In 2010, media coverage emerged of a proposed film, Emperor: Young Caesar, about the early life of Julius Caesar, covering the years from 92 BC to 71 BC, and based on the first two novels of Iggulden's Emperor series, The Gates of Rome and The Death of Kings.

Richard Duke of York, Protector of the Realm, extends his influence throughout the kingdom with each month that Henry slumbers.I'm sure many won't mind, but for me it was jarring, and I had to make a conscious effort to stay immersed every time this and similar choices popped up. Part One deals with Derry Brewer’s political machinations initiated on Henry’s behalf with the aim of bringing about a lasting truce with France. I also tried to look 'Wars of the Roses' up on Wiki, but it's already a struggle just trying to understand who is who, and who is fighting who, which family is involved. Apparently, Henry, Edward, and Richard were the in-vogue names for 15th Century English nobility, making lineage a bit tricky to follow.

It's not often that you see conflicts from the viewpoint of the commonfolk who pay for the political games of the powerful. I take my hat off to Conn Iggulden for writing a great book and kicking me off to finish the series. This is not a full review - this review pertains only to the 5-chapter sample won via Goodreads First Reads. Indeed, Henry VI decides to give up his lands in France, so the English settlers are forced to flee their homesteads from the incoming French.Richard and the Yorkist cause are not upset with the king, but rather those who they believe are responsible for being in control of the king; Queen Margaret of Anjou, the Duke of Somerset and the Nevilles. By that I mean, although there was elements of getting inside key characters minds, by and large it felt as if it were written by an observer, or an outsider rather than someone palpably in the middle of the action.