An absorbing account of the conspiracy to kill King James I by his handsome lover, the Duke of Buckingham, an historical crime that has remained hidden for 400 years. The rise of George Villiers from minor gentry to royal power seemed to defy gravity. Becoming gentleman of the royal bedchamber in 1615, the young gallant enraptured James, Britain’s first Stuart king, royal adoration reaching such an intensity that the king declared he wanted the courtier to become his ‘wife’. For a decade, Villiers was at the king’s side – at court, on state occasions, and in bed, right up to James’s death in March 1625. Almost immediately, Villiers’ many enemies accused him of poisoning the king. A parliamentary investigation was launched, and scurrilous pamphlets and ballads circulated London’s streets. But the charges came to nothing, and were relegated to a historical footnote. Now, new research suggests that a deadly combination of hubris and vulnerability did indeed drive Villiers to kill the man who made him. It may have been by accident – the application of a quack remedy while the king was weakened by a malarial attack. But there is compelling evidence that Villiers, overcome by ambition and frustrated by James’s passive approach to government, poisoned him. In The King’s Assassin, acclaimed author Benjamin Woolley examines this remarkable, even tragic story. Combining vivid characterization and a strong narrative with historical scholarship and forensic investigation, Woolley tells the story of King James’s death, and of the captivating figure at its center.

AD 1215: The year of Magna Carta - and Robin Hood's greatest battle The yoke of tyranny King John is scheming to reclaim his ancestral lands in Europe, raising the money for new armies by bleeding dry peasants and nobles alike, not least the Earl of Locksley - the former outlaw Robin Hood - and his loyal man Sir Alan Dale. The call to arms As rebellion brews across the country and Robin Hood and his men are dragged into the war against the French in Flanders, a plan is hatched that will bring the former outlaws and their families to the brink of catastrophe - a plan to kill the King. The roar of revolution England explodes into bloody civil war and Alan and Robin must decide who to trust - and who to slaughter. And while Magna Carta might be the answer their prayers for peace, first they will have to force the King to submit to the will of his people . . .

Berren has left his past as an apprentice thief-taker behind him, in a mist of blood and screams and death. Press-ganged as a sailor, his old life is now just a distant memory. Until the day he spots someone who might well be his old master, Syannis, the man who killed Berren's first love. As Berren chases down his enemy, he finds himself caught in a web of political machination and danger, for Syannis is a disposed prince, and he will go to any lengths to regain his throne. Including dealing with the black sorcerer Saffran Kuy.

The Kings Assassin follows the exploits of Sillik, a master of the seven laws of magic and a warrior. Complying with a terrified telepathic summon from his father the king, Sillik returns to his home, the city of Illicia to find his father and brothers dead by assassins. Magical attacks and hostile dragons follow Sillik as he attempts to unravel the mystery of who betrayed his family. Can he trust anyone? Complications mount as Lady Silvia, one of the seven gods of law, interjects herself into the affairs of Illicia. Sillik follows the clues to the assassin that his father left for him and leaves the city. Followers of the nine gods of chaos pursue him while the worlds survival hangs in balance as the gods battle for supremacy with humans as their pawns.

Two Kingdoms United by Magic Will Need a Talented Assassin to Survive The highly trained assassins of Evendell have a single, unyielding mission: defend the monarch of Bacovia--at any cost. It's the enduring product of an age-old pact, formed when Bacovia came to the smaller kingdom's aid militarily a long time ago. But neither party has ever faced the danger that now lurks behind every castle corridor. Now, a beautiful young assassin named Aislynn has been assigned to protect the heir apparent, Eryk. Yet Eryk's independent streak offers stiff resistance to what anyone else has planned for him--especially an untested and unfamiliar sentinel. Faced with banishment, Aislynn must stay true to her mission from afar, at precisely the time when the threat against his life is highest. As Aislynn soon discovers, few things--and people--are as they seem. Whom can she trust as she endeavors to unravel the conspiracy and defeat the terrorists, once and for all? A fast-paced, smart and savvy fantasy thriller, The King's Assassin will keep you guessing right up until the shocking finale.

Controlled by an aristocracy whose depraved whims bow to neither law nor god, the kingdom of Antyre is under siege from the only man who can save it. He is Janus Ixion, the new Earl of Last, a man whose matchless fighting abilities and leadership strike terror in Antyre’s powerful noble houses. For Janus is the illegitimate son who has returned from the brutal slums to reclaim his birthright, and will go to any lengths to become king and reverse his country’s decline. But with a conquering foreign prince sowing chaos throughout the kingdom, Janus must battle the terrifying power of Antyre’s forgotten god, one who has gifted Janus’s vengeful wife with mysterious and dangerous skills. As Antyre nears irrevocable collapse, Janus’s manipulations and all-consuming ambition will force him and his country to choose between the rule of resurgent gods, or a victor’s throne of ashes.

“Fantasy as it ought to be written . . . Robin Hobb’s books are diamonds in a sea of zircons.”—George R. R. Martin Fitz has barely survived his first hazardous mission as king’s assassin. Battered and bitter, he vows to abandon his oath to King Shrewd, remaining in the distant mountains. But love and events of terrible urgency draw him back to the court at Buckkeep, and into the deadly intrigues of the royal family. Renewing their vicious attacks on the coast, the Red-Ship Raiders leave burned-out villages and demented victims in their wake. The kingdom is also under assault from within, as treachery threatens the throne of the ailing king. In this time of great danger, the fate of the kingdom may rest in Fitz’s hands—and his role in its salvation may require the ultimate sacrifice. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Robin Hobb's Assassin's Quest. Praise for Robin Hobb and Royal Assassin “[Robin] Hobb continues to revitalize a genre that often seems all too generic, making it new in ways that range from the subtle to the shocking.”—Locus “[Royal Assassin] reaches astonishing new heights. . . . The Farseer saga is destined for greatness—a must-read for every devotee of epic fantasy.”—Sense of Wonder