‘One of our nation’s most ambitious and engaging writers’ MANDA SCOTT

‘Grabs you from the start and never lets you go’ HARRY SIDEBOTTOM

‘Exciting, immersive, and great fun’ GILES KRISTIAN

Neither men nor gods will stand in his way…

On the east coast of Ireland thirteen-year old Finn finds the sword of a slain Norseman, and with Odin’s raven watching, is given the name Stormcrow. When Finn’s family is torn apart by a random act of violence, and the sword lost, he embarks on a quest for revenge with his oldest friend, the shaman Vekel.

It is a path that will lead to the court of the High King of Ireland, Máel Sechnaill, and to the Norse city of Dyflin, ruled by Sigtrygg Silkbeard. Crewing on a longship, Stormcrow raids up and down the Irish coastline, seeking not just riches but vengeance for his murdered father. Against a backdrop of political alliances made and broken, battles won and lost, Stormcrow’s life as a Norse raider seems certain until he meets Sigtrygg’s new wife.

In the eye of the storm, Stormcrow dices with death yet again.

Only the gods know if he will survive.

What readers are saying about Ben Kane:

‘Powerful evocation of our history’ ?????
‘An engaging and exciting read’ ?????
‘Gripped me from start to finish’ ?????
‘Epic tales, gorgeous prose, non-stop action’ ?????
‘Rich in period detail and lively in narrative’ ????&#11088

It is a path that will lead to the court of the High King of Ireland, Máel Sechnaill, and to the Norse city of Dyflin, ruled by Sigtrygg Silkbeard. Crewing on a longship, Stormcrow raids up and down the Irish coastline, seeking not just riches but vengeance for his murdered father. Against a backdrop of political alliances made and broken, battles won and lost, Stormcrow’s life as a Norse raider seems certain until he meets Sigtrygg’s new wife.

In the eye of the storm, Stormcrow dices with death yet again.

Only the gods know if he will survive.

Captive
Shipwrecked on the Italian coast, the king and his small group of companions are forced into a perilous journey through lands controlled by their enemies. Shortly before Christmas 1192, Richard is taken prisoner near Vienna by Duke Leopold of Austria. Kept prisoner for several months, the king is then handed over to Henry VI, the Holy Roman Emperor. His captivity lasts for another year, fanning the flames of unrest in his territories in England and beyond.

Negotiator
Talks between Richard’s mother Queen Alienor and Henry VI last for months, but finally reach a bitter agreement. The extortionate sum demanded to free the king will empty the treasury and bleed England dry. Philippe Capet and Richard’s brother John collude, offering vast sums to see the king kept captive for longer. Their efforts are in vain, leading Philippe to pen a letter to John including the famous line: ‘Look to yourself, the devil is loose.’

King
Crowned for a second time to wash away the shame of his captivity, Richard restores order in England, forgiving John his shameful behaviour. His next task is to recover territories lost to Philippe Capet, and to re-establish his dominance over the French king. Forging clever alliances, building strategic castles and when obliged, waging war, the Lionheart carves a unique path into history.

Captive
Shipwrecked on the Italian coast, the king and his small group of companions are forced into a perilous journey through lands controlled by their enemies. Shortly before Christmas 1192, Richard is taken prisoner near Vienna by Duke Leopold of Austria. Kept prisoner for several months, the king is then handed over to Henry VI, the Holy Roman Emperor. His captivity lasts for another year, fanning the flames of unrest in his territories in England and beyond.

Negotiator
Talks between Richard’s mother Queen Alienor and Henry VI last for months, but finally reach a bitter agreement. The extortionate sum demanded to free the king will empty the treasury and bleed England dry. Philippe Capet and Richard’s brother John collude, offering vast sums to see the king kept captive for longer. Their efforts are in vain, leading Philippe to pen a letter to John including the famous line: ‘Look to yourself, the devil is loose.’

King
Crowned for a second time to wash away the shame of his captivity, Richard restores order in England, forgiving John his shameful behaviour. His next task is to recover territories lost to Philippe Capet, and to re-establish his dominance over the French king. Forging clever alliances, building strategic castles and when obliged, waging war, the Lionheart carves a unique path into history.

1179. Henry II is King of England, Wales, Ireland, Normandy, Brittany and Aquitaine. The House of Plantagenet reigns supreme.

But there is unrest in Henry’s house. Not for the first time, his family talks of rebellion.

Ferdia – an Irish nobleman taken captive during the conquest of his homeland – saves the life of Richard, the king’s son. In reward for his bravery, he is made squire to Richard, who is already a renowned warrior.

Crossing the English Channel, the two are plunged into a campaign to crush rebels in Aquitaine. The bloody battles and gruelling sieges which followed would earn Richard the legendary name of Lionheart.

But Richard’s older brother, Henry, is infuriated by his sibling’s newfound fame. Soon it becomes clear that the biggest threat to Richard’s life may not be rebel or French armies, but his own family…

‘A rip-roaring epic, filled with arrows and spattered with blood. Gird yourself with mail when you start.’ Paul Finch

‘Ben’s deeply authoritative depiction of the time is delivered in a deft manner.’ Simon Scarrow

Historically very little is known about Spartacus. We know that he came from Thrace, a land north of Greece, that he once fought in the Roman legions and that, during two fateful years, he led a slave army which nearly brought Rome to its knees.

In Ben Kane’s brilliant novel, we meet Spartacus as he returns to Thrace, ready to settle down after a decade away. But a new king has usurped the throne. Treacherous and violent, he immediately seizes Spartacus and sells him to a Roman slave trader looking for new gladiators.

The odyssey has begun which will see Spartacus become one of the greatest legends of history, the hero of revolutionaries from Karl Marx to Che Guevara, immortalised on screen, and now brought to life in Ben Kane’s great bestseller – a novel which takes the story to its halfway point and is continued in Spartacus: Rebellion.

Ben Kane was born in Kenya and raised there and in Ireland. He studied veterinary medicine and University College, Dublin, but after that he travelled the world extensively, indulging in his passion for ancient history. He lives in North Somerset with his wife and two young children.