A Great and Terrible King

Edward I and the Forging of Britain

By: Marc Morris

Narrated by: Ralph Lister

Edward I is familiar to millions as "Longshanks", conqueror of Scotland and nemesis of Sir William Wallace (in Braveheart). Yet this story forms only the final chapter of the king's action-packed life. Earlier, Edward had defeated and killed the famous Simon de Montfort, traveled to the Holy Land, and conquered Wales. He raised the greatest armies of the Middle Ages and summoned the largest parliaments. Notoriously, he expelled all the Jews from his kingdom.

In this audiobook, Marc Morris examines afresh the forces that drove Edward throughout his relentless career: his character, his Christian faith, and his sense of England's destiny - a sense shaped in particular by the tales of the legendary King Arthur. He also explores the competing reasons that led Edward's opponents (including Robert Bruce) to resist him.

©2009 Marc Morris (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[V]ivid details and an engaging narrative style bring the man and his period to life." ( Library Journal)

Outstanding Scholarship

Marc Morris knows his topic inside and out. This is a most detailed biography of a great warrior king, who subjugated Britain. Edward I was a commanding and brutal king. This book is most balanced in its portrayal of Edward. One really needs an outline and family tree to keep all the main players straight. Well done. And Ralph Lister completes the masterpiece. Well done.

Best Narrator of All Time

What made the experience of listening to A Great and Terrible King the most enjoyable?

Hands down the best audio book narration to date. Not only a great, and fascinating book, but the story comes alive with the voice of Ralph Lister's narration.

What other book might you compare A Great and Terrible King to and why?

The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir.

Well researched

Really enjoyed the narrative, information, and narrator. I highly recommend as a good peek into an interesting character.

Narrator and Book are Both Very Good

Would you consider the audio edition of A Great and Terrible King to be better than the print version?

yes, the narrator really did a great job . Makes reading so much more enjoyable!

What other book might you compare A Great and Terrible King to and why?

"The Norman Conquest" was also a very good book by same author and also had a very good narrator. (Despite the negative reviews on the narrator of that book...I thought his way of reading was very interesting and fitted the history...((As does the narrator of this book by Marc Morris))

Which scene was your favorite?

not sure yet..as still "Reading " it

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no..this is a book to listen to again and again to get all the details fully understood

Any additional comments?

very happy with the book and performance of narrator

Detailed and fascinating

Marc Morris presents an enormous amount of information in a well-organized, accessible, and compelling narrative. My only real complaint is the time he spends in the last chapter rationalizing some of Edward's many flaws. For example, Edward banished all Jews from England: Morris admits that he was antisemitic, but defends him on the grounds - paraphrasing here - that so was every one else.

(I was also irritated that he issues a blanket denial that there is any historical basis for the legends of King Arthur. He may well be right, but I'm not willing to surrender my illusions that easily. Fortunately he didn't go after Robin Hood too - that would have been a definite deal-breaker.)

Edward comes across in the book as a man of intense concentration and single-mindedness, someone who could temporarily set aside one goal - going on Crusade - to pursue a different one - subjugating Scotland - but who always came back, as soon as possible, to the first goal. His problems were legion. He fought wars against Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and France, succeeding definitively only in the first one. He struggled to maintain the rights of the king, over against the rights of the people. He was a king cast from the assertive, warlike mold.

Ralph Lister is an excellent narrator, maintaining a clear and crisp pace throughout. Despite my nitpicking about this or that point, I enjoyed the listen and would - and will - definitely do it again.