Summer of Blood: England's First Revolution

by Dan Jones Narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies

Overview

From the New York Times bestselling author of Crusaders and a top authority on the historical events that inspired Game of Thrones, a vivid, blood-soaked account of one of the most famous rebellions in history-the first mass uprising by the people of England against their feudal masters.
 
In the summer of 1381, ravaged by poverty and oppressed by taxes, the people of England rose up and demanded that their voices be heard. A ragtag army, led by the mysteri­ous Wat Tyler and the visionary preacher John Ball, rose up against the fourteen-year-old Richard II and his most powerful lords and knights, who risked their property and their lives in a desperate battle to save the English crown. Dan Jones brings this incendiary moment to life and captures both the idealism and brutality of that fate­ful summer, when a brave group of men and women dared to challenge their overlords, demand that they be treated equally, and fight for freedom.

Editorial Reviews

DECEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

Narrator Matthew Lloyd Davies narrates the causes, events, and aftermath of the dramatic and bloody popular English rebellion called The Peasants' Revolt, also known as Wat Tyler’s Revolt, of 1381. It was sparked by the onerous poll tax in 1380, when England was still reeling from the Black Death, shifting class hierarchies, and war on multiple fronts. Davies smoothly recounts the actions of a government in the hands of regents, especially his uncle, John Gaunt, who ruled for the boy king Richard II. Letters, diary entries, and ordinances are delivered in Davies’s measured, sometimes gruff tones in contrast to the author’s fluid, emotionless, and vivid descriptions of uprisings, bloodthirsty beheadings, and violent punishments during and after the revolt. M.B.K. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

Praise for Summer of Blood:
 
“Hot, brave and reeking with gore.” —The Times (London)
 
“Sound scholarship and sexy writing make this . . . essential reading.” —The Independent (London), Book of the Year
 
Praise for The Plantagenets:
 
“A real life Game of Thrones, as dramatic and blood-soaked as any work of fantasy . . . Fast-paced and accessible, The Plantagenets is old-fashioned storytelling and will be particularly appreciated by those who like their history red in tooth and claw.” —The Wall Street Journal

DECEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

Narrator Matthew Lloyd Davies narrates the causes, events, and aftermath of the dramatic and bloody popular English rebellion called The Peasants' Revolt, also known as Wat Tyler’s Revolt, of 1381. It was sparked by the onerous poll tax in 1380, when England was still reeling from the Black Death, shifting class hierarchies, and war on multiple fronts. Davies smoothly recounts the actions of a government in the hands of regents, especially his uncle, John Gaunt, who ruled for the boy king Richard II. Letters, diary entries, and ordinances are delivered in Davies’s measured, sometimes gruff tones in contrast to the author’s fluid, emotionless, and vivid descriptions of uprisings, bloodthirsty beheadings, and violent punishments during and after the revolt. M.B.K. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173369178
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	09/21/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	940,227

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