The Lions' Torment

England’s Archbishop of Canterbury is dying and with him the power of the Church. Seizing his chance, King Henry II sets out to enforce the rule of law that he has painstakingly established to bring violent, corrupt and criminal clergy before his courts.The ever-scheming courtier Thomas Becket uses his mastery of deceit, sycophancy and wit to undermine the monarch and the Plantagenet dynasty. Should Becket be elected as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, to the fury of Queen Eleanor and Empress Matilda, he will be one step closer to being applauded as England’s strongman.A story of ambition, jealousy, rebellion and downfall, The Lions’ Torment follows Henry, Eleanor and Becket in an era of political flux, betrayal and vengeance that leads to one of the most scandalous and tragic murders in history.

‘Is there an Australian writer more versatile than Blanche d’Alpuget? She throws herself into the twelfth century with astonishing élan to deliver a lusty, gripping account of the Plantagenets.’ -- Annabel Crabb
‘Blanche d’Alpuget writes an epic and compelling tale that brings the Plantagenets to vivid life.’ -- Leigh Sales

Blanche d'Alpuget is the acclaimed author of biographies, novels and essays. Her bestselling 1982 classic, Robert J. Hawke: A Biography, won the New South Wales Premier’s Award and remains one of the finest examples of political biographies in Australia. The second edition of the book was republished as Hawke: The Early Years, and d’Alpuget continued the story in Hawke: The Prime Minister in 2010. To mark the late prime minister’s extraordinary life and legacy, d’Alpuget combined the two books for the first time in an updated and revised commemorative edition, Bob Hawke: The Complete Biography, a definitive portrait of the man, on and off the political stage. d’Alpuget’s other non fiction works include Mediator: A Biography of Sir Richard Kirby, which was published to critical acclaim in 1977 and is still used as a university text in the study of industrial relations. Her novels Monkeys in the Dark, Turtle Beach, Winter in Jerusalem and White Eye won a host of literary prizes, including the PEN Golden Jubilee Award, The Age Novel of the Year Award, the South Australian Premier’s Award and the inaugural Australasian Prize for Commonwealth Literature. She is also the author of the Birth of the Plantagenets series: The Young Lion, The Lion Rampant, The Lions’ Torment, The Lioness Wakes and The Cubs Roar. Colin Morgan is an Irish actor, best known for playing lovable teenage wizard, Merlin, in the BBC series of the same name (2008-2012). Colin studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, graduating in 2007. He played the lead in the BBC miniseries The Living and the Dead (2016) and has appeared in main roles in The Catherine Tate Show (2007), Doctor Who (2008), Quirke (2014), The Fall (2014-2016) and Humans (2015-2016).

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.