In a panoramic novel against a backdrop of violence and political turbulence in the eleventh century, Ivar, a Danish orphan is enslaved to the most successful and experienced soldier of the age. He eventually becomes one of the elite bodyguard of the Emperor of Turkey. Meanwhile his distant relative, Torkil, the grandson of an Anglo Norse thayne, advances his military career in the service of Harold Godwinson.

History dictates that one day the two warriors, caught up in the maelstrom of treachery, carnage, greed, lust and loyalty, will meet. When they do, there are devastating results for one of them, his king and his country.

The crown of England was the most contested in all Europe; on the death of Edward the Confessor, Harold Godwinsson took possession of it. In 1066 two other claimants to the throne, a Norwegian and a Norman tried to wrest it from him. This is the story of Ivar, Torkil and the three kings they served.

Michael Wills was born on the Isle of Wight and educated at the Priory Boys School and Carisbrooke Grammar. He trained as a teacher at St Peter’s College, Saltley, Birmingham, before working at a secondary school in Kent for two years.

After re-training to become a teacher of English as a Foreign Language he worked in Sweden for thirteen years. During this period he wrote several English language teaching books. His teaching career has included time working in rural Sweden, a sojourn that first sparked his now enduring interest in Scandinavian history and culture - an interest that after many years of research, both academic and in the field, led him to write Finn’s Fate and the sequel novel, Three Kings – One Throne.

Today, Michael works part-time as Ombudsman for the National Association of English Language Providers. Though a lot of his spare time is spent with grandchildren, he also has a wide range of interests including researching for future books, writing, playing the guitar, carpentry and electronics. He spends at least two months a year sailing his boat which is currently in Scandinavia.

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'Michael Wills makes history as easy as one, two, three with his story of one throne, two protagonists and three kings. With cunning most history teachers must envy Wills brings the past to life, giving a gripping account rooted in solid historical fact. Anchored to its factual nature it does create the possibility it may deter readers unused to the genre of historical fiction.'
– MigMag Book Club

'Set in a turbulent 11th century England, Three Kings - One Throne willundoubtedly be enjoyed by historical fiction fans of all ages (I know I liked it) but I'd especially recommend it for teenagers/young adults as whilst the story is never 'dumbed down' for this audience I do think it is written in such a detailed and yet simplistic enough way as to make it particularly accessible to them. ... An admirable job is done in telling the story from the perspective of two seemingly different characters.

I admire that the author combined passages from actual texts of the era whilst going to such lengths to bring to life the events, the politics, the places, the people both real and, in particular, fictionalised, of the time. No mean feat when covering such a colourful period in history in just over 250 pages.'
– Pen and Paper

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