Allen & Unwin Versailles book Fiction English Paperback 432 pages

Introducing the novelization of a forthcoming 10-part lavish BBC2 drama series of the same name about a young Louis XIV and the creation of the Versailles palace. A sweeping, dramatic and captivating tale.

Versailles, 1667. Louis XIV is 28 years old and King of France. Still haunted by the memory of the Fronde, an opposition lead by the nobility against his father, Louis knows that he must tame the French aristocracy or risk being toppled by them. Louis conceives of the construction of Versailles - the greatest palace the world has ever seen - as a gilded prison designed to keep the nobles out of Paris and under his control. As his enemies circle, Louis XIV proves to be an extraordinary strategist, manipulative and Machiavellian. There is nothing he will not do to insure his sovereignty.Meanwhile, court becomes a battlefield of tactical liaisons and private passions. Louis' queen Theresa of Austria, must fight to keep her husband's attentions while he falls under the spell of his powerful mistress, the sister of the King of England. As tensions rise, Versailles proves to be more than a palace, it is a labyrinth of treason and hushed secrets, of political schemes and deadly conspiracies. It is a place of passion and death, love and vengeance.

British screenwriter David Wolstencroft is best known for his work on the TV series Spooks. He is the celebrated author of two spy novels. Simon Mirren has gained global acclaim for his work on the hit TV series Criminal Minds. Together, they sweep the reader away to the realm of the Sun King and unveil the secrets of the world's most beautiful palace's construction. Elizabeth Massie has written several historical novels as well as the novelization of The Tudors TV series.