The Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir (1996, Paperback, Reprint)

Not only is this book a must-read for the English history buff, it is a sure means of addiction to Alison Weir's masterful writing style. Ms. Weir, exhaustive in her research and factual detailing, brings the fifteenth century wars between the Houses of Lancaster and York to vivid life. In addition to the strife between the warring monarchs, the reader is also witness to the activities of the powerful, and frequently traitorous, nobility who served them.

Leaving no stone unturned, the effects of these wars is chronicled from mightiest to lowliest, for in doing such, we see how the lives of even the commoners, the true base of the monarchial armies, were continually ravaged by bloodshed, devastation, and change.

In this engrossingly captured time, the shadows of former kings play against the dynastic struggles of Lancaster and York; past usurpations and self-proclaimed entitlement blur the line where royal lineage and lust for power meet. What was best for the nation did not always figure into the scenario, as the reader finds out.

Witness how the variations of character and leadership, separated at times by a mere generation, could provide either flourishment or detriment to a kingdom, as seen in the case of the powerful Henry V's legacy lost to his weak son Henry VI. Should the pious Henry VI ever have been King? Certainly, throughout the course of his well-documented battles with Edward IV, you, the reader, will decide for yourself.

Either add to, or begin your Alison Weir collection with this wonderfully detailed, compelling work.