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Maurice Druon

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Maurice Druon has published 13 books across 4 series. The recommended reading order starts with La fin des hommes (1948).

About Maurice Druon

Maurice Druon was a French author of historical fiction who made his debut in 1956 with two novels. He is best known for his Accursed Kings series, a seven-volume epic exploring the lives of French royalty in the 14th century. As an Anglophile with a deep interest in English medieval history, Druon drew heavily on his expertise for the richly detailed narratives within the series. The Accursed Kings was adapted for television twice and has garnered an eclectic following that includes figures like George R.R. Martin and Vladimir Putin.

Druon's distinguished career also saw him become a member of the Académie française, serving as its Perpetual Secretary from 1985 to 1999. He was a French Resistance hero, a Knight of the British Empire, and a recipient of the Grand Croix de la Légion d’Honneur. He died in 2009.

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crimemysteryhorrorhistorical-fiction
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Order of Accursed Kings Books

  1. Description
    This is the original game of thrones. From the publishers that brought you A Game of Thrones comes the series that inspired George R.R. Martin’s epic work. Philip the Fair governs his realm with an iron hand, but his reign is characterized by violence and the triumph of royal authority. His sons are weak, their wives adulterous, and his daughter Isabella is unhappily married to an English king. A web of scandal, murder, and intrigue surrounds the Iron King, but his downfall comes from an unexpected quarter. When Philip sentences Grand Master Jacques Molay to be burned at the stake, he draws down upon himself a curse that will destroy his entire dynasty.
    Publication date
    March 26, 2013
    Amazon rating
    4.2/5
    Print length
    368
    Language
    English
    Publisher
    HarperCollins
  2. Description
    The King is dead. Long live the King. Philip IV is dead and his great kingdom is in disarray, plagued by the fatal curse of the Templars. His son, Louis X, has been enthroned, but with his disgraced wife imprisoned for adultery, Louis cannot produce an heir to secure the succession, nor can he remarry while she lives. The web of scandal, murder, and intrigue that once wove itself around the court of the Iron King continues to draw in his descendants as the destruction of his dynasty accelerates. This was the original game of thrones.
    Publication date
    November 12, 2013
    Amazon rating
    4.4/5
    Print length
    304
    Language
    English
    Publisher
    HarperCollins
  3. Tags
    crimemystery
    Description
    France, early 14th century. The crown is a poisoned chalice, and no man is impervious to its deadly allure. King Louis X, his hands stained by the murder of his wife and the exile of his mistress, finds himself newly besotted, this time with Princess Clemence of Hungary. He elevates her to Queen, believing the succession is now secure. But the realm is far from stable. Where his father, Philip IV, was strong, Louis is weak. An ill-fated war against Flanders looms, and the proud, profligate barons of France plot and scheme, their ambitions threatening to unravel the very fabric of a kingdom once governed by an Iron King. The future of France hangs precariously in the balance, a prize coveted by those who serve only themselves. This is the original Game of Thrones, a tale of power, betrayal, and the perilous maneuvers within a royal court where loyalty is fleeting and the stakes are the fate of a nation.
    Publication date
    April 1, 2014
    Amazon rating
    4.4/5
    Print length
    320
    Language
    English
    Publisher
    HarperCollins
  4. Description
    George R.R. Martin calls it "The original Game of Thrones." The law is clear: 'No woman shall succeed in Salique land.' But Louis X is dead, poisoned, and Mahaut d'Artois has a simple plan to place her son-in-law, Philippe, on the throne. The only obstacles are Queen Clemence and the child she carries. As France teeters on the brink of anarchy, Philippe of Poitiers must decide how far he will go to secure his claim and become king in his own right. The fate of the kingdom rests on his ruthless ambition.
    Publication date
    November 4, 2014
    Amazon rating
    4.5/5
    Print length
    352
    Language
    English
    Publisher
    HarperCollins
  5. Tags
    crimemystery
    Description
    Charles IV is dead. The curse of the Templars is fulfilled, and the royal house of France has fallen. Robert of Artois, having committed fraud, perjury, and murder to place his cousin Philippe of Valois on the throne, expects his reward. But betrayal is not done with France. Robert is banished to England. In the land of France’s enemies, vengeance sparks conflict as King Edward III prepares for war. The lion wakes, and a pretender threatens France once more.
    Publication date
    November 10, 2015
    Amazon rating
    4.4/5
    Print length
    432
    Language
    English
    Publisher
    HarperCollins
  6. Tags
    historical-fiction
    Description
    Charles IV is king of France, and his sister is Queen to Edward II of England. Imprisoned by Edward as a leader of rebellious English barons, Roger Mortimer escapes to France, joining the war against English Aquitaine. Yet, it is his affair with Isabella, the ‘She-Wolf of France,’ who arrives ostensibly to negotiate a peace treaty, that seals his fate. This was the original game of thrones.
    Publication date
    March 24, 2015
    Amazon rating
    4.4/5
    Print length
    464
    Language
    English
    Publisher
    HarperCollins
  7. Description
    France is bleeding to death around its new king. The reign of the Capetian kings has ended, and John II, known as ‘The Good,’ now sits on the throne, the first of the Valois dynasty. But through the eyes of Cardinal Périgord, we see a monarch as vain and cruel as he is incompetent. Under his leadership, the Hundred Years War escalates into one of history’s longest and bloodiest conflicts, tearing England and France apart. Warring factions plunder the land, famine threatens the people, and the Black Death spreads far and wide, all as France bleeds around its new king. This is the seventh and final volume of Maurice Druon's The Accursed Kings series, available for the first time in English.
    Publication date
    March 29, 2016
    Amazon rating
    3.7/5
    Print length
    368
    Language
    English
    Publisher
    HarperCollins

Order of Les Grandes Familles Books

  1. Description
    The air hung thick and heavy, a suffocating blanket over the rainforest. Here, amidst the emerald tangle, a desperate struggle for survival unfolded. The men, stripped of their civilization and their certainties, faced a primal battle against the encroaching wilderness and the darker impulses within themselves. Each step deeper into the jungle was a step further from the world they knew, a descent into a raw, untamed existence where old rules no longer applied and a new, brutal order was being forged. They were the last vestiges of a dying era, their fate intertwined with the fate of this wild, unforgiving land.
    Publication date
    January 1, 1948
    Amazon rating
    4.5/5
    Language
    French
    Publisher
    Julliard
  2. Description
    In their insulated world, Jean-Noël and Marie-Ange basked in the warm sun of their own pride. Yet, the sight of profound misery—a blind man fumbling across the street, a gaunt woman in rags, or hostile faces—afforded them only a fleeting sense of guilt and vulnerability. It was less a true feeling than a faint unease, perhaps because some obscure instinct warned them that a single well-aimed stone could shatter the cold, transparent wall separating their world from others, and that revolutions began no differently. Maurice Druon uses his characters to illuminate the mechanisms of grand social events, like stock market crashes or the fall of governments, never forgetting that the fate of individuals—their ambitions, successes, failures, downfalls, illnesses, passions, and crimes—collectively shapes the destiny of societies. La Chute des Corps, following the Prix Goncourt winner Les Grandes Familles, is the second installment of a sharp, unsparing fresco portraying the ruling class between the two World Wars.
    Publication date
    1950
    Language
    French
    Publisher
    Audiolib
  3. Description
    When Marie-Ange and Jean-Noël are tasked with settling the estate of Mme de la Monnerie, they are astonished by the swarm of "devoted" people, distant relatives, and old family friends who descend, eager to "help" with their skills. The inheritance, however, is meager compared to what those who stripped it away possessed, yet this small fortune is enough to awaken intense greed and vanity. These last descendants of "Great Families" find themselves alone and defenseless against the intrigues of Parisian society in 1939. Their youth and beauty make them targets for the aging and grotesque characters in this human comedy, each vividly rendered by Druon with unflinching realism. Rendez-vous aux enfers brings the trilogy of the Great Families to a close. What awaits them in the "hell" of society, and can they escape the predatory pack?
    Publication date
    1951
    Language
    French
    Publisher
    Audiolib

Order of Non-Fiction Books

  1. Description
    The legions march, the barbarians are at the gates, and Paris, Lutetia, is a city of stone and wood, a fortress against the storm. The future of Gaul, and of this burgeoning settlement on the Seine, hangs in the balance. Centuries later, the city is a glittering prize, its kings and queens weaving a tapestry of power, faith, and intrigue. From the echoes of Roman conquest to the grandeur of Saint Louis’s reign, Paris endures as a crucible of civilization. Yet beneath the gilded spires and royal pronouncements, shadows gather, and the city’s destiny remains a story yet to be fully told.
    Publication date
    January 1, 1969
    Amazon rating
    4.6/5
    Print length
    100
    Language
    English
    Publisher
    HarperCollins Distribution Ser

Order of Standalone Novels

  1. Description
    Philip the Fair, the Iron King, governs his realm with a cold, unblinking hand, yet his own family unravels. His sons are weak, their wives unfaithful, and his daughter Isabella is trapped in a loveless marriage to an English king who favors men. A web of scandal, murder, and intrigue tightens around Philip. His persecution of the Knights Templar, culminating in the burning of Grand Master Jacques Molay, brings a curse upon his dynasty. The downfall of the Iron King will come from an unexpected quarter.
    Publication date
    January 1, 1977
    Amazon rating
    5/5
    Print length
    352
    Language
    English
    Publisher
    Ace Books
  2. Tags
    ---
    Description
    Eight-year-old Tistou is sent home from school, his parents deciding he will learn from real life instead, starting with gardening. With Moustache, the dreamy gardener, Tistou discovers a remarkable gift: green thumbs. Everything he touches sprouts beautiful plants. Now Tistou has lots to do. With the power of flowers, he can change everything—prisons, slums, hospitals, even war.
    Publication date
    January 1, 2012
    Amazon rating
    4.9/5
    Print length
    160
    Language
    English
    Publisher
    Hawthorn Press

Frequently Asked Questions about Maurice Druon

Maurice Druon's books are best read within their respective series. The Accursed Kings series should be read in publication order, followed by the Les Grandes Familles series in its publication order. Standalone novels can be read at any time. There is also a non-fiction work about the history of Paris. Following these groupings will provide the most coherent reading experience.

A good starting point for Maurice Druon is the first book in his most famous series, The Accursed Kings. The first volume is titled The Iron King. This series offers a deep dive into 14th-century French royalty, a subject Druon explored with great detail and historical insight. Reading this series provides a strong introduction to his writing style and his command of historical fiction.

It is recommended to read the books within the Accursed Kings series in order. The narrative follows a chronological progression of events and character developments related to the French monarchy in the 14th century. Reading them out of order could disrupt the understanding of the historical sweep and the intricate political machinations Druon depicts. The Les Grandes Familles series also benefits from sequential reading.

Maurice Druon wrote both series and standalone novels. His most well-known work is the multi-volume series, The Accursed Kings, which chronicles the French monarchy. He also wrote the Les Grandes Familles series. In addition to these longer works, Druon penned standalone novels such as Ardent Infidels and Tistou, offering self-contained stories outside of his major series.

Maurice Druon wrote a significant number of books across different forms. His notable series include The Accursed Kings, comprising seven volumes, and the Les Grandes Familles series, with three volumes. He also authored standalone novels and a non-fiction work titled The History of Paris: From Caesar to Saint Louis. The exact total number of his published works, including translations and posthumous collections, is extensive.

The first book Maurice Druon wrote was La fin des hommes, published in 1948. This novel is part of his Les Grandes Familles series. While he is more widely recognized for The Accursed Kings, his literary career began with this earlier work, establishing his capacity for historical and familial narratives.

Maurice Druon's most recent book publication appears to be Tistou, released in 2012. This followed the publication of his historical non-fiction work, The History of Paris: From Caesar to Saint Louis, in 1969. The Accursed Kings series saw republications with new titles and years, but Tistou represents a later standalone novel.

Maurice Druon primarily wrote historical fiction. His works often delve into the intricacies of royal courts, political intrigue, and the lives of significant historical figures, particularly within French and English history. He also wrote a non-fiction book about the history of Paris. His writing is characterized by detailed research and a narrative focus on past events.

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How We Verified This Reading Order

We verified the reading order for Maurice Druon's books by cross-referencing official publication dates, ISBN databases, and publisher catalogs.

Last verified: July 2026

How to Cite This Page

Shelf & Shadows. (). “Maurice Druon Books in Order.” Retrieved , from https://www.shelfandshadows.com/authors/maurice-druon