Harlequin: The Grail Quest, Book 1

All of Bernard Cornwell's novels bring history alive, embellishing the historical record with engaging story lines and colorful characters. But Cornwell even surpasses himself in "The Archer's Tale", a harrowing tale of love, betrayal and medieval battle. Especially battle. Cornwell captures the fury, the horrors, the stink and subterfuge of war as fought eyeball to eyeball in all it's bloody glory, an exceptionally violent and authentic rendering that while repelling in its brutality, attracts the reader with the same unavoidable magnetism that for millennia have drawn men to carnage.The story is told through the eyes of young Thomas, living in Hookton, a small sea town on England's southern coast. Raiding French forces plunder and raze Hookton, leading young Thomas, now an archer in the army of England's King Edward III, to western France in search of revenge and a mysterious relic stolen from Thomas' family by the French raiders. As England's maundering army literally slashes and burns it's way from Brittany to Normandy, Thomas' skills on and off the battlefield make for an entirely gripping read colored by a lively and believable cast on both sides of the battle lines, with multiple plot threads keeping the pages turning.But this is not simply a primer in bashing skulls and spilling guts, as the author shares his insight of the military genius of Edward III which left one third of France under English control and launched the Hundred Years War. "The Archer's Tale" is a lesson in the terror and impregnability of England's war bows and the men who pulled the strings, launching rains of steel so formidable that the only viable defense was to pray that England's arrows ran out before opposing troops were all slaughtered. English military victories at La Roche-Derrien and Caen are vividly told, and while the serious history buff may recall England's short, decisive, and bloody triumph at Crecy in 1346, Cornwall's account will surely sear this permanently in your conscious. The slaughter at Crecy is memorable in Edward's brilliance against an overwhelming number of French troops, but also in France's King Phillip's monumentally costly errors.Painstakingly researched and brilliantly told, this is a novel so compelling that had Bernard Cornwell taught our history lessons, we'd likely all be historians today. Can't wait to follow up with "The Vagabond".

The historical battle detail is impeccable and as violent as the era, 1343, when the English and French clash on French soil at the beginning of The Hundred Years War. The Archer's Tale is a bloody romp through medieval battlefields strewn with slaughtered soldiers, fighting with the most primitive weapons along with the specialized skills of English archers, often unbeatable in their precision.This is a new series for Cornwell fans, with the young archer Thomas Hookton in search of the Holy Grail, a burden he assumes reluctantly, preferring the simple camp life of the English archer. As replete with minute details of ground skirmishes and the intimate brutality of hand to hand combat, Cornwell serves up another satisfying tale for his fans.That said, my purchase of this book illustrates the difficulty of choosing a book online. Over the past few years, my state, CA, has suffered the loss of some excellent and affordable bookstores. The available corporate-owned vendors are both expensive and distant. While buying online is a welcome service, I cannot really browse and choose as carefully as I would like. Although I ordinarily would not have purchased this novel, the writing is excellent and I recommend it to fans of this genre. Although not in my area of interest, The Archer's Tale is an accomplished and satisfying read.

An excellent start to another series that I’m anxious to continue reading. I’m a bit of a history buff. Cornwell makes history so enjoyable. What I appreciate most is that he gives you insight into a common person’s life not just the movers and shakers. He shows you life not as a King and Queen but an archer and a archer’s women

Very well written. Wonderful story line and very well written characters. I love that most of it is based off of history! The story itself is completely original, however written alongside events that actually did happen. Characters that actually have a place in history are not referred to by the nicknames historians have given them but are revered to and talked about as they would have been from that time. In some ways, this book has helped me better understand some of the realities of this time period.I had to get used to the author moving between character's perspectives when moving between paragraphs. I had not encountered this style of writing before. I'm a visual person so as I'm reading, I'll see something unfold as that character sees it unfold. If a new character has taken over the narrative, sometimes it's not immediately apparent so I'll have to go back and read those lines over again to fully grasp the what I had missed the first time. It didnt, necessarily, take away from the experience of the book for me personally, but I thought I should mention it.Overall, I loved the book and am already reading the next! It has been a while since I have read a book that has truly been difficult to put down. This was money well spent.

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My reaction is astonishment, enjoyed this book so much I'm moving obviously to the second one now, so to keep with Thomas of Hookton's tale.

Comparo um pouco com o segundo livro da série Game of Thrones, já que os dois giram em torno de uma batalha final. Cornwell também dá uma certa multiplicidade de pontos de vista pra história, mas algo bastante tímido. Os momentos de ação são muito bem narrados e mesmo nas ártes em que há certa dramatização a fim de tornar a história mais densa, acontece uma reviravolta interessante. A batalha final é muito bem escrita, intercalando momentos de euforia com momentos de relaxamento e, o melhor de tudo, dura 70 páginas, ou seja, vale realmente a pena ler até o final. Tudo, segundo o autor, é baseado em fatos históricos. Impossível não gostar

Un autore che sa il fatto suo! . Le frasi scritte in questo libro riescono ad evocare immagini vivide e realistiche nella mente del lettore. Un ottimo mezzo per staccarsi dalle fatiche della vita reale ed imparare anche un po' di storia vista l'ambientazione mista tra realtà e finzione.Il mio primo libro di questo autore. Credo che continuerò la saga.Amazon come sempre ha offerto un ottimo servizio.

I am a real fan of historical fiction and Bernard Cornwell never fails to keep me engrossed in his novels. Great book to read for anyone who is not out off by the gorey details of Medieval battles. His character development is excellent and the story riveting.