'Brilliant. Every page has an intimate fascination. An accessible and entertaining book.' Hilary Mantel, Guardian

'Demonstrates Starkey's scholarship and authorial panache.' Daily Mail

'Writing with a mixture of tabloid verve and original scholarship, peppering every page with pungent wit and yet never skimping on the detail...the best political history of the reign of Henry VIII so far...an outstanding overture.' John Guy, Sunday Times

'If you like Henry VIII, this is what you'll like.' Tim Martin, Daily Telegraph (Books of the Year)

'Starkey gives us an unexpectedly fresh-faced Henry VIII in his breezy biography.' Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Telegraph (Books of the Year)

'It is brilliant, beady-eyed history, and every page of it has an intimate fascination...Starkey has eschewed the easy wisdom of hindsight...his strength is that he questions everything...he seeks fresh evidence...his writing is uncluttered and conversational, and he cuts through the back-story...with grace, clarity and wit...accessible and entertaining.' Guardian