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‘History is a novel that has been lived’
E. & J. DE GONCOURT
‘It is terrifying to think how much research is needed to determine the truth of even the most unimportant fact’
STENDHAL
‘She-wolf of France, with unrelenting fangs, That tear’st the bowels of thy mangled mate …’
THOMAS GRAY
Contents
Part One: From the Thames to the Garonne
1. ‘No One ever Escapes from the Tower of London’
3. Messer Tolomei has a New Customer
Part Three: The Disinherited King
Over the years, more than one reviewer has described my fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, as historical fiction about history that never happened, flavoured with a dash of sorcery and spiced with dragons. I take that as a compliment. I have always regarded historical fiction and fantasy as sisters under the skin, two genres separated at birth. My own series draws on both traditions … and while I undoubtedly drew much of my inspiration from Tolkien, Vance, Howard,
