The King’s Son

In my blog post, “A Past Reborn,” I discussed the beauty and challenge of writing historical fiction. These authors are tasked with telling a story to which readers often know the ending because we stand on this side of history. This is especially true for The King’s Son and readers familiar with this period. As Harris discusses in the “Historical Notes” section at the end of the book, a few lines from a parish registry inspired this story of Richard of Eastwell, a man that many have likely never heard of even though he may have been from the royal bloodline of the Plantagenets. I was enthralled with his story even though I knew King Richard was destined to lose the throne to Henry Tudor, thus starting a long line of Tudor kings and queens. The magic of Harris’ writing and storytelling is that this known outcome does not detract from the book. The King’s Son captured my attention from the very first page and held it until I closed the book.

Harris is a strong writer in providing readers with vivid descriptions of everything from landscapes to clothing and even food. This level of detail can only be the result of a significant amount of research, and it helps to provide readers with a sense of what this period was like for royalty and the commoner. Harris also included myths or folklore surrounding these events. My favorite revolves around a prophecy supposedly given by an old woman or witch, although some sources reference a blind man. She made a prophecy directly to King Richard prior to riding out to battle that proved true.