Pierre Alexis Ponson du Terrail, Vicomte (1829-1871) was one of the most popular French writers of the second half of the 19th century, the author of sensational novels that were published in unprecedented print runs and translated into many languages, including Russian.He gained his greatest fame with a series of adventure novels about Rocambole, a daring criminal, a member of a secret society that arose in the heart of Parisian high society. However, this edition presents two other of his novels, which belong to the series "The Youth of Henry IV", which also enjoyed great success.The pages of these books unfold a deadly struggle for the French crown, in which two camps collide. On the one hand, Henry of Navarre, his wife Marguerite and the Gascon nobles loyal to the future king. On the other hand, there is the widowed queen Catherine de Medici, her sons Charles IX and Henry III, as well as her confidants, among whom the sinister Florentine René and the Duke of Guise, who dreams of power, stand out.Political intrigues, insidious conspiracies, dizzying twists of fate, love collisions and dangerous adventures make this novel a gripping read that does not let go until the very last page. Ponson du Terrail skillfully combines history and adventure, creating a dynamic plot full of dramatic events and unexpected endings.