A review by srash
The King Without a Kingdom by Maurice Druon

informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is an odd duck in the series, set years after the rest of the action, largely focused on the children and descendants of the protagonists from the original stories, and written as a one-sided first person conversation versus omniscient third-person focusing on numerous characters. Once I got into it, I did find it entertaining, and it continues the themes of the original series about inept rulers and power. But I do think it suffers from the absence of the compelling, larger-than-life characters that propelled the action forward in the first 6 books. I enjoyed it well enough but am not sure I'll ever revisit it. The main series, though, I am already battling the urge to reread.