I have broken my vows. I have murdered innocents. I have trod down the soil over their dead face with my bare heels, and only the moon as witness. I have loved a woman and she ruined me. I have loved a king and yet I ruined him.

The year is 937. England is a nation divided, ruled by minor kings and Viking lords. Each vies for land and power. The Wessex king Æthelstan, grandson of Alfred the Great, is readying himself to throw a spear into the north.

Behind him stands Dunstan, the man who will control the destiny of the next seven kings of England, and the fate of an entire nation.

Welcome to the original game for the English throne.

Review
One of the most interesting historical novels of recent times (The Tablet)

Iggulden's Dunstan is a vivid, convincing character (BBC History Magazine)

This engrossing novel is rich in intrigue, with Iggulden breathing life into this remarkable and complex figure who played a vital role in safeguarding a newly united England (Daily Express)

Iggulden... tells an absolutely cracking story... the pace is nail-biting and the set dressing magnificent (The Times)

Iggulden takes what you thought was a ho-hum era and peopled it with characters so finely honed it becomes a gripping and glorious legend. Can't fault the man. Brilliant! (Weekend Sport)

Breathes new life into the darkest and most dramatic of times (Star)

Iggulden is in a class of his own when it comes to epic, historical fiction (The Daily Mirror)

Compelling reading (Woman and Home)

Superbly plotted and paced (The Times)

Iggulden's debut book was The Gates of Rome, the first in a currently five part series entitled Emperor. The series is based around the life of Julius Caesar, from childhood (The Gates of Rome) to his eventual betrayal and death (The Gods of War). The film option has been sold to Spitfire Productions (an Intermedia company).
The author has written a fifth book in the series, Emperor: The Blood of Gods, which deals with the rise of Augustus and events after the end of The Gods of War. This book was published on 26 September 2013.
After completing the fourth book in the Emperor series, Iggulden began research for his next series of books, the Conquerorseries, based on the life of Mongol warlords Genghis, Ogedai and Kublai Khan. His first book was available from 2007.Bones of the Hills, the third in the series, was released on 1 September 2008. In September 2010 Empire of Silver was released, which revolves around the life of Genghis Khan's son, Ogedai. Whilst Iggulden had initially confirmed on his official website that he would be writing two more books after Empire of Silver on Kublai Khan, the author's note at the end ofConqueror states that it would be the last in the series. Iggulden explains his desire to leave the character when he still had much left to accomplish, rather than tracing him through to his eventual downfall, as he did with Julius Caesar and Genghis Khan.
Iggulden released the book Stormbird in 2013 as the first of three books in the Wars of the Roses series