The Poisoned Cup by Edward Lanyon

Final Rating: 4.2/5

   Who can be truly called a Villain or a Hero? Is history biased toward certain lasting legacies of historic figures? The Poisoned Cup by Edward Lanyon presents the reader with these questions and more as the novel weaves a rich tapestry of political intrigue with a fictional seasoned knight as the reader's guide to the madness that ensued from the death of one king and the debatable obligations of another. The reader will be confronted by the raw brutality of the war between England and Scotland during the late 13th century and close with the practices enforced as punishment in the early 14th century. While some characters are based from history and others are only fictional, the main are essentially fleshed out into complex individuals that are presented as battling for diverse motives. The writing is truly impressive and readers who are familiar with the brilliant works of Maurice Druon may find similar writing style with the use of dialogue, delivery of historical events and overall pacing of the story.

   In the end, The Poisoned Cup was an absolute gem of a find and I was stunned to discover that this was a debut novel. Although the portrayals of certain historical based characters seemed a little skewed and there were a few believability issues that appeared but mostly never were addressed, The Poisoned Cup was still an entertaining look at the deadly dance between England and Scotland during the late 13th and early 14th centuries and is sure to draw further interest from the reader to explore the history during that turmoil filled time and its leading opponents.

-read and purchased on kindle