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A review by fingernegl
Stormbird by Conn Iggulden
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.