Livingston, Michael – The Bell Bookshop

The Ark and the Empire

Emma — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The beginning of an epic historical fantasy series that reveals the hidden celestial battle behind the course of history.

HISTORY BELONGS TO THE CONQUERORS – BUT THE FUTURE IS FORGED BY THE WEAPONS OF THE GODS

Julius Caesar is dead, assassinated on the senate floor, and the glory that is Rome has been torn in two…

Octavian, Caesar’s ambitious great-nephew and adopted son, vies with Marc Antony and Cleopatra for control of Caesar’s legacy. As civil war rages from Rome to Alexandria, and vast armies and navies battle for supremacy, a secret conflict threatens to shift the course of history.

Juba, Numidian prince and adopted brother of Octavian, has embarked on a ruthless quest for the Shards of Heaven, lost treasures said to possess the very power of the gods – or the one God. Driven by vengeance, Juba has already attained the fabled Trident of Poseidon, which may also be the staff once wielded by Moses. Now he will stop at nothing to obtain the other Shards, even if it means burning the entire world to the ground.

Caught up in these cataclysmic events, and the hunt for the Shards, are a pair of exiled Roman legionnaires, a Greek librarian of uncertain loyalties, assassins, spies, slaves. . . and the ten-year-old daughter of Cleopatra herself.

Book 1 in THE SHARDS TRILOGY
#1 The Ark and the Empire
#2 The Spear and the Storm
#3 The Ring and the Ruin

The Two Hundred Years War

Emma — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A new and radically original account of the longest military conflict in European history, which challenges the conventional periodisation of the ‘Hundred Years War’ to consider a much longer period of Anglo-French conflict.

Michael Livingston argues that the English lens through which the war has been viewed has led historians to define it in terms of English interests (most famously, the claim of the English Plantagenet king Edward III to be the rightful king of France), and that the events collectively labelled the ‘Hundred Years War’ are best seen as a sequence of steps in France’s struggle to define itself as a nation. For much of the period, France’s primary rival was indeed England. But it was by no means the only combatant. Burgundy stood in its way, too, as did Brittany, Flanders, Navarre and other rival powers.

Viewing France as the primary engine driving the war leads Livingston to consider a much longer timespan, starting with the Anglo-French ‘Pirate War’ of 1292 (which swiftly escalated into a fight over England’s feudal possessions in Gascony) and ending with the marriage of Charles VIII of France to Anne of Brittany by which Brittany was subsumed into the French realm.

Agincourt

Emma — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 HISTORICAL WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION NON-FICTION CROWN AWARD

‘It’s quite a feat to write an account of England’s most famous battle that makes the reader feel like they’re experiencing history that is fresh, new and exhilarating.’ Dan Snow

This groundbreaking study by Mike Livingston, as featured on History Hit’s Agincourt, presents a new interpretation of Henry V’s great victory.

From Shakespeare’s ‘band of brothers’ speech to its appearances in numerous films, Agincourt rightfully has a place among a handful of conflicts whose names are immediately recognized around the world. Renowned medieval historian Mike Livingston provides a new look at this famous battle, with a foreword by world famous historic novelist Bernard Cornwell.

Agincourt takes us back to the original sources, including the French battle plan that still survives today, to give a new interpretation, one that challenges the traditional site of the battlefield itself. It is a thrilling new history that not only rewrites the battle as we know it, but also provides fresh insights into the men who fought and died there.

Iceborn

Emma — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In the thrilling sequel to Seaborn, the Windborn threaten war against the Fair Isles – and three women of the sea hatch daring plans to change their fates.

Bela, the reluctant hero, journeys into the inhospitable Sea of Ice in search of the ancient portal that broke the world.

Shae, the ship-less Bone Pirate, stands with a Windborn exile before an army of remorseless metal beings.
And Alira, the huntress, faces the revelation of what the Bloodborn are, and the truth of their horrible magicks.

In desperation, in determination, and in hope, every step they take reveals new secrets about their past – and new fears for their future.

Seaborn

Emma — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The seven houses of the matriarchal Seaborn have plied the seas of the Fair Isles for centuries, trading among the islands and fending off the attacks by the fearsome Bone Pirate.

But suddenly, out of the night sky, a common enemy appears – the Windborn, who come without warning to raid, burn, and kill.

Hoping to turn the tide, Shae – the Bone Pirate’s first mate – enacts a daring plan to fight her way aboard a Windborn vessel. The raid yields a prize – the airship’s captain who is, to Shae’s shock, a man.

Together with a reluctant heroine, Bela, they learn the truth of their shared history: the Windborn and Seaborn come from the same people, split apart by blood magick when a race of immortal mechanical men betrayed their human makers.

Now, these unlikely allies must make a desperate journey to confront the secrets of the past – and stop the dark magick at its source.

CrÃ©cy

Emma — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

‘Like Crécy itself, this book is a triumph and the tale it tells gives an old story new life.’ BERNARD CORNWELL, bestselling author of The Last Kingdom series The battle of Crécy in 1346 is one of the most famous and widely studied military engagements in history. The repercussions of this battle were felt for hundreds of years, and the exploits of those fighting reached the status of legend. Yet cutting-edge research has shown that nearly everything that has been written about this dramatic event may be wrong.In this new study, Michael Livingston reveals how modern scholars have used archived manuscripts, satellite technologies and traditional fieldwork to help unlock what was arguably the battle’s greatest secret: the location of the now quiet fields where so many thousands died. Crécy: Battle of Five Kings is a story of past and present. It is a new history of one of the most important battles of the Middle Ages: a compelling narrative account that nonetheless adheres to the highest scholarly standards in its detail. It is also an account that incorporates the most cutting-edge revelations and the personal story of how those discoveries were made.

Origins of The wheel of time

Emma — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

NOW WITH EXCLUSIVE BONUS MATERIAL

From author and scholar Michael Livingston, Origins of The Wheel of Time is an authorised exploration of the inspirations behind the acclaimed series, including the first biography of its creator, Robert Jordan. With an introduction by Jordan’s editor and widow, Harriet McDougal.

Explore never-before-seen insights into The Wheel of Time, including:
– A brand-new, redrawn world map by Ellisa Mitchell using change requests discovered in Robert Jordan‘s unpublished notes
– An alternate scene from an early draft of The Eye of the World
– An exclusive interview with the author

This companion to the internationally bestselling series will delve into the creation of Robert Jordan’s masterpiece, drawing from interviews and an unprecedented examination of his unpublished notes. Michael Livingston tells the behind-the-scenes story of who Jordan was (including a chapter that is the very first published biography of the author), how he worked, and why he holds such an important place in modern literature.

The second part of the book is a glossary to the ‘real world’ in The Wheel of Time. King Arthur is in The Wheel of Time. Merlin, too. But so is Alexander the Great and the Apollo Space Program, the Norse gods and Napoleon’s greatest defeat – and so much more.

Origins of The Wheel of Time will provide exciting knowledge and insights to both new and long-time fans looking either to expand their understanding of the series or unearth the real-life influences that Jordan utilized in his world-building – all in one accessible text.

‘Jordan has come to dominate the world Tolkien began to reveal‘ – The New York Times on The Wheel of Time series

Agincourt

Emma — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Origins of The Wheel of Time

Emma — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

With an introduction by Harriet McDougal, Origins of The Wheel of Time by Michael Livingston explores the inspirations behind the acclaimed series The Wheel of Time, including a biography of Robert Jordan for the first time.

‘Jordan has come to dominate the world Tolkien began to reveal‘ – New York Times on The Wheel of Time series

Origins of The Wheel of Time will provide exciting knowledge and insights to both new and longtime fans looking either to expand their understanding of the series or unearth the real-life influences that Jordan utilized in his world-building – all in one accessible text.