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To Play the King

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To Play the King

By: Michael Dobbs
Narrated by: Samuel West
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About this listen

Newly elected Prime Minister Francis Urquhart takes on the new King, in the controversial No 1 bestselling second volume in the Francis Urquhart trilogy – now reissued in audio.

After scheming his way to power in ‘House of Cards’, Francis Urquhart made a triumphant return in ‘To Play the King’ – a Sunday Times No 1 bestseller that became a BBC TV series, with Ian Richardson resuming his award-winning role as Francis Urquhart and a hugely successful Netflix series.

Its highly controversial and uncannily topical storyline – in which the role of the monarchy in modern Britain comes under scrutiny as Prime Minister Francis Urquhart threatens to expose Royal secrets when his plans are blocked by the idealistic new King – coincided with a huge increase in public interest in the future of the Royal Family following a series of Royal scandals.

©2013 Michael Dobbs (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers Genre Fiction Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-Ins Political Royalty Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Tie-in Urban Fiction King Espionage City Thriller

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Critic reviews

‘With a friend like Michael Dobbs, who on earth needs enemies? His timing is again impeccable. A good romp, and gloriously cheeky. Dobbs’
books grab because of their authenticity – the man knows his stuff.’
The Times

‘This thriller will delight anybody who relishes political intrigue… a model of its kind and impeccably timed.’
Daily Mail
All stars
Most relevant  
A wonderful story of political intrigue and shenanigans spoilt by rampant misogyny.
Just about every time a male character meets with a female character her is ogling her legs or admiring her breasts. And if he is not, you can rest assured that she is showing off her legs or sticking out her breasts in order to get what she wants.
It’s the same with ‘House of Cards’, another David Nobbs novel, and apart from being boring and repetitive it is very unnecessary.

Uncomfortable at times.

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You can almost hear the shoulder pads! Mr West’s narration was the draw here. FU takes on Downing Street and the king

Very much of its moment

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as House of Cards but very enjoyable. Samuel West's narration is spot on. Will definitely listen to the third book of the trilogy.

Perhaps not quite as good

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All the twists that you would expect from Michael Dobb’s trilogy. Although previously televised, the audiobook is a great listen that you could return to over the years. The by Samuel West narration was brilliant and even brought about the visualisation of the televised characters to the listener.

Excellent

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I love Sam West's portrayal of the different characters in this series. Brilliant. And a funny, witty, dry-humoured tale.

Sam West as a reader

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Dobbs picks up where the odious Urquart left at the end of Book 1, now a new PM. Except he doesn’t. Not really. He marches along with what is instantly a formula with no psychological continuity from the previous shock finale. I finished it, more or less enjoyed the plotting, but all along knew that I could not quite believe it,

Not a Patch on Book 1

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Looked interesting, especially introduction of King as a key character, but no real new ideas. Sad to see that sex and revealing photos still run the country. Entertaining but in a low key way.

Ok but nowhere near as good as "House of Cards"

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I simply loved House of Cards both on TV and listening to this wonderful narrator but somewhat disappointed with this second book in the trilogy. Could see Richardson and Kitchen in their battle for supremacy and loved the cut and thrust of their every meeting but somehow it just didn't grab my attention as had its predecessor. Perhaps, knowing the outcome, the magic wasn't there! But on to the final novel and lets see if I can restore the balance.

Not a patch on House of Cards

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