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Kingmaker #4
Kingdom Come
1470The recent tensions between King Edward and his great ally the Earl of Warwick lie forgotten these past months, but even as winter tightens her grip on the land, the peace is shattered by a vicious attack on one of the King’s allies.Long buried secrets are brought to the surface, and Thomas and Katherine must finally decide where their loyalties lie and to choose between fight or flight, knowing either choice will incur a terrible price. From Lincoln to Bruges, from Barnet to the great battle at Tewkesbury, both must play their part in one of the most savage wars in history. The wars of the roses.'Should be required reading for fans of historical fiction' The Times'Toby Clements does it again with another powerhouse of a thrilling and literate, engaging, passionate, deeply moving and full of historical detail of the sort that fills me with awe for the fortitude of our ancestors and yet makes me so glad I live in the safety of the twenty-first century. This is going to be one of the stellar series of our generation, redefining that period of history that we think we know, and discover we really don’t. Bravo!' Manda Scott'A major achievement in historical fiction' Historia Magazine'Clements is so convincing on the detail of his characters’ lives that it is difficult to believe that he never walked in the brutal, messy world he conjures up on the page' The Times'Toby Clements’ Kingmaker series is historical fiction at its very finest - and Kingdom Come is the best of them all.' William Ryan
441 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2017
34 people are currently reading
305 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
August 24, 2025
This wonderful book is the 4th and regrettably the final volume of the incredible "Kingmaker" series by the author Toby Clements.
The book is of a superb quality and it gives the reader an enormous thrill and satisfaction when reading this splendid tale.
Like it predecessors this book also contains a beautifully expounded author's note at the end of the book, while at the beginning you'll find once more the Family Tree of Edward III, with interwoven the Houses of York, Lancaster and Tudor, while there's also a wonderful detailed map with a "List of Battles", as well as a great list of the cast of Major Historical Figures.
Great storytelling is once again of a top-notch quality from this author, for he really makes this book such a joy to read, because he produces believable life-like characters, whether they are real or fictional figures, and they come all vividly to life within this astounding story of heroics, treachery, fear and courage between all the people involved.
Within this maelstrom of battles and slaughter between different factions, our main fictional characters, Thomas and Katherine Everingham of Marton Hall, must come to terms with these circumstances and their surroundings, and especially hope to make the right decisions for their future.
We have now come into the year AD 1470 and England is still in turmoil with King Edward IV on the throne but attempts to regain the throne are to be made not only by the Lancastrian claimants under the guidance of Margaret of Anjou, wife of King Henry VI, and her son Prince Edward of Westminster, but also by the "Kingmaker", the Earl of Warwick, who is scheming with George, the Duke of Clarence, who's Edward IV's brother, by getting this same George on the throne as King of England.
What will follow is that after an exile in Holland and Flanders King Edward IV will return to England to reclaim his crown, and so after assembling his armies he will fight his enemies at the Battle of Barnet first, in AD 1470, and after that the decisive battle of Tewkesbury in AD 1471 to become at that particular moment of history the undisputed King of England.
Highly recommended, for this book is absolutely astonishing and in my mind it deserves to be called: "A Fantastic Fitting End"!
The book is of a superb quality and it gives the reader an enormous thrill and satisfaction when reading this splendid tale.
Like it predecessors this book also contains a beautifully expounded author's note at the end of the book, while at the beginning you'll find once more the Family Tree of Edward III, with interwoven the Houses of York, Lancaster and Tudor, while there's also a wonderful detailed map with a "List of Battles", as well as a great list of the cast of Major Historical Figures.
Great storytelling is once again of a top-notch quality from this author, for he really makes this book such a joy to read, because he produces believable life-like characters, whether they are real or fictional figures, and they come all vividly to life within this astounding story of heroics, treachery, fear and courage between all the people involved.
Within this maelstrom of battles and slaughter between different factions, our main fictional characters, Thomas and Katherine Everingham of Marton Hall, must come to terms with these circumstances and their surroundings, and especially hope to make the right decisions for their future.
We have now come into the year AD 1470 and England is still in turmoil with King Edward IV on the throne but attempts to regain the throne are to be made not only by the Lancastrian claimants under the guidance of Margaret of Anjou, wife of King Henry VI, and her son Prince Edward of Westminster, but also by the "Kingmaker", the Earl of Warwick, who is scheming with George, the Duke of Clarence, who's Edward IV's brother, by getting this same George on the throne as King of England.
What will follow is that after an exile in Holland and Flanders King Edward IV will return to England to reclaim his crown, and so after assembling his armies he will fight his enemies at the Battle of Barnet first, in AD 1470, and after that the decisive battle of Tewkesbury in AD 1471 to become at that particular moment of history the undisputed King of England.
Highly recommended, for this book is absolutely astonishing and in my mind it deserves to be called: "A Fantastic Fitting End"!
January 3, 2018
Sensational conclusion to the series! Powerful writing. Deeply affecting.
September 4, 2018
While I very much enjoyed the series by the fourth book it had all begun to feel a little stale. All in all though I cared enough about the characters to see where they landed at the through the war of the roses. Read the first would be my advice for excellent taut historical fiction at its best.
April 25, 2020
Good but could have been better.
The writing in present tense grated on me so that I didn't always know which 'he' we were talking about and whose PoV i was supposed to be in. Present tense is not always a bad thing if done well, but i think this book would have been more reader friendly had it been in past.
I liked the premise, i think that was a great idea especially with the mysterious ledger at the centre of it all. The characters, Thomas and Catherine did not always warm me and their fight for survival was a little too over the top at times but i did find myself thinking, 'oh God!' at crucial parts of the story, rooting for them. I think the author wrote them cleverly, giving them 'real' personalities, but as i said, I didn't really warm to them or any of them for that matter.
I think this author will go on to write more books that will be very popular, especially among the medievalist/warsoftherosesfans and will do well. his ability to make your ears prick up at a nailbiting scene is truly amazing and I would read another if he decides to write in past tense this time.
The writing in present tense grated on me so that I didn't always know which 'he' we were talking about and whose PoV i was supposed to be in. Present tense is not always a bad thing if done well, but i think this book would have been more reader friendly had it been in past.
I liked the premise, i think that was a great idea especially with the mysterious ledger at the centre of it all. The characters, Thomas and Catherine did not always warm me and their fight for survival was a little too over the top at times but i did find myself thinking, 'oh God!' at crucial parts of the story, rooting for them. I think the author wrote them cleverly, giving them 'real' personalities, but as i said, I didn't really warm to them or any of them for that matter.
I think this author will go on to write more books that will be very popular, especially among the medievalist/warsoftherosesfans and will do well. his ability to make your ears prick up at a nailbiting scene is truly amazing and I would read another if he decides to write in past tense this time.
January 1, 2026
Bit cheeky to pretend I read this in 2026, when I finished it on New Year's Day. This proved a fitting end to an excellent series. Perhaps I liked it even more as it's largely set in my home county, but the action and characters are rich. I learned a lot from this series, despite thinking I knew most of what there was to know about the War of the Roses / Cousins' War. It's clearly very well researched, and a shame that more people haven't read this series.
April 14, 2021
An absolutely superb end to an enthralling series. One of the best historical fiction series set during the wars of the roses I’ve ever read. Clements does well (throughout the series) to keep his fictional characters at the forefront of the novels, relegating the true historical characters of the period to provide an intriguing backdrop.
The wars of the roses was a tumultuous time in English medieval history, jumping intermittently from fragile peace to full-scale war in the blink of an eye, over a long period of time. Many historical fiction writers tend to base their own stories from the fall of the English provinces in France to Bosworth in a neat little bow, throwing the fictional parts in to suit. This in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I just think that when this method is executed, a lot of key moments during the war are skimmed over — or poorly utilised to bolster the author’s fictional side.
Clements doesn’t do this, which is very refreshing. He manages to keep your attention fixed solely on his wonderful characters and settings, at the same time, subtly throwing in developments regarding the power struggles between the Yorkists and Lancastrians.
I hope Toby Clements begins a new historical fiction series. I’m somewhat disappointed I’ve finished this one...
Thoroughly recommend!!
The wars of the roses was a tumultuous time in English medieval history, jumping intermittently from fragile peace to full-scale war in the blink of an eye, over a long period of time. Many historical fiction writers tend to base their own stories from the fall of the English provinces in France to Bosworth in a neat little bow, throwing the fictional parts in to suit. This in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I just think that when this method is executed, a lot of key moments during the war are skimmed over — or poorly utilised to bolster the author’s fictional side.
Clements doesn’t do this, which is very refreshing. He manages to keep your attention fixed solely on his wonderful characters and settings, at the same time, subtly throwing in developments regarding the power struggles between the Yorkists and Lancastrians.
I hope Toby Clements begins a new historical fiction series. I’m somewhat disappointed I’ve finished this one...
Thoroughly recommend!!
May 30, 2018
Oh Thomas and Catherine - how I'm going to miss you and your adventures. I just adore this series and have to say that Clements has shown himself as not only a master storyteller but an outstanding researcher of this subject.
A brilliant conclusion to the series. I never get tired of stories from this era and superb offerings like this series from the author only serve to satisfy my appetite for it and then leave me wanting more.
What next Mr Clements? Please hurry and bring more of your brilliance to print - thank you :)
A brilliant conclusion to the series. I never get tired of stories from this era and superb offerings like this series from the author only serve to satisfy my appetite for it and then leave me wanting more.
What next Mr Clements? Please hurry and bring more of your brilliance to print - thank you :)
February 18, 2018
This will get you through the Game of Thrones drought of 2018!
June 15, 2019
An ok addition to an average epic.
July 29, 2022
The fourth and final book of the Kingmaker series. Nothing makes our times look so good as reading about life in 15th century England during the War of the Roses. I love how the author places his lead characters (the apostate monk and nun who are now married with children) among real historical figures and real historical events. His fictional characters fill in gaps in the record. Thomas and Katharine are often pawns in the power plays of the "gentles" and constantly have to weigh what side to support, when, in order to stay alive. At a critical point in a battle bungled by the leaders, Thomas reflects. "It is the first unfolding of a catastrophe no man can believe will happen to him: that his life will end in ignominy because of a silly mistake." And yet, it happens, then as now.
Half the males at the time bore the same names, it seems, and lacked surnames, so people used various descriptors to signify who exactly they were talking about. E.g., Bald John, John Stumps (an amputee), and my favorite, John-Who-Was-Stabbed-By-His-Priest.
An excellent series that really brings the times alive.
Half the males at the time bore the same names, it seems, and lacked surnames, so people used various descriptors to signify who exactly they were talking about. E.g., Bald John, John Stumps (an amputee), and my favorite, John-Who-Was-Stabbed-By-His-Priest.
An excellent series that really brings the times alive.
February 17, 2025
Puiki serija apie Rožių karus. T. Clements koncentruojasi į paprastesnių žmonių gyvenimą, nors jie irgi momentais labai priartėja prie to meto galingiausių. Mano skoniui gal kiek per smulkiai aprašyti mūšiai, bet turbūt kitaip ir negalėjo būti
January 18, 2026
Finished the last book of this saga a a loved it,
Loved the way it’s written, the stories it tells, and more importantly for me, from the point of view of normal people just you and me, people whose concerns was not who wore the shiny hat but if the crops would be ruined by the troops, if their husbands and sons would come back from the war, if tomorrow’s weather would be mild to work the field
The historic background is fully researched and this is something I really liked throughout the 4 books: the perfect combination of fiction and non fiction facts
I might re read the books again at some point
For now - 5 stars and round of applause.
Loved the way it’s written, the stories it tells, and more importantly for me, from the point of view of normal people just you and me, people whose concerns was not who wore the shiny hat but if the crops would be ruined by the troops, if their husbands and sons would come back from the war, if tomorrow’s weather would be mild to work the field
The historic background is fully researched and this is something I really liked throughout the 4 books: the perfect combination of fiction and non fiction facts
I might re read the books again at some point
For now - 5 stars and round of applause.
February 4, 2024
The final instalment of the Kingmaker series and it didn't disappoint.
January 8, 2018
Toby Clements is a brilliant writer. He writes in the present tense which is hard to do, but extremely effective as it makes the action scenes (of which there are many) so immediate and vivid. This is the concluding part of the story of two ordinary people during the Wars of the Roses, which makes a change from historical novels about the major characters such as the kings and queens and other nobles. It really brings to life the hardships that ordinary people suffered because of the conflicts regarding who should be on the throne. It is realistic and believable - most ordinary people probably just wanted to be left in peace to live their lives. The storyline is excellent as well, intriguing and with a satisfying conclusion. There is mystery, romance, happiness, tragedy, all of life in the story of Katherine and Thomas and they are characters whom we care about from the start.
October 14, 2019
I have loved this series - it's quite immersive, you do feel that it's well grounded in the period, and I got very fond of Thomas and Katherine. However, I found the end quite disappointing. Yes of course I want it to end happily for them, but the ending felt rushed. I want to know whether Thomas told Katherine who she was, and what she thought about it. I want to know how Jack and John Stumps were. And how did Thomas get away in the end with holding property while being a cleric? Mostly, I wanted more character time and less fighting. I'm sure the fighting was impeccably researched, but it doesn't really interest me much. Katherine was a shadow of her former self in this last installment, and while that's understandable given she lost a baby, it's still disappointing.
April 22, 2018
Any chance to give 6 stars to this series! Maybe the best war of roses saga I’ve came across! Just wondering whether will see more of Thomas and Katherine during the downfall of King Edward and Hastings! That would be a remarkable story.
I love all series books, I could not choose one as the best, but the first one and all the drama that leads to Towton is superb.
Thomas and Kat! What a set of characters! Awesome! Great book, fantastic saga!
I love all series books, I could not choose one as the best, but the first one and all the drama that leads to Towton is superb.
Thomas and Kat! What a set of characters! Awesome! Great book, fantastic saga!
April 29, 2022
Couldn't put it down
Totally engrossing. Although I don't usually care for reading a story written in the present tense, once I got past that, I found that I was completely drawn into the world of Thomas and Katherine. I read all four books because I just had to know what happened to them! I learned a little bit of 15th century medical hygiene practices and weaponry too. Well done, Toby Clements
Totally engrossing. Although I don't usually care for reading a story written in the present tense, once I got past that, I found that I was completely drawn into the world of Thomas and Katherine. I read all four books because I just had to know what happened to them! I learned a little bit of 15th century medical hygiene practices and weaponry too. Well done, Toby Clements
September 30, 2017
End of a brilliant series
Highly recommend the series for fans of historic fiction. A very honest walk through some social history of the 15th century, and how people (low and high) were affected by the conflicts; yet never far away from the principle figures of the period, or the action, climaxing with the major clashes of the late-middle wars of the roses.
Highly recommend the series for fans of historic fiction. A very honest walk through some social history of the 15th century, and how people (low and high) were affected by the conflicts; yet never far away from the principle figures of the period, or the action, climaxing with the major clashes of the late-middle wars of the roses.
December 15, 2020
absolutely gripping! Having read the first three I could hardly wait to read the final instalment.
Toby Clements seems to have managed to get inside the heads of the ordinary folk living through those terrible bloody times. Constant fear endless battles lack of security.....lack of trust but great faith too and much pathos. A really great read.
Toby Clements seems to have managed to get inside the heads of the ordinary folk living through those terrible bloody times. Constant fear endless battles lack of security.....lack of trust but great faith too and much pathos. A really great read.
May 26, 2023
It kept me interested through the series
It’s always fun to watch the characters try to resolve their truly dangerous and difficult problems. Throughout the series, you grow to truly care about them. Given the title, I did rather expect more on Warwick, but while he moved a lot of the action, he was ultimately peripheral to the story. Excellent battle descriptions and scenes.
It’s always fun to watch the characters try to resolve their truly dangerous and difficult problems. Throughout the series, you grow to truly care about them. Given the title, I did rather expect more on Warwick, but while he moved a lot of the action, he was ultimately peripheral to the story. Excellent battle descriptions and scenes.
July 24, 2024
Wonderful conclusion to a splendid tetralogy
Once I had read the first of this series, Winter Pilgrims, I had to read the rest. Wonderful plotting, brilliant characterisation, battle scenes worthy of Cornwell if not better, and an uncanny evocation of the world of mediaeval England. I will read those four books again.
Once I had read the first of this series, Winter Pilgrims, I had to read the rest. Wonderful plotting, brilliant characterisation, battle scenes worthy of Cornwell if not better, and an uncanny evocation of the world of mediaeval England. I will read those four books again.
November 22, 2025
A well-crafted and satisfying ending to a quadrilogy I was beginning to fear was in a cycle of diminishing returns. There is something of the Flashman about the way the author contrives to slot his protagonists into key episodes in The Wars of the Roses: at times - in the last two volumes in particular - the contrivance seems forced, but here it feels properly earned.
June 30, 2019
Excellent historical fiction
Nicely written and believable characters in a well researched historical setting.the blending of truth and fiction is really excellent giving the wars of the roses some new perspective
Nicely written and believable characters in a well researched historical setting.the blending of truth and fiction is really excellent giving the wars of the roses some new perspective
February 1, 2021
I feel sad about leaving Catherine and Thomas. I've thoroughly enjoyed their story throughout the period of the War of the Roses. Great storytelling, both the fictional and historical narrative, it has made me want to know more about the times.
October 27, 2017
Sadly I have come to the end of a brilliant series. I will just get my breath back and then look to see what else Toby Clements has written.
November 18, 2017
Great end to a wonderful series.
March 4, 2018
A fitting end to a wonderful series.
March 21, 2021
Brilliant book. Brilliant series. I'm so sorry to see it end.
June 8, 2019
An amazing series. Anyone who loves historical fiction, I highly recommend this read 4.5/5
March 26, 2020
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