Richard III

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Nothing new I'm afraid. A real disappointment. - Rated
This book was such a disappointment. Hicks is supposed to be one of our better medieval historians and yes he can certainly wade in with all the research but it is clear that he does not have the skill to make this research fit the actions of believable characters. Richard III arrives, yet again, as a two-dimensional cardboard cut-out. There is nothing fresh or interesting here, in fact Hicks makes it clear that although he wants to look at the life of this king in a new way, by page 2 he has already made his mind up but just hides it behind clever scholarly jargon. Yawn, yawn. I'm afraid I couldn't even get to the end. Pass.

Tough going, but meticulously researched - Rated
This one is for the reader who doesn't mind somewhat dry writing and who really wants to get to know about this mysterious king in much more than a superficial "was he a villain or wasn't he?" kind of level. It is detailed but does not grab the reader. I am an avid fan of anything Ricardian but at times I felt like giving up and referring back to more..., well, exciting accounts. On the plus side, I give it four stars because for those who are willing to stay the course, it offers much insight into the 15th Century politics and society. Quite predictably it follows the generally established view of most books on Richard that he was a low down, conniving and evil monster, the "facts" as presented here would suggest this but don't believe the "facts", there is a fast growing pro-Richard movement which counters strongly the views held in such books as this one, therefore read this as only PART of the overall picture of the last British die in battle, not the full story.

Detailed but dry - Rated
Considering the events which shaped Richard III's life and reign, this isn't the most exciting re-telling.

There's no faulting the scholarship behind the work though, and the book weighs all the pro and anti-Richard evidence, leaving you with a comprehensive and compelling argument backing up his conclusions (I won't say what decision he reaches!)

My only complaint is that this could have been far more gripping - other historical books manage to combine scholarly attention to detail and still bring the times and people to life.

'Back to Basics' account of Britain's number one villain - Rated
Michael Hicks' no-nonsense account of England's most controversial ruler is likely to divide its readership. His conclusions about Richard are emphatic - I won't spoil the read by telling you which side he takes - but compelling. This is a sensible, balanced account, which cuts through much of the nonsense and spurious evidence previously used to judge Richard's character and career.

Stylistically, this is not the most readable book on Richard but it is definitely one of the best-informed. Hicks spends little time on the factual details so familiar to scholars of Richard's reign. He assumes a level of knowledge in his readership and therefore has produced a concise account.

In summary, this is probably not a book for someone reading their first biography of Richard. Instead, Hicks has chosen to redress the balance of many recent historical works in his concentration on the facts as we know them.