Rating: 
Summary: A Tragic Trilogy
Review: If tragedy is the genre that depicts people triumphant in defeat, then this trilogy is, indeed, a tragedy. If I say that Wales is the true protagonist of the triology, I may leave the wrong impression, for there is nothing impersonal about Penman's triology. You will admire, love, and mourn Joanna and Llewelyn, Simon and Nell, Elen and Rob de Quincy, Ellen and Llewelyn II, and yes, Elizabeth and Davydd. But, over and over, you will grieve for Wales and the Welsh people, and yet Wales and its people still endure-to our joy and admiration. I have never been so moved by historical fiction. Please read this triology. Begin with Here Be Dragons and I guarantee you will read Falls the Shadow and the Reckoning. And when you have finished them, read The Sunne in Splendour (the best historical ever written) and When Christ and His Saints Slept. Then go back and begin the triology again--you won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: In all of my 35 years of reading historical romances, I have never been so excited about reading as I have been since I have discovered the genius of Sharon K. Penman. It has been a long time since I can't wait to come home from work to know that her works are there to open my mind to her wonderful world. Please give this incredible author a chance to show you her gifts as she has done to me.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Enlivening of History
Review: In an overwheming manner, Penman is able to bring to life people who lived and breathed and make you feel the conflict within them. Her heroes are made all the realer for the honest acknowledgement of them as human - sucked into the dogma of their time, faulted, and fallible. Simon de Motfort may be a hero in the book, but he is one that at times you aren't even sure you like.You don't have to be a child of history to enjoy this book, and you don't have to have read the other books in the trilogy to find this book rich in story and understandable (I read this book first, not realizing that it was in a trilogy). This is a book that has the power to haunt you with people long dead, and to pull at you with the inevitability of the story ... these people at this time when thrown together by events were locked into a sequence that they couldn't fight. While many people talk of the relationship between Simon and Nell (and their relationship is a stong part of the book), you will walk away remembering much more Simon's struggle for his country. And his death. You will cry for this man. And it will feel silly when you realize how long ago he died, but that is the life with which Penman imbues him. Truly, this book is a marvelous tribute to a time and to people who are as alive and real in the books as they must have been in real life.
Rating:
Summary: historical, fascinating, you will not leave the book
Review: It`s an interesting book which sends you straight to the medieval england. It's historical but also quite speedy. I think it's the best book from Penmans trilogy. (Dragons, Reckoning, Falls the shadow) You can read each book alone, the storys are only less mixed. But the Best book from Penman is "The sunne in splendour" followed by "When the saint slept" & "Falls the shadow" (equal)
Rating:
Summary: A Story of Simon de Montfort
Review: Part 2 of the Welsh trilogy, but there is not so much about Wales this time, Llewelyn & Davydd are characters that stay mostly in the background. The main character is Simon de Montfort, a French born nobleman who led a rebellion in England seeking to limit the rights of the king. Each book of the series can be taken on its own, it's unnecessary to have read Book 1 to appreciate "Falls the Shadow". There is less "romance" in this one compared to Penman's other novels and more focus on actual historical events, as usual a tremendous amount of historical research has gone into the writing. She has a real talent for making characters from history seem like living, breathing human beings for the modern reader. The story opens in 1231 with a young Simon arriving in Brittany where he persuades a cousin of his to grant him the Earldom of Leicester. Several years later he persuades the sister of King Henry of England to marry him. He holds true to principles ahead of his time, and ends up in one struggle after another with the king, easily overpowering weak & pitiful Henry, his brother-in-law the king. Of course, Simon is eventually brought down, by both the ineptitude of his own sons as military men and the strength of Edward's army. The last scene in this installment is set in 1267 after the slaughter at Evesham, the storyline is pointing in the direction of Wales once again. So many great scenes - the citizens of London throwing refuse at the Queen on her barge, Gruffydd plunging to his death, and the decadent army camp outside the safe walls of Kenilworth castle are unforgettable to name a few.
Rating:
Summary: A Story of Simon de Montfort
Review: Part 2 of the Welsh trilogy, but there is not so much about Wales this time, Llewelyn & Davydd are characters that stay mostly in the background. The main character is Simon de Montfort, a French born nobleman who led a rebellion in England seeking to limit the rights of the king. Each book of the series can be taken on its own, it's unnecessary to have read Book 1 to appreciate "Falls the Shadow". There is less "romance" in this one compared to Penman's other novels and more focus on actual historical events, as usual a tremendous amount of historical research has gone into the writing. She has a real talent for making characters from history seem like living, breathing human beings for the modern reader. The story opens in 1231 with a young Simon arriving in Brittany where he persuades a cousin of his to grant him the Earldom of Leicester. Several years later he persuades the sister of King Henry of England to marry him. He holds true to principles ahead of his time, and ends up in one struggle after another with the king, easily overpowering weak & pitiful Henry, his brother-in-law the king. Of course, Simon is eventually brought down, by both the ineptitude of his own sons as military men and the strength of Edward's army. The last scene in this installment is set in 1267 after the slaughter at Evesham, the storyline is pointing in the direction of Wales once again. So many great scenes - the citizens of London throwing refuse at the Queen on her barge, Gruffydd plunging to his death, and the decadent army camp outside the safe walls of Kenilworth castle are unforgettable to name a few.
Rating: 
Summary: Masterful
Review: Penman has done it again. Her descriptions of the machinations of the King John of Magana Carta fame and the richness of her Welsh portrait make this a wonderful book. Perhaps the weakest points are the passages in which she introduces one of the major characters, John's illegitimate daugter Joanna. Here she spends too much time on the young girl's thoughts. These passages are not really preparatory to understand Joanna. STill, the book is a good read.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece Of Medieval Historical Fiction!
Review: Sharon Kay Penman is a remarkably gifted writer. Her impeccable historical research, attention to detail and superb storytelling ability make her novels consistently excellent. "Falls The Shadow" is one of her best efforts. It is the third book in her Plantagenet series, which began with "The Sunne In Splendour," followed by "Here Be Dragons," and ending with "The Reckoning." Each of these wonderful historical novels stands on its own, however, and while it is an extraordinary experience to read each book in order, one does not have to do so to appreciate the history, the characters or the period. Simon de Montfort was a nobleman from France, whose family, (originally English-Norman), had been disinherited by King John. A young man in his mid-twenties, he returned to England in 1232 seeking restitution of his family lands from King Henry III, John's son. He wound up marrying Henry's sister, Eleanor Plantagenet and risking the King's and Church's wrath by doing so. De Montfort, who became Earl of Leicester, was a warrior, great leader and politician. He despised Henry III for his incompetence and the favoritism he displayed for the foreigners in his court. Henry was bankrupting England and estranging the peerage. Far ahead of his time, Simon de Montfort also espoused the idea that the common man deserved a voice in government. England was on the verge of civil war as factions split between Henry and his son and heir Edward. The collision of blood ties, politics and war, shifting allegiances, along with the pageantry and drama of life in the Middle Ages, make this novel hard to put down. Intertwined with the story of Simon de Montfort is that of Welsh Prince Llewelyn Farr, who united the Welsh nobility against the English. Wales was also in a state of civil unrest at the time, as Llewelyn had just died and his sons were fighting for leadership and power, thereby losing everything their father had gained to the English. What makes the Welsh part of the story even more interesting, is that not only is Welsh history linked to that of England's, but the royal families, Kings John and Henry, and Prince Llewelyn's are linked by blood. Ms. Penman joins the histories and characters of these two countries to give the reader, not just a superb tale but a look at the bigger historical picture also. I highly recommend this book, and the all the others in the series, as this is some of the best historical fiction I have ever read. JANA
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece Of Medieval Historical Fiction!
Review: Sharon Kay Penman is a remarkably gifted writer. Her impeccable historical research, attention to detail and superb storytelling ability make her novels consistently excellent. "Falls The Shadow" is one of her best efforts. It is the third book in her Plantagenet series, which began with "The Sunne In Splendour," followed by "Here Be Dragons," and ending with "The Reckoning." Each of these wonderful historical novels stands on its own, however, and while it is an extraordinary experience to read each book in order, one does not have to do so to appreciate the history, the characters or the period. Simon de Montfort was a nobleman from France, whose family, (originally English-Norman), had been disinherited by King John. A young man in his mid-twenties, he returned to England in 1232 seeking restitution of his family lands from King Henry III, John's son. He wound up marrying Henry's sister, Eleanor Plantagenet and risking the King's and Church's wrath by doing so. De Montfort, who became Earl of Leicester, was a warrior, great leader and politician. He despised Henry III for his incompetence and the favoritism he displayed for the foreigners in his court. Henry was bankrupting England and estranging the peerage. Far ahead of his time, Simon de Montfort also espoused the idea that the common man deserved a voice in government. England was on the verge of civil war as factions split between Henry and his son and heir Edward. The collision of blood ties, politics and war, shifting allegiances, along with the pageantry and drama of life in the Middle Ages, make this novel hard to put down. Intertwined with the story of Simon de Montfort is that of Welsh Prince Llewelyn Farr, who united the Welsh nobility against the English. Wales was also in a state of civil unrest at the time, as Llewelyn had just died and his sons were fighting for leadership and power, thereby losing everything their father had gained to the English. What makes the Welsh part of the story even more interesting, is that not only is Welsh history linked to that of England's, but the royal families, Kings John and Henry, and Prince Llewelyn's are linked by blood. Ms. Penman joins the histories and characters of these two countries to give the reader, not just a superb tale but a look at the bigger historical picture also. I highly recommend this book, and the all the others in the series, as this is some of the best historical fiction I have ever read. JANA
Rating:
Summary: A Joy to Read and Re-Read
Review: Sharon Kay Penman writes historical novels to savor. The mental picture she draws of each scene is amazing. I cherish each of the novels I own of hers and look forward to the next. Falls the Shadow is my favorite of her creations. I recommend it highly and have hooked many of my friends on her style. If you like historical fiction about England... This is an excellent selection.
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