inicio de una saga suceden muchas cosas y hay un gran cambio en algunos de los personajes desde el incio hasta el final del libro. Lo que me encanta de este género es lo inesperado que es, nunca sé por dónde irá la trama, y me encanta que mueran personajes sin que me lo espere 😅
La pluma del autor es muy amena, hace que se lea deprisa y sin que resulte pesado, y las descripciones son concisas. De los personajes, mis favoritos han sido Derry y Margarita. Qué maravilla de señora, estoy segura de que va a dar mucho juego en los siguientes libros, o eso espero.
No recomiendo el libro para lectores que se aburran con conflictos bélicos y políticos, porque gran parte de la trama está centrada únicamente en eso. A mí es algo que me gusta mucho y que he disfrutado, estoy deseando ver cómo continua la historia y ver qué pasa con el trono de Inglaterra.
Le he puesto un 4'75 porque los capítulos de Jack Cade me daban un poco de pereza y me costaban un poco más. Es un personaje que no me ha gustado, no he logrado empatizar con su "causa" y creo que era bastante hipócrita y contradictorio.
**ACTUALIZACIÓN 01/08/2018***
Reseña completa en el blog: http://tintaliteratura.blogspot.com/2018/07/tormenta-la-guerra-de-las-dos-rosas-1.html
Hacía unos meses que no leía narrativa histórica pura y dura, y este libro ha sido todo un descubrimiento. No hay mucho que pueda contar sin desvelar gran parte de la trama (además de que la saga está basada en un hecho real), así que solo puedo decir algunas cosas en general.
Para ser el inicio de una saga suceden muchas cosas y hay un gran cambio en algunos de los personajes desde el incio hasta el final del libro. Lo que me encanta de este género es lo inesperado que es, nunca sé por dónde irá la trama, y me encanta que mueran personajes sin que me lo espere 😅
La pluma del autor es muy amena, hace que se lea deprisa y sin que resulte pesado, y las descripciones son concisas. De los personajes, mis favoritos han sido Derry y Margarita. Qué maravilla de señora, estoy segura de que va a dar mucho juego en los siguientes libros, o eso espero.
No recomiendo el libro para lectores que se aburran con conflictos bélicos y políticos, porque gran parte de la trama está centrada únicamente en eso. A mí es algo que me gusta mucho y que he disfrutado, estoy deseando ver cómo continua la historia y ver qué pasa con el trono de Inglaterra.
Le he puesto un 4'75 porque los capítulos de Jack Cade me daban un poco de pereza y me costaban un poco más. Es un personaje que no me ha gustado, no he logrado empatizar con su "causa" y creo que era bastante hipócrita y contradictorio.
**ACTUALIZACIÓN 01/08/2018***
Reseña completa en el blog: http://tintaliteratura.blogspot.com/2018/07/tormenta-la-guerra-de-las-dos-rosas-1.html
lamensolatraboccante's review against another edition
3.0
Ho questo libro in biblioteca da anni, la Guerra delle Rose è una di quelle vicende che mi ha sempre affascinato tantissimo. Mi sono decisa a leggere questo romanzo solo qualche giorno fa.
Cosa ne penso? Un libro nella media: è indubbiamente un romanzo ben scritto, anche se le descrizioni cruente delle battaglie sono fin troppo particolareggiate per i miei gusti; alcune vicende sono fin troppo romanzate, ma gli intrighi politici che hanno tessuto tutta la trama di questa guerra infinita sono ben spiegati e motivati.
Sicuramente non è tra i miei romanzi preferiti, ma ho intenzione comunque di leggere i successivi libri di questa saga prima di dare una sentenza definitiva :)
Se vi piacciono le battaglie sanguinolente e le diatribe politiche ben descritte, è il libro che fa per voi!
Cosa ne penso? Un libro nella media: è indubbiamente un romanzo ben scritto, anche se le descrizioni cruente delle battaglie sono fin troppo particolareggiate per i miei gusti; alcune vicende sono fin troppo romanzate, ma gli intrighi politici che hanno tessuto tutta la trama di questa guerra infinita sono ben spiegati e motivati.
Sicuramente non è tra i miei romanzi preferiti, ma ho intenzione comunque di leggere i successivi libri di questa saga prima di dare una sentenza definitiva :)
Se vi piacciono le battaglie sanguinolente e le diatribe politiche ben descritte, è il libro che fa per voi!
vistenda's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
rebecca_kate78's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
fingernegl's review against another edition
3.0
Stormbird left me feeling an array of mixed emotions that I undoubtly can thank the mixed quality of the characters for.
I attempted to read Stormbird two years ago at the behest of my history teacher, though after struggling for a while, I was forced to put it back on my bookshelf, as I realised that I was far from being in the right mood to conquer it. Last month, I finished Owen by Tony Riches, thus making me want to continue down the path of historical fiction centered around the War of the Roses. Naturally, that made me grab Stormbird with a strong determination to finish it this time.
Once I hit the 150 page-mark, I realised that I perhaps had other reasons for my last failed attempt at reading the book, but I persisted, not wanting to give up. And here I am, ready to paint my experience of reading Stormbird by Conn Iggulden.
Stormbird is the first book out of four painting an intense time in English history, namely the War of the Roses between the powerful houses of Lancaster and York.
Stormbird primarily takes place in the mid-1440s to early 1450s. The dating naturally depends on whether or not you follow the real time line or Iggulden's time line. I can start out by mentioning that the need to differentiate between those two bothers me immensely. Iggulden is off by a few years in regards to certain details. To give a few examples; Richard of York becomes Protecter of the Realm in 1450 instead of 1453 - his son was born in 1450(49?) instead of 1452 - Prince Edward was born in 1453, but Margaret is visibly pregnant in 1450. Insignificent they might appear, but it still bothered me to an extent, seeing as there is little to no dispute about the occurrence of the events. Luckily, Iggulden clears this up in the historical notes in the end, and to some extent, I find myself satisfied with the explanation, though I found it worth noting.
By the way, I loved the historical notes at the end. It is clear that fiction is needed to fill out the gaps, otherwise it would be less than entertaining. Therefore I find it brilliant that he took time to explain what was fictional and what not. Lovely addition, plus points from here!
Let us dig a bit deeper into the flesh of the content. Stormbird is told through the eyes of a certain amount of prominent characters - and I had mixed feelings about this. To be clearer, moreso about the perspectives chosen than the structure itself.
I find it smart that Iggulden chose to include the perspectives of ordinary men, as it helps the reader understand the consequences of losing the French territories of Anjou and Maine. However, I was not nearly as fond of their perspectives, as I had wished to be. I found the perspective of Thomas Woodchurch to be rather boring when first met, but the character fortunately grew on me. I cannot say the same about Jack Cade, whose perspective I found to be boring through the entirety of his plotline. All of it was focused on his rebellion, which I admittedly found to be the least exciting part of the plot. Perhaps I am simply not too keen on the fighting? Ironic, perhaps, but I wished the focus had been elsewhere.
To weave some positivity into this review, I did thoroughly enjoy the perspectives of Margaret of Anjou and William de la Pole, at least the majority of the time. I found Margaret to be a delightful and likeable character, whom I wish would have had more time to shine. Perhaps in the next books? I realise Iggulden might have painted William in a brighter picture than the reality of his historical counterpart, but I liked him - a loyal, honest and unfortunately ill-fated man. His character was a nice refreshment amongst the other lords.
And now, let us talk about Derrihew Brewer. First of all, can we talk about his name? With all possibilities open, as Derrihew is an entirely fictional character, Iggulden chose a name that I question with all my might. Frankly, it annoyed me, as no name has annoyed me since reading The Balled of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, where the protagonist is called Coriolanus - now that is impressive.
Focusing more so on his character, I am fairly certain I disliked his perspective the most. I cannot exactly pinpoint where it went wrong, but I find his character to be annoying beyond belief. Perhaps that was the point of his character? I am unsure. Naturally, I understand the reason behind his creation, as I do not doubt that Iggulden is right in his theory. A man like Derrihew would have been needed to create an alliance between the two countries and whatever else he was responsible for. Nevertheless, I found it a shame that a great deal of time was wasted on his perspective, when I believe there would be better stories told.
Honourable mention: Duke of York
To sum it all up: Stormbird is a fine book, doing the genre of historical fiction great justice. Personally, I found some aspects more enjoyable than others. I would probably not be the first to mention that I felt like Iggulden focused slightly too much on the battle and bloody parts of the early conflict. Perhaps it would have intrigued me more, if the reader had been led behind the curtains of the conflict. However, Iggulden chose this approach, and it is without doubt interesting on its own - just not so much for me.
A fine read - boring at times, enjoyable at others. I would surely consider getting my hands on the sequel, but perhaps first in a while, as I need to recharge my batteries.
I attempted to read Stormbird two years ago at the behest of my history teacher, though after struggling for a while, I was forced to put it back on my bookshelf, as I realised that I was far from being in the right mood to conquer it. Last month, I finished Owen by Tony Riches, thus making me want to continue down the path of historical fiction centered around the War of the Roses. Naturally, that made me grab Stormbird with a strong determination to finish it this time.
Once I hit the 150 page-mark, I realised that I perhaps had other reasons for my last failed attempt at reading the book, but I persisted, not wanting to give up. And here I am, ready to paint my experience of reading Stormbird by Conn Iggulden.
Stormbird is the first book out of four painting an intense time in English history, namely the War of the Roses between the powerful houses of Lancaster and York.
Stormbird primarily takes place in the mid-1440s to early 1450s. The dating naturally depends on whether or not you follow the real time line or Iggulden's time line. I can start out by mentioning that the need to differentiate between those two bothers me immensely. Iggulden is off by a few years in regards to certain details. To give a few examples; Richard of York becomes Protecter of the Realm in 1450 instead of 1453 - his son was born in 1450(49?) instead of 1452 - Prince Edward was born in 1453, but Margaret is visibly pregnant in 1450. Insignificent they might appear, but it still bothered me to an extent, seeing as there is little to no dispute about the occurrence of the events. Luckily, Iggulden clears this up in the historical notes in the end, and to some extent, I find myself satisfied with the explanation, though I found it worth noting.
By the way, I loved the historical notes at the end. It is clear that fiction is needed to fill out the gaps, otherwise it would be less than entertaining. Therefore I find it brilliant that he took time to explain what was fictional and what not. Lovely addition, plus points from here!
Let us dig a bit deeper into the flesh of the content. Stormbird is told through the eyes of a certain amount of prominent characters - and I had mixed feelings about this. To be clearer, moreso about the perspectives chosen than the structure itself.
I find it smart that Iggulden chose to include the perspectives of ordinary men, as it helps the reader understand the consequences of losing the French territories of Anjou and Maine. However, I was not nearly as fond of their perspectives, as I had wished to be. I found the perspective of Thomas Woodchurch to be rather boring when first met, but the character fortunately grew on me. I cannot say the same about Jack Cade, whose perspective I found to be boring through the entirety of his plotline. All of it was focused on his rebellion, which I admittedly found to be the least exciting part of the plot. Perhaps I am simply not too keen on the fighting? Ironic, perhaps, but I wished the focus had been elsewhere.
To weave some positivity into this review, I did thoroughly enjoy the perspectives of Margaret of Anjou and William de la Pole, at least the majority of the time. I found Margaret to be a delightful and likeable character, whom I wish would have had more time to shine. Perhaps in the next books? I realise Iggulden might have painted William in a brighter picture than the reality of his historical counterpart, but I liked him - a loyal, honest and unfortunately ill-fated man. His character was a nice refreshment amongst the other lords.
And now, let us talk about Derrihew Brewer. First of all, can we talk about his name? With all possibilities open, as Derrihew is an entirely fictional character, Iggulden chose a name that I question with all my might. Frankly, it annoyed me, as no name has annoyed me since reading The Balled of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, where the protagonist is called Coriolanus - now that is impressive.
Focusing more so on his character, I am fairly certain I disliked his perspective the most. I cannot exactly pinpoint where it went wrong, but I find his character to be annoying beyond belief. Perhaps that was the point of his character? I am unsure. Naturally, I understand the reason behind his creation, as I do not doubt that Iggulden is right in his theory. A man like Derrihew would have been needed to create an alliance between the two countries and whatever else he was responsible for. Nevertheless, I found it a shame that a great deal of time was wasted on his perspective, when I believe there would be better stories told.
Honourable mention: Duke of York
To sum it all up: Stormbird is a fine book, doing the genre of historical fiction great justice. Personally, I found some aspects more enjoyable than others. I would probably not be the first to mention that I felt like Iggulden focused slightly too much on the battle and bloody parts of the early conflict. Perhaps it would have intrigued me more, if the reader had been led behind the curtains of the conflict. However, Iggulden chose this approach, and it is without doubt interesting on its own - just not so much for me.
A fine read - boring at times, enjoyable at others. I would surely consider getting my hands on the sequel, but perhaps first in a while, as I need to recharge my batteries.
hmalagisi's review against another edition
5.0
The Wars of the Roses is often remembered for the battles that were fought in England. Bosworth. Towton. Barnet. Tewkesbury. These battles and the names of the men and women like Richard III, Margaret of Anjou, Henry VI, Richard Duke of York, Edward IV and the Tudors are etched into the history of England. However, what started this conflict was not on the battlefield, it was inside the English Court. The decisions of a few men led to revolts that swept throughout England. So what was life like during this tumultuous time in English history? That is one of the questions that Conn Iggulden wanted to explore in his book series, “Wars of the Roses”. The first book in the series is called “Stormbird” and it explores the time after Henry VI marries Margaret of Anjou as well as Cade’s Rebellion, which wanted to tear England apart.
Conn Iggulden begins his book with the death of Edward III and his sons around his bedside, wondering what would happen to their beloved England. The sons of Edward III would become the patriarchs of some of the most important houses during the Wars of the Roses, York, and Lancaster. The story truly begins 66 years after the death of Edward III and young Henry VI is on the throne. Henry needed a truce with France and it was up to men who he could trust to make sure this happened. One of these men was William de la Pole, Duke of Somerset. The other, at least in “Stormbird”, was Henry VI’s spymaster Derihew “Derry” Brewer. Derry Brewer is a unique and complex character who works in the shadow to make sure that his king and his country are well protected. That includes arranging a marriage between Henry VI and the young Margaret of Anjou.
Margaret is portrayed as a caring and loving wife to Henry VI who will do anything to make sure her husband is taken care of and their young son is strong. Their marriage seems happy, however, there are those who live outside the royal court who are suffering. With a weak leader and men who help the king lead making things worse, the common people take it the hardest and they decide to do something about it. Led by a man named Jack Cade, the Cade’s Rebellion decides to march on London to overthrow the government.
In his Author’s Note, Conn Iggulden explains why he decided to focus a lot of his book to the riots and unrest in England:
Historical fiction sometimes involves filling in the gaps and unexplained parts of history. How is it that England could field fifty thousand men for the battle of Towton in 1461, but was able to send only four thousand to prevent the loss of Normandy a dozen years earlier? My assumption is that the unrest and riots in England put such a fear into the authorities that the major armies were kept at home. Jack Cade’s rebellion was only one of the most serious uprisings, after all. Rage at the loss of France, coupled with high taxes and a sense that the king was weak, brought England close to complete disaster at this time. Given that Cade breached the Tower of London, perhaps the court and Parliament were right to keep soldiers at home who could have been used to good effect in France. (Iggulden, 479).
“Stormbird” is a fantastic first book for Conn Iggulden’s “Wars of the Roses” series. It is filled with tons of battle scenes and intrigue. There were quite a few scenes where the amount of gruesome details made me cringe, but I wanted to read more. Iggulden was able to make this time before the actual Wars of the Roses come alive. Seeing both sides of the unrest, the commoners and those who served the king, really was intriguing. This was my first time reading a book by Conn Iggulden and I loved it. I look forward to reading the rest of the series and to see how he approaches the Wars of the Roses. If you want a great historical fiction book that is engaging about the unrest in England before the Wars of the Roses, I highly recommend “Wars of the Roses: Stormbird” by Conn Iggulden.
Conn Iggulden begins his book with the death of Edward III and his sons around his bedside, wondering what would happen to their beloved England. The sons of Edward III would become the patriarchs of some of the most important houses during the Wars of the Roses, York, and Lancaster. The story truly begins 66 years after the death of Edward III and young Henry VI is on the throne. Henry needed a truce with France and it was up to men who he could trust to make sure this happened. One of these men was William de la Pole, Duke of Somerset. The other, at least in “Stormbird”, was Henry VI’s spymaster Derihew “Derry” Brewer. Derry Brewer is a unique and complex character who works in the shadow to make sure that his king and his country are well protected. That includes arranging a marriage between Henry VI and the young Margaret of Anjou.
Margaret is portrayed as a caring and loving wife to Henry VI who will do anything to make sure her husband is taken care of and their young son is strong. Their marriage seems happy, however, there are those who live outside the royal court who are suffering. With a weak leader and men who help the king lead making things worse, the common people take it the hardest and they decide to do something about it. Led by a man named Jack Cade, the Cade’s Rebellion decides to march on London to overthrow the government.
In his Author’s Note, Conn Iggulden explains why he decided to focus a lot of his book to the riots and unrest in England:
Historical fiction sometimes involves filling in the gaps and unexplained parts of history. How is it that England could field fifty thousand men for the battle of Towton in 1461, but was able to send only four thousand to prevent the loss of Normandy a dozen years earlier? My assumption is that the unrest and riots in England put such a fear into the authorities that the major armies were kept at home. Jack Cade’s rebellion was only one of the most serious uprisings, after all. Rage at the loss of France, coupled with high taxes and a sense that the king was weak, brought England close to complete disaster at this time. Given that Cade breached the Tower of London, perhaps the court and Parliament were right to keep soldiers at home who could have been used to good effect in France. (Iggulden, 479).
“Stormbird” is a fantastic first book for Conn Iggulden’s “Wars of the Roses” series. It is filled with tons of battle scenes and intrigue. There were quite a few scenes where the amount of gruesome details made me cringe, but I wanted to read more. Iggulden was able to make this time before the actual Wars of the Roses come alive. Seeing both sides of the unrest, the commoners and those who served the king, really was intriguing. This was my first time reading a book by Conn Iggulden and I loved it. I look forward to reading the rest of the series and to see how he approaches the Wars of the Roses. If you want a great historical fiction book that is engaging about the unrest in England before the Wars of the Roses, I highly recommend “Wars of the Roses: Stormbird” by Conn Iggulden.