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Succession
Succession
Jan 13, 2026 1:45 AM

Author:Livi Michael

Succession

'Clever...the narrative has the colour and power of the best of the chronicles she uses.' - Sunday Times

Margaret of Anjou is young, beautiful, French and wildly unpopular when she marries England's ill-fated Henry VI. After the English are banished from France, civil war erupts. Margaret becomes a warrior queen, fighting for her husband's right to be king and her son's position as his rightful heir.

Meanwhile, heiressMargaret Beaufort is born into a troubled inheritance. Fiercely sought after by courtiers, by the age of thirteen she has married twice and given birth to her only son, who will be the future king of England. But then he is taken from her. . .

Reviews

Clever...the narrative has the colour and power of the best of the chronicles she uses.

—— Sunday Times

Lively . . . Michael paints the Middle Ages in spare and elegant prose.

—— New York Times Book Review

A heartfelt account of the eye-opening, hair-raising early life of Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII.

—— Suzannah Dunn , Waterstones blog, ‘Author’s Books of the Year 2014’

Portrayed beautifully, honestly

—— Historical Novel Review

Livi Michael invests intimate and poignant humanity into the personal tragedies of an era wrought with conflict and terror

—— Elizabeth Fremantle, author of Queen's Gambit

This bold and emotional story is a must-read

—— Good Housekeeping UK

All round a cracking title and for me, a definite Sci-Fi favourite of the year.

—— Falcata Times

Must-read summer blockbuster novel.

—— Mashable UK

Compelling…a love letter to the eighties.

—— Sci Fi and Fantasy Reviews

It's epic, it is majorly, fantastically geeky, full of wonderful pop culture references and most of all it is just an amazing joy to read…I loved this, it is one of these rare books that lives with you afterwords, one to be discussed over and over again, it is a modern classic.

—— Random Redheaded Ramblings blog

In a style all his own, Cline takes his readers on another exciting, charming, mysterious, heartwarming, geek-fueled ride.

—— The Geeko

A solid sci-fi romp.

—— Starburst

A work of geeky wonder

—— Wonderland Avenue Book Blog

Massively entertaining

—— Following the Nerd

An enjoyable romp.

—— Tor

Definitely worth the wait

—— Rinn Reads

Fun, fast paced, action focused plot with massive appeal in terms of huge doses of pop culture references.

—— Lynn's Book Blog

Video games come to life in this witty, extraterrestrial thriller

—— New York Post

Cline once again brings crackling humor and fanboy knowledge to a zesty, crowd-pleasing, countdown-clock, save-the-planet tale featuring an unlikely hero, adrenaline-pumping action, gawky romance, and touching family moments.…Cline’s sly, mind-twisting premise and energetically depicted and electrifying high-tech battles make for smart, frenetic, and satisfying entertainment.

—— Booklist

The obscure and the popular bounce around in Cline’s head like asteroids in the classic arcade game of the same name. And when these references are combined with Cline’s fantastic storytelling ability and manage to find their way onto a blank page, something special happens.

—— Chicago News

Another cracking adventure…a fun, affectionate homage to gaming, gamers and big splodey sci-fi action, and you'll read it with a grin on your face. And maybe shed a couple of tears, too. It definitely deserves a place in your suitcase this summer.

—— Geek Planet

A quick witted, action-packed, nerdy dedication to the little gamer inside me. I thoroughly enjoyed this book…A definite recommendation to anyone!

—— The Blogger's Bookshop

Cline’s cast of characters and dialogue in Armada is superb. It’s action packed and the pace is relentless making for a fast read… Armada is heaps of fun and well worth the trip down memory lane.

—— British Science Fiction Association

The writing is fluid, filled with brilliant dialogue, a solid cast and lots of action…hugely enjoyable, especially the big dose of 80s- esque story that Armada serves up. It’s straightforward fun with little twist or turns but just like the movies it references, it’s awesome.

—— The Bookbeard’s Blog

This book is absolute geek heaven

—— Brit Book Boy

An extremely cool and quirky science fiction adventure, stacked full of hilarious and fitting pop culture references. Cline has created a fast paced and engaging story using a perfect blend of humour, futuristic tech and video-game like action sequences.

—— Brit Book Boy

Ernest Cline is a genius in every sense of the word…This was truly wonderful, everything I had hoped it would be, and then heaps and heaps more.

—— Tea and Book Reviews

Release your inner nerd and rejoice!

—— The Fancy Octopus

Armada is a gamer’s fantasy come true.

—— Read at Midnight

thriller-like plotting…immensely readable

—— SFX

It’s a hoot, from beginning to end

—— Christoria

Literally everything I could ask for

—— Emma's Bookery

A highly rewarding journey…thoroughly enjoyable fiction.

—— SF Book

Armada is a journey towards emotional intelligence and understanding, a journey towards some questions answered, others posed – huge questions they are too. Armada’s a good ‘un.

—— Frost

A surprising thriller, a coming of age, space-fighting adventure which will thrill sci-fi fans and gamers alike.

—— Metro

It is often said that the best novels are those that don’t waste any time – the ones that grip the reader from the very first line. Armada does this better than perhaps any other book I’ve read.This book is a love-letter to the science fiction genre. It’s a concentrated shot of sci-fi nerdery that’s definitely worth experiencing.

—— One Giant Read

Armada is fun, so go enjoy it for the first time… or the second.

—— Geekdad
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