The Périgord of sixteenth-century France is a wild region-its steep, forested valleys roamed by bands ofbrigands and gypsies, its communities divided by conflict between Catholics and converts to the new Protestant faith. To this beautiful but dangerous country come two veterans of the French king's wars, Jean de Siorac and Jean de Sauveterre: The Brethren-as fiercely loyal to the crown as they are to their Huguenot religion. But they are far from secure-religious civil war looms on the horizon,famine and plague stalk the land, and The Brethren must use all their wits to protect those they love from the chaos that threatens to sweep them away.

"Modern-day Dumas finally crosses the channel" - Observer

"Swashbuckling historical fiction... For all its philosophical depth [The Brethren] is a hugely entertaining romp... The comparisons with Dumas seem both natural and deserved and the next 12 instalments [are] a thrilling prospect" - Guardian

"A sprawling, earthy tale of peril, love, lust, death, dazzling philosophical debate and political intrigue... an engrossing saga" - Gransnet

"Historical fiction at its very best... This fast paced and heady brew is colourfully leavened with love and sex and a great deal of humour and wit. The second instalment cannot be published too soon." - We Love This Book

"A vivid novel by France's modern Dumas... [there is] plenty of evidence in the rich characterisation and vivid historical detail that a reader's long-term commitment will be amply rewarded" - Sunday Times

"A master of the historical novel" - Guardian

"We're swept away by triumph, tragedy, action and adventure... It's a novel like this that makes reviewing one of the best jobs in the world." - The Book Bag

"So rich in historical detail... the characters are engaging" - Sunday Express

"A highly anticipated tome that's been described as Game of Thrones meets The Three Musketeers" - BBC Radio 4’s Open Book

"Cleverly depicts France's epic religious wars through the intimate prism of one family's experience. It's beautifully written too." - Metro

"A bold invasion of Dumas territory... There is a philosophical depth to the novel... whets one's appetite for the next volume" - Wall Street Journal

"This is old-fashioned story-telling. It has swagger and, vibrancy with big characters... A gripping story with humour and strength and real attention to historical detail" - Mature Times

"A lively adventure... anyone keen on historical fiction [should] look forward to the next instalment" - Telegraph

"The spectacular 13-volume evocation of 16th-17th-century France" - Independent

"Swashbuckling" - Newsday

"The Dumas of the twentieth century" - Neues Deutschland

"A wonderful, colourful, breathlessly narrated historical panorama" - Zeitpunkt

"Robert Merle is one of the very few French writers who has attained both popular success and the admiration of critics. The doyen of our novelists is a happy man" - Le Figaro

"Compelling... a French epic" - Kirkus Reviews

"Future volumes in the saga, once translated, will be well worth reading - and may beappearing in roundups of the year's best historical novels for the next decade" - BBC History Magazine

"One of the many delights vouchsafed by Robert Merle's The Brethren is the sense that the author is astonished that what he's writing about actually happened... [The book is] both wise and audacious, constantly nudging up against the extraordinary." - The New York Times Book Review

"Alongside the drama and the swashbuckling there is room for subtlety" - TLS

"Merle, whose Fortunes of France series is a best-seller in this country, has been hailed as a modern-day Dumas. This is a swash-buckling start" - Connexion