Rebellion tells the story of events in England in the 13th century from the point of view of Etienne de Wace, a young French knight in the service of William Marshal.

These events happened the last years of the reign of King John, when the Barons of England rebelled and ended up inviting Louis the dauphin of France to rule England.

This began a war lasting 2 years, in which those who adhered to the Magna Cara and where loyal to the Kings son fought to oust Louis from England. 2 years in which the future f England hung in the balance- which rebels and guerrilla fighters roamed the land.
Rebellion is an excellent fictionalized account of his time, and of the role played by the legendary Marshal and his family.

The book is detailed in its depiction of major events without bogging the reader down in unnecessary detail- and the interesting twist at the end left me wanting more. Thankfully there is already anther book.

Thanks to Boldwooks for approving me for this title. All opins are freely given and wholly my own

Oh wow.. what an opening. Brutal and gory from the off..

King Richard is dead and John is now on the throne but it’s not going to be easy sailing.. he doesn’t make any friends with his approach to ruling.

We see events play out from the eyes of Estienne, he’s just a young boy but little does he know how his life is about to change. Estienne is sent to Earl William, Marshal of England to foster and to be trained as a squire, to earn his footing in life.

It’s not an easy start.. not every one is as welcoming as Earl William.. in fact at times he sees pure hatred directed towards him but he knows given time he can prove his worth!

There’s a lot of action.. and the pace is fast.. but never rushed..as we see the downfall of King John.. rebellion and war with France.. the whole brutality of war quickly changes Estienne. He’s young and rash but William starts to tame the energy.. gives Estienne the focus he needs.

These early scenes really set the tone and give the depth to Estienne.. you actually see his growth and his nervous energy seeps from the pages.

The book is not for the faint of heart.. its brutal and grisly but never gratuitous.. it’s about Estienne becoming a man in the time he lived

What I really enjoyed was how easily the tale was woven.. John’s reign is a pivotal part of the tale but there’s more..and when the Earl dies a letter is found which changes Estienne’s life once again..

For me this was one of the best balanced books I’ve ever read with the setting and development perfectly mashed together.. there’s so much going on but at the same time so much under the surface and the author teases the reader.. oh my it’s a gloriously wonderful story and sets up the promise of what could be the best series I’ve ever read.. I’ve high hopes for this one.

This was my first read of Richard Cullen, and it did not disappoint.

I was after something gritty, engaging and rich in historical detail, and Rebellion ticked all of these boxes.

Set during the Baron’s Rebellion and the signing of the Magna Carta, the period itself is fascinating. Cullen sets this story against this backdrop of knights, battles and politics, successfully combining an engaging plot with a rich historical setting. The research is meticulous, capturing not only the significant events, but also characterising some of the key figures, such as King John and William Marshall.

Ettienne grows as the novel progresses; at first an awkward and bumbling squire but becoming the embodiment of the chivalric knight. His journey is also fraught with challenge, enduring loyalties and nemeses in the form of Ilbert. He’s a likeable, relatable character who’s easy to engage with, and the reader roots for him throughout.

With clashes on battlefields, in castles and on board ship decks, there’s plenty of action, gore and adventure to sate lovers of medieval history.

Rating of 4.5.

Prepare for an exciting and compelling historical adventure from excellent author Richard Cullen with the amazing read Rebellion.

Back in 2024 I was lucky to receive a copy of the awesome historical fiction novel Rebellion by Richard Cullen. Cullen, who entered the historical fiction genre a couple of years ago with his Wolf of Kings series, may be better known to some readers as fantasy author Richard S. Ford, who has written several compelling series over the year, including The Age of Uprising series (check out my review for the first book in that series, Engines of Empire). His latest release, Rebellion, is the first book in his Chronicles of the Black Lion series, that takes readers back to the early 13th century and deadly rebellions against the crown.

Rebellion was an outstanding novel that successfully wrapped around a character-driven tale of adventure and honour with a compelling historical background to form a fantastic and exciting read. Told primarily from the perspective of Estienne Wace, new squire to legendary knight, lord, and royal regent Wiliam Marshal, you see the chaotic events that defined the last few years of King John’s reign, including the First Barons’ War, in compelling detail. For the most part Cullen tells a classic historical coming of age/adventure tale around Estienne, as the young man first learns the ropes of being a squire, and then the reader follows him through several major battles and historical events, either as a fighting participant or a curious observer. This allows for quite a bit of action and excitement, and the young protagonist soon learns the true horrors of war as he grows closer to the Marshal family.

This proves to be a fascinating and very intense historical narrative, and the author enthrals the reader with a great combination of fascinating historical detail, a ton of cool action, and some compelling character work as he features an intriguing mixture of new characters and many established historical figures. I found this combination to work extremely well, and it proved interesting to follow the protagonist as he witnessed the turbulent history of the period and the dark conflicts it birthed. The action flies thick and fast as the story continues, and I loved the awesome array of detailed sequences that emerged, including a lengthy and desperate siege. The author also makes excellent use of some great alternate points of view as the story continues, including a jealous rival to the protagonist, and you are gifted with a compelling and highly intense look at the battles and politics unfolding. While for the most part the main storyline around Estienne is typical historical fiction fare, Cullen throws in some interesting, if not entirely unsurprising, reveals at the end which should lead to some interesting developments in the future. All this helped to produce a very cool story, and its one that I had a hard time putting down at times.

While I love all the above inclusions, my favourite part of Rebellion was the excellent historical details that Cullen worked his cool narrative around, especially as the author has clearly done his research on the subject. It helped that Cullen chose to set his story around a truly fascinating period of English history that hasn’t been too over-utilised in other pieces of historical fiction. As such, readers are gifted with deeply compelling look at the later years of King John’s reign as he lost land and refused to abide by the Magna Carter, and the resulting war that emerged as his various lords rebelled and tried to crown Prince Louise of France as King. Cullen expertly places Estienne in the middle of many of the key events of this period, and through his eyes you get the full picture of the events that led up the war, as well as how it unfolded. I honestly found this to be extremely fascinating, mainly because this war is often overshadowed by other events in English history, and you don’t see it utilised too often in modern fiction. It was pretty damn interesting to see just how close England came to being ruled by a French king, and I honestly didn’t know that the French landed an army in England during this period, nor that Dover was besieged, and it was extremely cool to see it all unfold throughout the plot of Rebellion.

I personally also enjoyed how much Cullen focused on the awesome historical figure of William Marshal in this book, including examining the role that he played in stopping the war and saving England. Marshal, a legendary knight who served several kings, is shown as an older man torn between duty and family, as he tries to save the cruel King John while his son chooses to support the rebelling barons. I have always loved the history surrounding William Marshal and Cullen does a beautiful job bringing this aging example of knightly duty and honour to life and showcasing the complex roles he tried to balance for the sake of England. This portrayal of Willaim Marshal, and indeed all the historical detail in the book, helps to make Rebellion a particularly captivating historical read, and I really appreciated how Cullen worked it all into the story.

Overall Rebellion was an awesome, fascinating and deeply addictive historical fiction novel that I could not get enough of. Richard Cullen did a brilliant job of bringing this historical adventure together, and I had a wonderful time with the cool action and compelling history contained within it. This is a very fun and exciting read that this very easy to get hooked on, and I ended up having an outstanding time with Rebellion. Indeed, I enjoyed it so much that I have already grabbed an early copy of the sequel, Crusade, and I am hoping to read it soon.

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I couldn't put this book down. You can tell the author did an enormous amount of research for this novel. It was so well written and planned out. There are moments that are gritty and somewhat gory because of the tumultuous time period that it was written in. I enjoyed how it was historical fiction interweaving serious moments in history with King John such as the Magna Carta. I thought the novel was very good, and I will definitely be recommending it to those historical fiction lovers.

Thank you Net Galley ARC and Boldwood Books

Rebellion by Richard Cullen, Richard the lion heart is dead and everyone is scrambling to benefit from it, his brother is now king but Louis of France wants to change that. To make matters worse he doesn’t even listen to his advisers what he does to prevent war only causes it and in the middle of all the chaos we meet Estienne. He is being raised by the night William. For now Estienne is a Squire, but dreams of being a knight and a warrior. Eventually he finds the battles he seeks but it will not be as hard as the personal battles he’s going to face. With great political intrigue battles and also a heartbreaking ending this book only left me wanting to read the next one. Even now having finish the book a few days ago I still find myself thinking of poor Estienne and wondering what is going to happen now. I did want to say I couldn’t believe Isabell did that but then again I didn’t live in those days and times but OMG so heartbreaking. Having said that this is still a great book of battles with it and everything you look for in a book about rival Kingdoms and mid evil warriors.#NetGalley, #BoldwoodBooks, #RichardCullen, #Rebellion,

Trained as a squire, Estienne Wace navigates the turbulence of the time, developing his skills in battle and loyalty to his liege.

The novel perfectly captures Estienne’s coming-of-age journey against the backdrop of medieval hardships, although I felt the pacing lagged a bit during his teenage years. It does pick back up after King John's death in 1216 and William Marshal's passing in 1219, when Estienne’s world is turned upside down by the discovery of a mysterious letter. This twist propels him toward a new life as he joins the Knights Templar on a crusade, leaving readers curious about his future.

I will say that this novel is not for the faint of heart. It is raw and real and if you are a lover of historical fiction then this is certainly the book for you. Cullen did an amazing job with this novel and I certainly cannot wait for the next one.

Set in medieval England during the period 1399-1219 AD, Richard Cullen's novel is not for the fainthearted.

From 1399, the novel leaps into the middle of King John's reign, following the fortunes of an ordinary, nobody: a country-bred orphan lad - Estienne Wace. Estienne is sent to Earl William, Marshal of England and the best knight of Christendom as a foster - a common medieval practice - and to train as a squire until he eventually gains his spurs.

The novel plods through Estienne's teenage years, training and fighting as a squire all through the tumultuous upheavals of John Lackland's reign, before slightly picking up pace after King John's death in 1216 A.D.

With the Earl's death soon after in 1219, and the discovery of a vital letter, twenty-year old Estienne's whole life is once again summarily upended, but he has no clue why.

The book ends with his embarking on a crusade with the Knights Templar.

The author does a fantastic job of hiding until the very end, vital information that drastically changes the reader's views on this entire novel and the main lead, Estienne Wace.

The novel is not a girly read nor for the squeamish. There are no soft, feminine touches. It is about the coming of age of a young lad in mediaeval England and the rites of passage of the times.

It plods, but it's a well written historical novel without major errors of language or history. You end up curious about where Estienne Wace's next adventures will lead him.

I love mediaeval history, especially that of mediaeval England and Richard Lionheart is a favourite. I wish the author had included a historical note. At the end, I fleetingly wondered if there really was an Estienne Wace and if there was, I think his life until this point, must've been like the fictional Estienne Wace's.

However, here's hoping the next book will not plod along, but will proceed along briskly and deftly.

A little less gore, little less heavy handed, a few more deft touches would help me appreciate it even more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy. I enjoyed it. The opinions are my own.

A fabulous book about a young orphan Estienne Wace, who is training to be a squire for a well-respected Earl. The story is set around the time of King John, a very unpopular and unscrupulous ruler of England.
The main protagonists Estienne and Earl William are loyal to the extreme. In the Earl's case, supporting King John against his inner moral turmoil.
The battle scenes are gory yet gripping.
The book filled in a large chunk of history for me, including the reasons behind the drafting of the Magna Carta.
I thoroughly enjoyed the author's writing style and the pace of the novel. It would make a fantastic movie. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Good book! Reminded me a bit of Maurice Druon's series in tone.

(I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

We follow a young character from boy to man with little story of his previous life. He soon grows on you as a reader, the classic ‘good guy’. Honest, brave, strong willed and loyal as a dog. I really enjoyed this book with plenty of battle scenes to keep you wanting more!
A great opening instalment and I look forward for the next!

A thoroughly enjoyable romp through medieval England during the reign of King John. A boy turns up at the castle of William Marshall the finest Knight of all England bearing a letter asking that he be trained as a squire. What follows is a superb tale through lots of historical events brilliantly described all skilfully woven into the tale. Look forward to the next adventure for this great character.

For those that enjoy reading medieval historical fiction with a lot of battlefield scenes than this is the book for you. Unfortunately I prefer a more balanced story between narrative and dialogue. This story was too heavy with narrative for me. Solid writing and decent characters but I found myself skimming through some of the battles because it's just not my thing. Thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the first book in a new series of books about The Black Lion. We follow the story of an orphan boy who goes to be a squire to a well respected Knight. The book is very evocative of the period when King John was on the throne. It was a little slow to start with as it established the characters but once it got going the tension was palpable. Very hard to put down as I wanted to know how it ended. I would recommend this book particularly if you are interested in history. Even if you don't know much about the history of King's of England this is a very entertaining read. Exciting, informative and gripping story. With thanks to the author, Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this publication.

Such a captivating book. Reminds me of Phillipa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick in the style of writing and perspective. Huge fan of this style of writing of having another view point other than nobleman's view of this period in history.

Some creative liberties have been taken to help the modern audience understand the time and thinking of that period but it made it better. I hope there is more about this story in the future as the ending is set up for sequels.

Rebellion by Richard Cullen is the first in a new series featuring young Estienne, an orphan sent to be raised in the household of the fabulous William Marshall in the final troubled years of King John's reign. (You may have noticed that I'm a huge William Marshall fan—I wasn't expecting to find him in this book, so I was very pleased.)

Estienne quickly makes an enemy for himself in the form of one of the other squires while showing his loyalty and fierce desire to succeed. In the process, he wins the high regard of William Marshall and two of his older sons.

The story is very busy. A lot is happening as rebellion against King John builds, and there's the threat of invasion from France, and Estienne finds himself at the heart of much of it. This leads to some good battle scenes and harsh depictions of life in a siege. I did feel a bit sorry for his poor horse and the miles he had to journey. Although I knew the period's history, I still found it very enjoyable to follow Estienne's role in it all. He does witness many of the major elements and, of course, gets to face off against his enemy, although he never discovers his identity.

This is a thrilling start to a new series, and I'm excited to see what happens to Estienne in the future. It is sure to appeal to fans of the genre and those interested in the events of King John's reign. And, we can't forget, it features the fabulous William Marshall in all his wonderful glory.

I really enjoyed the overall concept of this book, it had that historical adventure element that I was hoping for. The use of the English Kings worked with what I knew about these Kings. It was a strong start to this series and enjoyed the adventure element to this. Richard Cullen has a great writing style and the characters were realistic and worked in this story.