Astronomy author Dr Simon Mitton has reviewed The Sun Kings on amazon.co.uk:

“This is an excellent account about how the study of our daytime star ushered in the new science of astrophysics. This book is popular science writing at its best. The science concerns the recognition that the Sun exerts a serious hold over the Earth: solar flares and solar magnetism have direct effects, such as the phenomenon of the aurora. This account scores with its detail in terms of the people who made it all happen: tragic Richard Carrington, William Herschel, Warren de la Rue, and Walter Maunder. If you like reading about the history of astronomy, you will find this account deeply rewarding.”

Simon’s own book, Fred Hoyle: A Life in Science published by Aurum Press is well worth reading for the insight it gives into the maverick astronomer.