Presents Shakespeare's tragicomedy that focuses on King Leontes, who accuses his boyhood friend of betrayal, condemns his wife for adultery, and banishes his newborn daughter, along with scene-by-scene analysis, commentary on past and current productions, and an overview of Shakespeare's theatrical career.

"Within these pages, the story of the Targaryen rulers unfolds--the good and the bad, the dreamers and the schemers, the mad and the magnificent. Beginning with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, this volume recounts the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to The Dance of the Dragons--the bloody civil war that nearly put an end to Targaryen rule for good. Straight from the pen of...

#1 New York Times bestselling biographer Andrew Morton provides the definitive,most comprehensive account of Queen Elizabeth II's legendary reign. Painfully shy, Elizabeth Windsor's personality was well suited to her youthful ambition of living quietly in the country, raising a family, and caring for her dogs and horses. But when her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated, she became heir to the throne-embarking on a journey that would test her as a woman...

In order to break a curse on her kingdom, Isla Crown, the young ruler of Wilding, must compete in the Centennial, a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play, and to survive she must lie, cheat, and betray--even as love threatens to undo everything.

"Since William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy, crossed the English Channel in 1066 to defeat King Harold II and unite England's various kingdoms, forty-one kings and queens have sat on Britain's throne: "shining examples of royal power and majesty alongside a rogue's gallery of weak, lazy, or evil monarchs," as Tracy Borman evocatively describes them in her sparkling chronicle, Crown & Sceptre. Ironically, during very few of these 955 years has the...

"A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. Two great leaders - Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon - who hold sway over an age of enforced peace are dead, victims of royal treachery. Now, from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil,...

Britain is in a state of uneasy peace. Northumbria's Viking ruler, Sigtryggr, and Mercia's Saxon Queen Aethelflaed have agreed a truce. And so England's greatest warrior, Uhtred of Bebbanburg, at last has the chance to take back the home his traitorous uncle stole from him so many years ago--and which his scheming cousin still occupies. But fate is inexorable and the enemies Uhtred has made and the oaths he has sworn combine to distract him from his...

Young King Jaron has taken the throne of Carthya, but after enemies attempt to assassinate him, and a neighboring kingdom threatens invasion, he finds that he has no friends in the palace, not even his bride-to-be, princess Amarinda--and his regents think it would be better for Carthya if he just disappeared again.

As seneschal to High King Cardan, Jude must fight to keep control of the Faerie throne while her younger brother, Oak, enjoys the childhood she never knew.

"Zhu Yuanzhang, the Radiant King, is riding high after her victory that tore southern China from its Mongol masters. Now she burns with a new desire: to seize the throne and crown herself emperor. But Zhu isn't the only one with imperial ambitions. Her neighbor in the south, the courtesan Madam Zhang, wants the throne for her husband--and she's strong enough to wipe Zhu off the map. To stay in the game, Zhu will have to gamble everything on a risky...