Richard I (1157–99) was king of England from 1189 until his\ndeath, but he is best known as a soldier, not a monarch. He earned\nhis moniker Richard the Lionheart as a knight and military leader,\nand his revolt against his father Henry II and his conquest of\nCyprus as part of the Crusades helped to solidify his historical\nlegend.

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In Lionheart, Norwegian author Thorvald Steen, celebrated for\nhis historical novels, brings his characteristic accuracy and\nartistic vision to the life of Richard I. Lionheart is the story of\na man living in the shadow of his own myth, also a fanatic general\nwho wants to conquer the world’s greatest sanctum and a king that\nis suddenly vulnerable. At the age of fifteen he leads an army\nagainst his father. Fourteen years later he is the Pope’s obvious\nchoice to lead the third Crusade. But the Richard of Steen’s novel\nis less sure of himself and his role—is it true that he is God’s\nchosen one, like his mother says?

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Built on extensive research, Steen paints a dark and conflicted,\nyet credible and convincing, portrait of a man who has engrossed\nhistorians, poets, novelists and readers for centuries.

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\“Thorvald Steen’s new novel Lionheart is a fascinating read…\n. Steen manages to give flesh and blood to a historical icon, and\ncreates a story with energy, dressed in sober yet sublime\nlanguage.\"—Dagsavisen, on the Norwegian edition

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