Banners of Blood Series by Mark Alder

England, 1337: Edward III is beset on all sides, plagued by debt and surrounded by doubters. He refuses to pay homage to the newly crowned Philip Valois of France and seeks to secure his French holdings, but he's outmanned. Philip can put 50,000 men in the field, but he is having his own problems: he has summoned the angels themselves to fight for France, but the angels refuse to fight... moreEngland, 1337: Edward III is beset on all sides, plagued by debt and surrounded by doubters. He refuses to pay homage to the newly crowned Philip Valois of France and seeks to secure his French holdings, but he's outmanned. Philip can put 50,000 men in the field, but he is having his own problems: he has summoned the angels themselves to fight for France, but the angels refuse to fight. Both kings send priests far and wide, seeking holy relics and heavenly beings to take up the cause of their country, but God remains stubbornly silent, refusing to grant favor to either side.Meanwhile, among the poor and downtrodden, heretical whispers are taking hold: what if God—who has never been seen to do anything for them—is not the rightful leader of the heavens after all? And as Edward’s situation becomes increasingly desperate, even his counselors begin to believe that if God won’t listen, perhaps they can find a savior not from Heaven, but from Hell.In a sweeping tale packed with courtiers and kings, knights and priests, and devils and angels, Mark Alder breathes fresh and imaginative life into the Hundred Years War in this unique historical epic. less

Following on from the success of Son of the Morning, which saw him compared to both Bernard Cornwell for the flair of his historical writing and to George RR Martin for his gripping plotting, Mark Alder takes his history of the 100 years war into France as the war between Heaven and Hell swallows up the ambitions of both the French and English crowns.As the armies mass around Crecy the rivalries between Lucifer, Satan and God become ever deeper and more violent... moreFollowing on from the success of Son of the Morning, which saw him compared to both Bernard Cornwell for the flair of his historical writing and to George RR Martin for his gripping plotting, Mark Alder takes his history of the 100 years war into France as the war between Heaven and Hell swallows up the ambitions of both the French and English crowns.As the armies mass around Crecy the rivalries between Lucifer, Satan and God become ever deeper and more violent. Combining a cast of larger than life (yet real) characters and a truthful, deeply researched take on the religious beliefs of the time Mark Alder is embarked on a truly unique historical fantasy that will ensure you never see the 100 Years War and the history of medieval Europe in the same way again. less