But, since she's writing a historical novel and these people actually lived and died, in book two she has to kill off everyone she didn't in book one. Since it's the early 13th century, most of them died either by some horrible (and now probably preventable) disease or in some gruesomely violent act. First of all, one of the main characters is Simon de Montfort, so I knew it couldn't end well; reading descriptions of the Battle of Evesham in college was enough to burn lasting, horrifying images into my mind. Because the story spans 30 years and skips around between de Montfort's attempts to bring representative government to England and Llewellyn ap Gryffud's attempts to save Wales from both itself and the English, none of the characters that are dying off have been fully developed. There's no time to get to like any of them.
And geez. It can only get worse from here! Penman leaves the story with Henry III still alive and his son Edward, who grows up to be the Hammer of the Scots, running around all power-hungry. He's also the one that eventually steals the title of Prince of Wales for his son after conquering the Welsh, which means half the characters and families from books one and two will suffer humiliating and cultural defeat. Not sure if I want to read the third and final book, because it won't be a happy one.
Book one was about Llewellyn the Great. Why would I want to read about Longshanks? This is the guy that steals the Stone of Scone! I might as well just pick up where Grandpa made me start reading as kid, with the slightly boring Balliol saga.
But I can cross that bridge when it book three arrives from the library.
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