The Castle of Kings, Oliver Potzsch
The Castle of Kings, Oliver Potzsch
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The Castle of Kings

Author: Oliver Pötzsch, Anthea Bell

Narrator: Kate Reading

Unabridged: 25 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/19/2016


Synopsis

In 1524, in what is now Germany, hundreds of thousands of peasants revolt against the harsh treatment by their aristocratic overlords. Agnes, the daughter of one of these overlords, is not a typical sixteenth-century girl. She refuses to wear dresses and spends more time with her pet falcon than she does in trying to attract potential suitors. In fact, there is only one man who interests her: Mathis, a childhood friend, whom she can never marry because of his lowly birth. But the situation changes dramatically when a rogue knight attacks Agnes, Mathis shoots the knight to save her life, and the two are forced to go on the run together, into the midst of the raging peasants’ war.Over the next two years, as Agnes and Mathis travel the countryside, are each captured by and escape from various factions of the war, participate in massive battles, and make new friends both noble and peasant, they also, of course, fall in love. Meanwhile, Agnes’ falcon finds a mysterious ring, and Agnes begins having strange dreams that lead the two lovers to revelations about their place in the world and in the emerging German states.With The Castle of Kings, Oliver Pötzsch has written a historical epic that calls to mind Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth and Bernard Cornwell’s Agincourt.

About Oliver Pötzsch

Oliver Pötzsch worked for years as a journalist and scriptwriter for Bavarian television. He is the author of seven books in the international bestselling Hangman’s Daughter historical series, the Black Musketeers series, and several stand-alone novels. His work has been translated into more than twenty languages.

About Anthea Bell

Anthea Bell is the recipient of the Schlegel Tieck Prize for translation from German, the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, the Helen and Kurt Wolff Prize in 2002 for the translation of W. G. Sebald’s Austerlitz, and the 2003 Austrian State Prize for Literary Translation.

About Kate Reading

Kate Reading, named an AudioFile Golden Voice, has recorded hundreds of audiobooks across many genres, over a thirty–year plus career and won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. Among other awards, she has been recognized as an AudioFile Magazine Voice of the Century, Narrator of the Year, Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy, and winner of an Publisher’s Weekly’s Listen-Up Award. She records at her home studio, Madison Productions, Inc., in Maryland.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Clif on March 02, 2019

I found this tome of a historical novel of particular interests because it is set in the Palatinate region of southwest Germany in the years 1524 to 1526. The year 1525 was when the peasant's revolt reached this area—it started earlier in lands south of this region. The following is a map provided b......more

Goodreads review by Amanda on November 21, 2016

History certainly comes alive in Oliver Pötzsch's The Castle of Kings, but I'm afraid that's the only part in this story that does. While Pötzsch's knowledge and passion for castles and the stories they bore witness to are quite evident in this massive tome, there were some major elements that lacke......more

Goodreads review by Steven on December 13, 2017

In a July 20, 2016 interview with the New York Times, author Oliver Potzsch remarked that in his latest book, THE CASTLE OF KINGS his goal was to write a “German Ken Follett” type novel. The story is set in the Holy Roman Empire during the 16th century. At the time Germany was made up of a large num......more

Goodreads review by Kathy on May 29, 2022

Just cannot continue reading this long book although I normally enjoy the writing of this author. I have started 7 books today after working hard in the yard, hoping to have something to enjoy. Will watch INDY 500 for a bit and then try MHz. Can't start and abandon another book today! The Peasant Reb......more

Goodreads review by Liviu on June 27, 2016

I really loved this book though the writing (or translation) is occasionally flat (overall the book makes you turn pages to see what happens next), the story line fairly predictable at least after a while (including the final twist) and the way the main characters (Agnes and Mathis) escape quite a f......more


Quotes

“The main story of Trifels Castle and the German Peasants’ War, with appearances by a few historical figures and accurate details of medieval life and weaponry, is quite fascinating…The story reads like Princess Bride with serious pirates, or The Count of Monte Cristo meets Snow White…Entertaining.” Booklist