First published 2020
King Richard II sits upon his throne in 1398, called to settle a bitter dispute between Thomas Mowbray and his own cousin Henry Bolingbroke. Bolingbroke accuses Mowbray of stealing royal funds and murdering the Duke of Gloucester, while John of Gaunt privately suspects Richard himself ordered his brother's death. Richard commands the two men to settle their quarrel through trial by combat, but at the last moment he stops the duel and banishes both from England. He sentences Bolingbroke to six years of exile and Mowbray to permanent banishment. This impulsive decision exposes Richard's worst traits: his indecisiveness, his arbitrary nature, and his inability to explain his actions. Rather than clearing his name in Gloucester's murder, Richard appears more guilty than ever. Mowbray warns that Bolingbroke will return to destroy the king. Over the final two years of Richard's reign, his political misjudgments accumulate into a crisis that will cost him his crown and his life.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, political-thriller, historical-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: power-dynamics, unreliable-narrator
Setting: England
Period: 1398
94 pages · Paperback · Independently Published