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INACTIVE The Shadow Prince
Perkin Warbeck is an ordinary young man in fifteenth-century Tournai. The son of a port official, he loves nothing more than swimming, singing and fishing with his father. But Perkin has a secret. His real name is Richard, and he is the rightful Prince of England. Thought to have been murdered with his brother, Edward, in the Tower of London, he was covertly taken to the continent and placed with an adoptive family under an assumed identity. But when his enemies seek him out he must flee, and embarks on a new life of derring-do, sailing the high seas with the era’s greatest adventurers. But Richard cannot avoid his fate forever. He knows he must return to England, to assume the throne that is his birthright. But what for Richard is a homecoming, for the new king, Henry Tudor, is nothing less than an invasion, and ‘Perkin’ slowly comes to learn that the price of his goal is the blood of innocent men. Based on painstaking research, and peopled by some of the most extraordinary characters of an extraordinary period, Perkin’s tale is a vivid, authentic, and hugely entertaining historical adventure. 'An intelligent and exciting new voice in historical fiction' Lancashire Evening Post
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
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129 people want to read
About the author
Terence Morgan
12 books8 followersTerry Morgan is a retired journalist, stage director, actor, playwright and teacher who has now turned his talents to novel-writing.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 2, 2013
"Legitimate but dead; that's Tudor's route."
The Shadow Prince is a what-if novel based upon the mystery of what happened to the sons of Edward IV, and whether Perkin Warbeck was one of the lost princes. Those familiar with this history know the drill and don't need it rehashed. For those new to the Perkin Warbeck story, the description on the back is sufficient. I have two reviews to write, floors to clean and books to read :P
I thought the what-if method gave the author a lot more leeway to imagine what might have been than an author could with a standard historical novel. There was a bit of an adventure about 1/3 of the way through where I was feeling a bit lost (can't be more specific without huge spoilers), but soldier on, because it makes sense at the end. Thumbs up to the author for giving some balance to Henry VII (no gleeful rubbing of hands over his treasury, nor drinking the blood of sanguine young men to be found here); and thank the Lord, young Henry is not written as a raging sociopath like he was portrayed by another historical fiction author whom I shall not name. Perkin/Richard is not a sugar-coated Richard-Sue, but he's not always the strongest character ever - given his upbringing and lack of military training that's not surprising.
I do have a few minor quibbles, mostly with the narrative, but then I'm not terribly fond of first person - so my quibbles might not be quibbles for other readers. YMMV. There were times in the book when the Perkin/Richard is talking to himself and it sounded a bit off key. Like this:
"If I was to sway men to my side then I had to have more than just the look of Edward IV - I had to be a prince in all things."
Wouldn't he just say father? My second quibble is people being addressed and/or spoken of in day-to-day conversations by their historical titles. Edward IV, Henry VII, etc. Granted, not all readers are going to know going in who is what king, but IMHO a list of historical characters at the front would have been preferable. But then, since Philippa Gregory gets away with it...
Best quote and I can't give you much about the circumstances behind the scene without spoiling:
"And because we have so many copies, it should be clear that there is no point in trying to destroy it. It's no Titulus Regulus then?
:D
I was prepared to knock off 1/2 star for the quibbles with the narrative, but the twists at the end raised the bar back up to four stars.
My copy obtained via library loan.
The Shadow Prince is a what-if novel based upon the mystery of what happened to the sons of Edward IV, and whether Perkin Warbeck was one of the lost princes. Those familiar with this history know the drill and don't need it rehashed. For those new to the Perkin Warbeck story, the description on the back is sufficient. I have two reviews to write, floors to clean and books to read :P
I thought the what-if method gave the author a lot more leeway to imagine what might have been than an author could with a standard historical novel. There was a bit of an adventure about 1/3 of the way through where I was feeling a bit lost (can't be more specific without huge spoilers), but soldier on, because it makes sense at the end. Thumbs up to the author for giving some balance to Henry VII (no gleeful rubbing of hands over his treasury, nor drinking the blood of sanguine young men to be found here); and thank the Lord, young Henry is not written as a raging sociopath like he was portrayed by another historical fiction author whom I shall not name. Perkin/Richard is not a sugar-coated Richard-Sue, but he's not always the strongest character ever - given his upbringing and lack of military training that's not surprising.
I do have a few minor quibbles, mostly with the narrative, but then I'm not terribly fond of first person - so my quibbles might not be quibbles for other readers. YMMV. There were times in the book when the Perkin/Richard is talking to himself and it sounded a bit off key. Like this:
"If I was to sway men to my side then I had to have more than just the look of Edward IV - I had to be a prince in all things."
Wouldn't he just say father? My second quibble is people being addressed and/or spoken of in day-to-day conversations by their historical titles. Edward IV, Henry VII, etc. Granted, not all readers are going to know going in who is what king, but IMHO a list of historical characters at the front would have been preferable. But then, since Philippa Gregory gets away with it...
Best quote and I can't give you much about the circumstances behind the scene without spoiling:
"And because we have so many copies, it should be clear that there is no point in trying to destroy it. It's no Titulus Regulus then?
:D
I was prepared to knock off 1/2 star for the quibbles with the narrative, but the twists at the end raised the bar back up to four stars.
My copy obtained via library loan.
February 28, 2012
I really lovely book. I got bogged down a little during the part of the story where Richard is trying to get his throne back, but that may have been at least in part due to real life factors rather than the book. The author writes with a warm and immediate voice, and I enjoyed the way he used the language. The author's note was great - I admit to flicking to the back at the end of every chapter to see what was true and what was fabricated.
I felt particularly smug to spot a character I suspect was Thomas More, and I was totally delighted with the dastardliness of Morton. Boo! Hiss!!
I felt particularly smug to spot a character I suspect was Thomas More, and I was totally delighted with the dastardliness of Morton. Boo! Hiss!!
September 10, 2013
'The Shadow Prince' is an imaginative, if unlikely, fictional biography of Richard Duke of York. He is known as the youngest of the Princes in the Tower, son of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Little is known of Richard, and historians debate to this day when and where he actually died. This left Morgan with endless possibilities to write about without twisting truth. So, how does one go about writing the life story of someone who was born in 1473, married in 1478, and may or may not have died sometime in between 1483 and 1499?
This novel creates a life for Richard that lasts well beyond his boyhood, where most historians put his end. Without giving away too much, I will say that the author is creative in including many theories about Richard and Perkin Warbeck while pulling them together into a completely unique tale. Richard is portrayed in a realistic fashion with some skills but lack of forethought that might be expected in someone who was highly educated as a prince for 10 years and then left to his own devices.
Some of Richard's adventures are a little farfetched, but they are exciting and build his character in a compelling way. The author briefly explains in his notes what his assumptions and inventions were. Of course, there were many.
I most enjoyed the descriptions of Richard entering England with his wife and child. What led him to make inconceivably bad decisions? Rather than assuming that Perkin Warbeck was doomed to fail because he was a pretender, Morgan explains how the events could have occurred as they did even if the man leading really was Richard.
Through much of the story, Richard seems quite content to be unrecognized as a prince, but his ambition is slowly revealed.
"What kind of prince would I be if I abandoned my people to a cruel tyrant?" (Said to Richard not by him, but clearly sends him thinking.)
Then again, he has his doubts.
"Not for the first time at the court of Charles VIII did I begin to wonder if choosing a head of state by dint of his parentage is really the most efficient way of governing a country."
"Was it right? Was I making the challenge out of moral duty or out of personal vainglory?"
So, why does he do what he does?
"For the sake of the men who follow me... For the sake of my murdered brother and uncle... and above all for the sake of England, to free her from the tyrant."
'The Shadow Prince' is a quick and compelling read that does not require the reader to have previous knowledge of events surrounding Richard's life and is a satisfying what-if for those out there still rooting for uncle Richard.
This novel creates a life for Richard that lasts well beyond his boyhood, where most historians put his end. Without giving away too much, I will say that the author is creative in including many theories about Richard and Perkin Warbeck while pulling them together into a completely unique tale. Richard is portrayed in a realistic fashion with some skills but lack of forethought that might be expected in someone who was highly educated as a prince for 10 years and then left to his own devices.
Some of Richard's adventures are a little farfetched, but they are exciting and build his character in a compelling way. The author briefly explains in his notes what his assumptions and inventions were. Of course, there were many.
I most enjoyed the descriptions of Richard entering England with his wife and child. What led him to make inconceivably bad decisions? Rather than assuming that Perkin Warbeck was doomed to fail because he was a pretender, Morgan explains how the events could have occurred as they did even if the man leading really was Richard.
Through much of the story, Richard seems quite content to be unrecognized as a prince, but his ambition is slowly revealed.
"What kind of prince would I be if I abandoned my people to a cruel tyrant?" (Said to Richard not by him, but clearly sends him thinking.)
Then again, he has his doubts.
"Not for the first time at the court of Charles VIII did I begin to wonder if choosing a head of state by dint of his parentage is really the most efficient way of governing a country."
"Was it right? Was I making the challenge out of moral duty or out of personal vainglory?"
So, why does he do what he does?
"For the sake of the men who follow me... For the sake of my murdered brother and uncle... and above all for the sake of England, to free her from the tyrant."
'The Shadow Prince' is a quick and compelling read that does not require the reader to have previous knowledge of events surrounding Richard's life and is a satisfying what-if for those out there still rooting for uncle Richard.
April 7, 2024
The second son of Edward IV, Richard, Duke of York, begins his life story in 1487 in Tournai with an account of his escape from the agents of the new king of England, Henry Tudor. Sir Edward Brampton helped him escape from England after Bosworth, but now doesn’t want anything to do with him—because such political entanglements would jeopardize his standing as prosperous merchant. From this point Richard embarks on a series of derringer-do adventures—voyaging first to Africa with Columbus and then to what became known as Newfoundland with Basque fisherman. These accounts explain what Richard was doing before Richard publicly staked his claim to the throne of England. As the author explains in his notes, this accounts are unlikely but not impossible—and they make fun reading.
When Richard learns of his elder brother Edward’s death and the repeal of the Titulus Regulus which, in effect, legitimized him and his sisters, he decided it was his duty to assert his claim against the usurper Tudor. He seems rather passionless about this decision, but I realized that this was consistent with the picture the author intended to paint of a naive, rather heedless young man who evidently thought the his goal would be easily achieved with little effort and no cost. When he saw that innocent people would lose their lives, he gave up his quest. Henry Tudor is seen as a competent king even though not entitled by right of blood—it is Bishop Morton who is the bad guy in this piece. Richard becomes compliant when in Tudor’s custody and signs a confession after being persuaded by a legalistic argument made by Bishop Morton’s 18-year-old clerk, named Thomas. (Hmm. I wonder who that can be??). I won’t discuss the ending, other than to say there are multiple surprises that kept me shaking my head in disbelief.. Let’s just say that Matt Lewis (obsessed with the Jack Leslau theory) would love one of the twists.. Altogether an entertaining read, even if if unbelievable.
When Richard learns of his elder brother Edward’s death and the repeal of the Titulus Regulus which, in effect, legitimized him and his sisters, he decided it was his duty to assert his claim against the usurper Tudor. He seems rather passionless about this decision, but I realized that this was consistent with the picture the author intended to paint of a naive, rather heedless young man who evidently thought the his goal would be easily achieved with little effort and no cost. When he saw that innocent people would lose their lives, he gave up his quest. Henry Tudor is seen as a competent king even though not entitled by right of blood—it is Bishop Morton who is the bad guy in this piece. Richard becomes compliant when in Tudor’s custody and signs a confession after being persuaded by a legalistic argument made by Bishop Morton’s 18-year-old clerk, named Thomas. (Hmm. I wonder who that can be??). I won’t discuss the ending, other than to say there are multiple surprises that kept me shaking my head in disbelief.. Let’s just say that Matt Lewis (obsessed with the Jack Leslau theory) would love one of the twists.. Altogether an entertaining read, even if if unbelievable.
July 16, 2017
I'm not so sure if I truly enjoyed reading this book. Partly I appreciate Morgan's effort on doing research to make the story interesting and partly because of not liking the inaccuracy of it. For me, it feels like the story line is mixed. Half English, half Pocahontas-ish. It feels like reading two different life in a story. Apart from the first half of the book, the second half is much more enjoyable.
March 24, 2024
A very entertaining imagination of the life of Richard , Duke of York, the younger of the two Princes in the Tower, based on legends that he escaped the fate of his brother and as an adult returned to England and is known to history as Perkin Warbeck. Was Perkin really Richard! Very unlikely, but who knows?!
March 9, 2019
Richard Plantagenet es heredero real, pero no llegará a reinar porque Enrique VII, el primero de los Tudor, se impondrá en la guerra con su padre y se casará con la hermana de Richard. Las aventuras de Richard lo llevarán a Terranova y al continente europeo.
May 8, 2017
Historical inaccuracies aside, it was an enjoyable read.
September 14, 2014
The Shadow Prince is the story of Richard, Duke of York - one of the 'Princes in the Tower', whose fates are not known even today.
The Princes were Edward and Richard, sons of Edward V. They were labelled illegitimate and it is not known whether they were killed by their uncle Richard III, or by Henry VII, or even if they were killed at all.
Terence Morgan has taken the view that Richard lived, and was not murdered by either his uncle or Henry Tudor.
Instead he chronicles Richard's life from his childhood at court as a Crown Prince, to his exile in Tournai where he became a simple fisherman's son, to his attempts to regain his crown and throne and the many other experiences he encountered along the way.
Written in the first person, Terence Morgan manages to create a warm and personable voice which is realistic and completely believable. His take on events is extremely interesting, and is a very plausible explanation. While there were times when the story dragged a little, for the most part this novel was excellent and completely riveting.
There are moments of humour as well as of sadness, and the ups and downs of Richard's life are dealt with with sensitivity and clarity, and I found this book to be extremely satisfying! I would certainly recommend this novel.
One point which made me very happy: Richard III was not portrayed as an uncaring monster, which unfortunately he gained a repuation as, thanks in part to Shakerspeare's plays which painted him as evil and cruel. While Richard III's part was small, it was refreshing to see a take on him where he is human. (I suppose one could liken him to Denethor from LotR - no one ever seems to really see his human side and instead people focus on his seemingly unfeeling cruelty to Faramir. )': )
Overall a fantastic read, and now I will certainly be checking out Terence Morgan's first novel, The Master of Bruges.
The Princes were Edward and Richard, sons of Edward V. They were labelled illegitimate and it is not known whether they were killed by their uncle Richard III, or by Henry VII, or even if they were killed at all.
Terence Morgan has taken the view that Richard lived, and was not murdered by either his uncle or Henry Tudor.
Instead he chronicles Richard's life from his childhood at court as a Crown Prince, to his exile in Tournai where he became a simple fisherman's son, to his attempts to regain his crown and throne and the many other experiences he encountered along the way.
Written in the first person, Terence Morgan manages to create a warm and personable voice which is realistic and completely believable. His take on events is extremely interesting, and is a very plausible explanation. While there were times when the story dragged a little, for the most part this novel was excellent and completely riveting.
There are moments of humour as well as of sadness, and the ups and downs of Richard's life are dealt with with sensitivity and clarity, and I found this book to be extremely satisfying! I would certainly recommend this novel.
One point which made me very happy: Richard III was not portrayed as an uncaring monster, which unfortunately he gained a repuation as, thanks in part to Shakerspeare's plays which painted him as evil and cruel. While Richard III's part was small, it was refreshing to see a take on him where he is human. (I suppose one could liken him to Denethor from LotR - no one ever seems to really see his human side and instead people focus on his seemingly unfeeling cruelty to Faramir. )': )
Overall a fantastic read, and now I will certainly be checking out Terence Morgan's first novel, The Master of Bruges.
January 6, 2013
The topic of this book was incredibly fascinating and was what drew me to the book in the first place. The princes in the tower is a intriguing piece of history that is not fully understood and in this story, young Richard escapes the tower and is sent to live abroad. His story is interesting, from his years as a choir boy to his days on ships sailing all the way to what is now Canada/America. I enjoyed the writing and felt as though I was actually reading Perkin's autobiography.
There were for me, however, three major flaws in the book. The first was it went well in the beginning, but the middle fell very flat and it took awhile for me to get back into the story. The second was the stupidity and selfishness of the character. It made me angry that he was stupid enough to believe that Henry would just give up his crown without a fight. I understand how he didn't want blood spilled on his behalf but how did he really expect to get back the crown? I wanted to move into the pages and strangle him for being so naive! If that was the authors intention, he did a jolly good work of it!
The third flaw was that of the love story of his wife. I didn't believe in his love nor hers. For him to have remained faithful to her for all of those years I wanted to feel more of the passion and love in him that was sorely lacking.
Despite these, it was a pretty good read and for history buffs, it will make you think twice about Henry VII and those Princes in the Tower.
There were for me, however, three major flaws in the book. The first was it went well in the beginning, but the middle fell very flat and it took awhile for me to get back into the story. The second was the stupidity and selfishness of the character. It made me angry that he was stupid enough to believe that Henry would just give up his crown without a fight. I understand how he didn't want blood spilled on his behalf but how did he really expect to get back the crown? I wanted to move into the pages and strangle him for being so naive! If that was the authors intention, he did a jolly good work of it!
The third flaw was that of the love story of his wife. I didn't believe in his love nor hers. For him to have remained faithful to her for all of those years I wanted to feel more of the passion and love in him that was sorely lacking.
Despite these, it was a pretty good read and for history buffs, it will make you think twice about Henry VII and those Princes in the Tower.
January 10, 2012
"This is a sequel to the same author's 'The Master of Bruges'. He has taken a minor character from that novel and made him the protagonist of this one. The author has seamlessly woven historical fact with fictitious events in an entertaining read that transports us from the courts of England and Scotland, France and Burgundy, to the bogs of Ireland, the jungles of Africa and the forests of pre-Columbian America in a series of exciting adventures. The author has applied to history what he calls in his afterword 'various Rumsfeldian factors...the combination of known knowns with unknown unknowns'. All of the events of his book COULD have happened, although they are by no means likely, and there are some terrific twists.
It's an extremely entertaining book, a real page turner, with credible characters, a number of really good jokes and even a possible solution to the mystery of the Welsh-speaking Indian tribe that Lewis and Clark were told to look out for!
Very, very highly recommended."
August 8, 2013
The Shadow Prince tells the story of Perkin Warbeck from the perspective of his actually being Richard of Shrewsbury, the younger of the two "princes in the tower". In this respect the book is very well researched and in many ways, even though it is pure fiction, it makes a plausible argument for the true identity of Warbeck actually being Prince Richard.
Having said that, there are other historical facts and characters woven into the story that do rather diminish the credibility of the tale. There are also a few interesting twists to the story which are a bit unusual. I won't mention any of these though - no spoilers here!
From an historical perspective I did find the book interesting and rather enjoyable (ignoring the far-fetched parts!), but even so I did feel that it lacked a certain depth and atmosphere which made the narrative seem a little wooden at times.
In spite of this I'm rating the book with four stars because it was obvious the author had done his research and the plot did make for an intriguing adventure story.
Having said that, there are other historical facts and characters woven into the story that do rather diminish the credibility of the tale. There are also a few interesting twists to the story which are a bit unusual. I won't mention any of these though - no spoilers here!
From an historical perspective I did find the book interesting and rather enjoyable (ignoring the far-fetched parts!), but even so I did feel that it lacked a certain depth and atmosphere which made the narrative seem a little wooden at times.
In spite of this I'm rating the book with four stars because it was obvious the author had done his research and the plot did make for an intriguing adventure story.
September 5, 2015
Review - I loved how we saw the maturing of Richard of York as it was long assumed that he was dead. I also really enjoyed the final scene where Richard came face to face with Henry VIII, and we see a new side to the latter as well. A little disappointing in the middle, as it was slow when it should have been the most exciting. Nevertheless, a great effort and a new alternate history of one of the Princes in the Tower.
Genre? - Historical Fiction / Adventure / Drama
Characters? - Richard Duke of York / Edward IV / Edward V / Henry VII / Henry VIII / Lady Katherine Huntly / Archbishop Morton / Pierre Jean / Richard III
Setting? - London & Cornwall (England), Burgundy, Lisbon (Portugal), Newfoundland
Series? - N/A
Recommend? - Yes
Rating - 16/20
Genre? - Historical Fiction / Adventure / Drama
Characters? - Richard Duke of York / Edward IV / Edward V / Henry VII / Henry VIII / Lady Katherine Huntly / Archbishop Morton / Pierre Jean / Richard III
Setting? - London & Cornwall (England), Burgundy, Lisbon (Portugal), Newfoundland
Series? - N/A
Recommend? - Yes
Rating - 16/20
March 3, 2016
I really enjoy Historical Fiction and I find this time period particularly interesting so when I saw this in a charity shop at 99p, I bought it straight away.
I didn't have extremely high hopes but I'm very glad I read it. I really really enjoyed this book and read it much quicker than I had realised. It's one of those novels that sneak up on you unawares; at first you think it's a nice read but have no strong opinion on it either way but by the end you're obsessively devouring the pages until you realise you've gone and read the last half in one sitting.
I would definitely recommend this; it has some educational value but is also a light, straightforward, unconvoluted and well written and thought out piece of fiction which quite frankly is very refreshing.
I didn't have extremely high hopes but I'm very glad I read it. I really really enjoyed this book and read it much quicker than I had realised. It's one of those novels that sneak up on you unawares; at first you think it's a nice read but have no strong opinion on it either way but by the end you're obsessively devouring the pages until you realise you've gone and read the last half in one sitting.
I would definitely recommend this; it has some educational value but is also a light, straightforward, unconvoluted and well written and thought out piece of fiction which quite frankly is very refreshing.
July 7, 2014
This book was based on the Perkin warbeck story of Richard Plantagenet. It was entirely fictionalised and was incredibly interesting to read and with an exciting and flowing plot it made the book easy to flow and good to read. I do not know much about this part of Tudor history and it was interesting to learn and good aspects was discovered throughout the book.
Overall I feel the book was good and enjoyable and would make a nice and easy read for people to enjoy :)
Overall I feel the book was good and enjoyable and would make a nice and easy read for people to enjoy :)
July 22, 2014
Fun but very very implausible.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews