From New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, the first book in the Grail Series—the spellbinding tale of a young man, a fearless archer, who sets out wanting to avenge his family’s honor and winds up on a quest for the Holy Grail.A brutal raid on the quiet coastal English village of Hookton in 1342 leaves but one survivor: a young archer named Thomas. On this terrible dawn, his … archer named Thomas. On this terrible dawn, his purpose becomes clear—to recover a stolen sacred relic and pursue to the ends of the earth the murderous black-clad knight bearing a blue-and-yellow standard, a journey that leads him to the courageous rescue of a beautiful French woman, and sets him on his ultimate quest: the search for the Holy Grail.
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Bernard Cornwell is one of the great historical fiction writers of all time. His series that take place in Medieval Britain are some of the best books I’ve ever read. I highly recommend The Archer’s Tale and The Saxon Tales series.
Like virtually all his books I’ve read, Bernard Cornwell spent a great deal of his time researching the period and mixes historic fact and locations with the story. This series is a Grail Quest story but it’s not a mystery or romantic novel of the middle ages. It is very much like his Sharpe series in that it tells the story of the times from the …
kOne of BW’s best
It was called Harlequin on my side of the Atlantic but it’s a wonderful book. Great intro to the work of Bernard Cornwell and sometimes overlooked among his more popular series – which is shame. Read it!
I recommend this book but it had brutal war tactics evident.
Another well-written, engaging book by Cornwell.
Loved it.
The author may have concentrated on details of the final battle, but it seemed to be well-researched and gave insight into a slice of history about which I haven’t read.
This book introduced me to the setting of the Hundred Years War. It began with a bang and did not let up until the last page. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
This the first of what would become of Bernard Cornwell trilogy about an English archer’s adventures in the mid-14th century, when the British longbow was the most formidable weapon on the 100 Year’s War with France. Its hero is not as hard-bitten as his Richard Sharpe of the Napoleonic wars, but the plot, action and characters, strengthened with …
Good read with just the right amount of details that keep you interested
A fan of Bernard Cornwell.
The author is literate. What a joy!
He is a great author
I love the seemingly accurate historical context and the author tells a good story. However, Bernard writes the same book repeatedly and just changes the setting and the name of the characters. Having read a number of hits books, I could not finish reading this one even though I liked the protagonist.
Brlliant! It drew me in and kept me furiously turning pages until I had devoured the entire story. I think of this book often — when other books fade or disappear completely — with flashes or images that this story created in my brain.
I read this in 2012. I remember reading it, so it must have been a really good story.
If you like historical fiction, you will really appreciate and this book. This is the first of a 3-book series focused on a “hero” with the English army who is an expert with the long bow, which was revolutionary in that it shot arrows which could pierce armor. Bernard Cornwell does a brilliant job of conveying the history of the times (England v. …
One of the best writers… wonderful story.. lots of history…
I realy enjoyed this book