Between the first book (which is the only other one in the series I've read) and now there’s been a lot of blood spilt and Blackstone has fought many battles, lost many comrades, suffered personal tragedy and defied death on numerous occasions.

It’s probably easiest if you’ve read previous books in the series but, if you haven’t – or have missed great chunks of the series me – To Kill a King can be read as a standalone. I would suggest reading the Author’s Note to get a sense of the historical situation at the point the book opens. The list of characters at the beginning of the book will also introduce you to Blackstone’s most loyal and trusted comrades. They’ve travelled many miles together and fought many battles. ‘And where is home? For any of us? It is where we are with whom we ride. That is home…’

Blackstone’s son, Henry, has a lot to live up to, something he is intent on doing rather than continuing his studies in Oxford under the safety of an assumed name. Henry is the chink in his father’s armour (if you’ll pardon the pun), a reminder of the woman Blackstone loved and lost under tragic circumstances. There’s never been another to replace her, although some have come tantalisingly close.

You want battle scenes? You’ll get them in spades in To Kill a King: skirmish after skirmish, ambush after ambush, deadly hails of arrows and crossbow bolts, bloody close-quarter killing. ‘War hammers crushed bones… Men shrieked: pleas for clemency unheard above the cacophony of screams, whinnying horses, trumpets and drums.’ On plenty of occasions Blackstone has to rely on his ill-natured ‘bastard horse’, his trusty Wolf Sword or his sixth sense for danger to dodge death. And, if you want some really nasty villains, there are those too. In fact, if you’re a bit squeamish, you might want to skip over a few scenes.

The end of the book involves some brilliant scenes in which Blackstone proves what an unstoppable force he is, but also what he is prepared to do in order to protect his son. Will Blackstone live to fight another day? You’ll have to read the book to find out. A thrilling adventure for those who their historical fiction action-packed.hf-reading-challenge-2024 historical-fiction netgalley ...more4 s Rich Ware38 1 follower

David Gilman's Master of War books rarely disappoint, which is why they're so addictive. "To Kill a King" is no different. As always, great characters, high adventure, and a mastery of plot. He is to the Hundred Years war what Bernard Cornwell is to the Viking Wars and The Napoleonic Wars. I cannot recommend these books highly enough!3 s Sophie Lewis6

Found it a bit difficult to follow at first as there are so many characters, and trying to understand the complexities of the politics behind the Hundred Years’ War was a challenge. However, none of that was completely required to follow the story(thankfully), and it was totally worth sticking with. I was completely immersed in it within a few chapters, and the imagery conjured up by his writing made me feel I was there. Will be reading others in the Master of War collection now.1 Erick40

Thomas Blackstone e seus homens conseguiram. Tiraram o rei Don Pedro da Espanha levando-o para a proteção do príncipe da Inglaterra, que estava em Bordeaux, e novamente Thomas escapou da morte, que dessa vez tinha sido "prevista" por uma mulher com envolvimento com o "sobrenatural" e com artimanhas em favor próprio. Nem veneno parou o cavaleiro inglês.
Agora vem a segunda parte da missão que é, com a ajuda do exército do príncipe, levar o rei Don Pedro de volta para a Espanha para que ele ocupe o seu trono de direito e, apesar de sua má reputação, aja como um aliado dos ingleses e não ameace as costas das Aquitânia (ao contrário do que faz o seu meio irmão, que foi coroado rei em sua ausência e é aliado dos franceses).
Paralelo à isso, temos novamente o aparecimento de Henry Blackstone na história. Como estava sendo constantemente ameaçado e sofrendo tentativas de assassinato, seu pai mandou-o para a Inglaterra, na cidade de Oxford, para que pudesse aperfeiçoar seus estudos lá e, quem sabe, vir à tornar-se um advogado. Mas, apesar de muito inteligente, Henry demonstra mais interesse em se relacionar com mulheres, beber em tabernas e praticar com a espada junto com seu guardião, fazendo o mínimo esforço para atingir seus objetivos acadêmicos.
Enquanto Blackstone e o exército inglês enfrentam o espanhol contando com a ajuda de nobres franceses, notícias sobre a batalha chegam na cidade de Oxford, onde Henry vive usando o sobrenome de sua mãe para passar despercebido. A informação desencontrada, pela metade, de que Blackstone estava preso e que seu estandarte foi visto caindo durante a batalha, além da falta de confirmação de que o inglês de fato tenha sobrevivido ao combate fazem com que Henry tome uma atitude intempestiva. Ele revela sua real identidade (escondida até de seu guardião) e resolve largar tudo na Inglaterra e partir em busca de mais informações sobre o seu pai, de quem ele sempre quis estar ao lado e fazer parte das batalhas travadas.
Daí surge uma jornada que vai alternando pontos de vista em cada parte do livro. Ora a ação sob o prisma de Thomas, ora sob os os olhos de Henry. Enfrentando alguns desafios, o filho vai tendo mais informações sobre o paradeiro e o estado real de seu pai após mais uma grande batalha vencida pelos ingleses, com o rei Don Pedro sendo alçado novamente ao trono, e o pai, sem saber inicialmente sobre as intenções e a aventura do filho, encontra e se apaixona por uma mulher dura e determinada, que o fará lembrada de sua esposa assassinada. Blackstone fará o que for possível para protegê-la e levá-la em segurança aos domínios de sua família na França, mesmo ela estando teoricamente em lados opostos na guerra envolvendo os Reis espanhóis. Mas os dois nutrindo além um carinho um pelo outro, a raiva em comum pelo rei Don Pedro (é Sancha quem tenta assassinar o rei Don Pedro e é salva por Blackstone, que já tinha tentado matar o rei francês).
Na trajetória de Henry, ele esbarra com homens que acabam se unindo a ele, outros que demonstram respeito pelas atitudes mas também, numa tentativa de salvar a própria pele, o filho de Blackstone se envolve com um bando perigoso e uma morte faz com que o jovem é perigoso líder do bando busque vingança. A coroa francesa é envolvida na trama é uma caçada é montada com o objetivo de atingir, de alguma forma, Thomas e tirá-lo de um futuro combate entre franceses e ingleses, pois seu filho estaria sob domínio dos seus inimigos.
Este é um livro que não tem um plot muito bom. Mas a alternância de pontos de vista foi interessante. Algumas situações foram forçadas e, novamente, um Blackstone sempre aparece com uma aura especial que faz com que ele sempre acerte e consiga escapar dos perigos. A justificativa para a inclusão da coroa francesa foi forçada, assim como a justificativa para Thomas proteger Sancha (poderia ser uma vontade do príncipe, mas certamente existem tarefas melhores para o Mestre de Guerra da Inglaterra).
No mais, é um livro que fecha as pontas soltas deixadas pelo último, onde já se imaginava que Blackstone teria que lidar com questões familiares. Mas ficou tudo muito raso e sem sentido (como a busca de Henry pelo pai).
A aventura terá uma continuação, mas o autor perde uma oportunidade de tirar Blackstone de cena e passar o protagonismo para Henry. Mesmo com tudo o que aconteceu, os acontecimentos no final do livro deixam claro que Henry vai voltar ao que era e que novamente Blackstone escapa para iniciar uma nova aventura.own Maddy McGlynn30

To Kill a King is a fantastic action-packed, violent and authentic historical novel.

This was an extremely immersive novel that portrays the reality of being a medieval soldier and the courage, friendships and cunning it takes to survive in a life dominated by conflict.

The book took me across treacherous mountain passes, through poverty-stricken villages through to the lawless countryside of France, during a period and campaign I know little about. It was fascinating to learn more about the Prince of Wales’ offensive across the Pyrenees.

The novel has a very strong cast of characters. Thomas Blackwell is a really interesting character who always pushes the boundaries and left me wondering if he would suffer the repercussions. But it is this that makes him a respected Master of War, and a character I admired. Alongside him are his loyal companions John Jacob and Jack Halfpenny; men who are brave, loyal and fearless, and who I was rooting for the whole way through. Then there’s Henry's story - which is equally action packed, and who as a character, inspires the same loyalty from his .

The plot never slowed down, with some new conflict or intrigue never far away. It kept me hooked and was easy to read and look forward to the next chapter.

This is proper historical fiction. It’s gritty, real and shows what humans will do to survive.
Jo-anne Atkinson1,443 19

Simon Blackstone is frustrated that his master, Prince Edward, is still trying to place the usurped Don Pedro back on the throne of Castile. Don Pedro and Blackstone antagonise each other and this makes their journey across Northern Spain difficult. Meanwhile the usurper Trastamara is being supported by the French and they are harrying the English forces. Meanwhile Blackstone's son has decided to join his father but he is having to cross hostile France, being chased by a violent and implacable enemy.
I haven't read any of Gilman's previous books so came to this one just because I love medieval history. The research and the set pieces are fantastic, there is loads of accurate historical detail and the writing about fights is engaging. Character development is less nuanced and there are few female characters, it's definitely a 'male' book. However for it's genre is is really great read. Duane Howarth13 3

David Gilman at his best!
Thomas Blackstone is fighting hard for the King and Prince, pushed into helping restore Don Pedro to his rule much to the Master of Wars disgust. Whilst all of this is going on unbeknown to Thomas his son Henry has left the relative safety of Cambridge to travel to find his father which results in Henry and his small band of ruffians being hunted to stop the Master of War from fighting against France.
I love the attention to detail and the twists and turns in this book that David Gilman is a Master himself. Peter Hendrycks86

This book is incredible! The thing I found most baffling was that Prince Edward and the king sent an army to Spain to reinstate Don Pedro, a thoroughly hateable man, who promised reimbursement for the expenses! I think its probable that never happened! The ending of the story is very intense, and I was not sure whether this was to be the last book in the series, or not. I thoroughly enjoy Mr. Gilmans writing style. He tells a story in a way that is not only very descriptive, but with enough action and intrigue to make the reader want more. Willie West4

Long time fan of Mr Gilmans work. His writing draws you into the time period and makes it seem your right there witnessing history. I've read all of the master of war series and this one didn't disappoint. The action and political intrigue of the time period is spot on. Any fan of Christian Cameron or Griff Hosker will be pleased to invest the time in this series1 Mrs Rosemary117 4

Brilliant!

This latest book in the excellent Master of War series is as brilliant as the other books in the series. The writing flows well, there’s non-stop action from beginning to end and the characters are well-drawn and believable. David Gilman is a master story teller and his research is flawless. I can’t wait for the next instalment of Thomas Blackstone’s adventures! Martin Murphy108 1 follower

What an ending, they just get better

The latest instalment doesn't let the series down, as it gets better, the storylines are really fast moving but informative so you don't lose the thread. The are plenty of fights and battles along the way, and the story builds to a brilliant ending, right until the very last line. Staci96 2

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I am so impressed with both the research done on the events and characters of the story and the vivid descriptions of warfare. The history and battles are top-notch and I can't wait to get my hands on the whole series. sarah McConnell28

Master of War series

Absolutely brilliant, could not put it down. Cannot wait for no.9 to come out. This is a set of books to read and then re-read, again and again. Thankfully I have all 8. Thank you David Gilman, superb storyline and writing x W. BoalAuthor 8 books1 follower

It was so good to be back on an adventure with Thomas Blackstone and his men. The whole book was immersive and intense. I kept trying to slow my reading down, so I could savour it, but the pace just gripped me. Outstanding work by David Gilman. Can't wait for the next one. Richard Pring5

Sir Thomas

Sir Thomas on another fast paced action packed adventure across Europe. Another cracking read from David Gillman. If you haven't read these yet.. what are you waiting for??? B A Petrie2

Excellent story. The twists and turns not predictable. Grabbed attention all the,way must read

Fantastic read. Twists and turns not predictable!
Can't put down book
Strong story line. Great characters. Felt as,if I was there.



tommy & joanna3

Just amazing!!

There is nothing not to about this book, or in fact the series….historical fiction at its best. Cannot wait for further sequels. Debra hopp32 1 follower

David Gilman is a gifted author, he never disappoints. This series Master of war is my favorite. You live the adventures of Thomas Blackstone John Gouldson2

Master of War V8

Fantastic once again. Brings the action to life in words. Loved it, roll on V9. John Gouldson, Yarwell, England, UK ronald mcgill1 review

A cracking good read John Mullee26 1 follower

What an ending! John Francis105 1 follower

Awesome.

I seem to have waited for so long for this new Master of War book and I wasn't disappointed. A brilliant read. Superb characters and a fast moving story makes this book very hard to put down. I give it 5 out of 5. There are some brilliant authors around at the moment and David is definitely one of them. If you haven't read any of this series, start on book one. Once you start the series you'll find that you don't have much time for anything else. They're that good. I have reread the first 2 books whilst waiting for this one and i'm going to reread the rest.
They're all fast paced with some brutal battles and skirmishes along the way. Highly recommended. Martin54

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