The Pretender

Wolf Hall meets Demon Copperhead in a sharply ambitious, brilliantly imagined and hugely entertaining story of intrigue, deceit, revenge and ambition<BR><BR>1483.<BR>The English throne is in peril.<BR>Peasant boy and pretender John Collan is faced with two options.<BR>a) Become king<BR>b) Die trying<BR>What could possibly go wrong?<BR><BR>**WATERSTONES FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH**<BR>**THE TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER**<BR>**NAMED AS BEST HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE SUNDAY TIMES**<BR>**PICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 BY THE GUARDIAN, SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY MAIL, AND THE I**<BR>**SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE**<BR>**SHORTLISTED FOR THE WINSTON GRAHAM HISTORICAL PRIZE**<BR><BR>Seething with revenge and machination, sparkling with wit and humanity, and roaring with adventure and bravado, The Pretender is the captivating true story of a young man tossed into the chaos of history as it happens.<BR><BR>________________________________________<BR><BR>'A bold and brilliant comedy of royal intrigue' Guardian<BR>'Funny, moving, filthy and original' The Times<BR>'So alive I felt Harkin might be a time traveller' Maggie Shipstead<BR>'I read it with the dedicated fervour of a kid discovering literature for the first time' Yael van der Wouden<BR>'The most enjoyable historical novel I've read in years' Spectator<BR>'Witty, poignant, wildly engaging, and with a huge heart' Sarah Waters<BR>'Like a Plantagenet Adrian Mole' Jenny Colgan<BR>'A rollicking account of a befuddled boy's pillar-to-post existence as a political pawn' New York Times<BR>'The real deal - nimble, vibrant, playful, and daring' Kiran Millwood Hargrave<BR>'Ambitious, mischievous and brilliantly written' Daily Mail<BR>'I blazed through full of wonder and admiration' Emma Stonex

Wolf Hall meets Demon Copperhead in a sharply ambitious, brilliantly imagined and hugely entertaining story of intrigue, deceit, revenge and ambition<BR><BR>**NAMED AS BEST HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE SUNDAY TIMES**<BR>**PICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 BY THE GUARDIAN, SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY MAIL, AND THE I**<BR>**SHORTLISTED FOR THE WINSTON GRAHAM HISTORICAL PRIZE**<BR><BR>'Wickedly funny ... the filthy, clever, immersive picaresque you didn't know you needed' Guardian, The best fiction of 2025<BR>'I read it with the dedicated fervour of a kid discovering literature for the first time' Yael van der Wouden<BR>'Funny, moving, filthy and original' The Times<BR>'So alive I felt Harkin might be a time traveller' Maggie Shipstead <BR>'The most enjoyable historical novel I've read in years' Spectator <BR><BR>________________________________________<BR><BR>Kill the pretender. Do not let it be known that there was a pretender to kill.<BR><BR>The year is 1483 and England is in peril. The much-despised Richard III is not long for the throne, and the man who will become Henry VII stands poised to snatch the crown for himself. But for twelve-year-old John Collan, living in a remote village with his widowed father, these matters seem far away.<BR><BR>But history has other plans for John.<BR><BR>Stolen from his family, exiled - first to Oxford, then to Burgundy, and then Ireland - and apprenticed to a series of unscrupulous political operators, he finds himself groomed for power; not as John Collan, but as Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick - and rightful heir to the throne.<BR><BR>Far from home at the Irish court, preparing for a war that will see him become king or die trying, John has just his wits - and the slippery counsel of his host's daughter, the unconventional Joan - to navigate the choppy waters ahead.<BR><BR>Seething with revenge and machination, sparkling with wit and humanity, and roaring with adventure and bravado, The Pretender is the captivating true story of a young man tossed into the chaos of history as it happens. <BR><BR>**Praise for The Pretender**<BR>'A brainy, heartfelt delight' Guardian, 50 hottest books to read now<BR>'Witty, poignant, wildly engaging, and with a huge heart' Sarah Waters <BR>'Touching and hilarious' The Times, 80 best books to take on holiday <BR>'Like a Plantagenet Adrian Mole' Jenny Colgan<BR>'A rollicking account of a befuddled boy's pillar-to-post existence as a political pawn' New York Times<BR>'The real deal - nimble, vibrant, playful, and daring' Kiran Millwood Hargrave<BR>'Ambitious, mischievous and brilliantly written' Daily Mail<BR>'I blazed through full of wonder and admiration' Emma Stonex