Heretic: Book 3 (The Grail Quest) - Softcover

Cornwell, Bernard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007310323 ISBN 13: 9780007310326

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2013

Synopsis

The eagerly anticipated follow-up to the number one bestseller Vagabond, this is the third instalment in Bernard Cornwell's GRAIL QUEST series, in a bright and bold repackage.

It is 1347. The Hundred Years War has been suspended. The truce releases English archer Thomas of Hookton to pursue his arch enemy and resume his quest for the most prized relic in Christendom: the Holy Grail. Heading south, Thomas and his men-at-arms begin lightning raids to draw out his enemy.

But fate takes an unexpected hand when the plague strikes. What had been a landscape of castles, monasteries, vineyards and villages becomes death’s kingdom and the need for the grail, as a sign of God’s favour, is more urgent than ever.

About this title

Review:

Heretic is the third book in Bernard Cornwell's much-acclaimed Grail Quest series, a series that many were initially cautious about because it represented something of a change of pace for the master historical novelist. But Cornwell quickly demonstrated that this period of history was well within his remit, and the sequence has proved to be among his most mesmerising work.

Heretic begins with a bloody battle outside Calais in 1347, a short time before the city fell to the English. The sympathetic Thomas of Hookton is bending every sinew at the service of his master, the Earl of Northampton; after risking his life time and again, Thomas finds himself commissioned to track down the most sacred relic in Christendom, the Holy Grail. He travels to Gascony, seat of power of his nemesis, Guy Vexille. Utilising his archers, Thomas conducts a fierce guerrilla war against Vexille, and yearns for a face-to-face encounter. But then Thomas is routed and finds his campaign in shreds, facing the twin enemies of the church and the plague.

In this third book, Bernard Cornwell ups the ante in every sense: along with the splendidly realised battle scenes (a Cornwell trademark), the evocation of the Middle Ages is more crowded and bustling than one might have thought possible without subsuming the protagonists. But most of all, it's the character of Thomas that powers the narrative; having his hero fall in love (sensitively handled here) sets off the ultimate conflict with his mortal enemy perfectly. Leave the 21st century behind and venture into a dark and foreign era--it's a journey you won't regret. --Barry Forshaw

Review:

‘Crackling with good deeds, fine characters and sparkling set pieces, it confirms yet again Cornwell’s reputation for masterly historical novels’ DAILY MAIL

‘It is all spectacular, rattling good stuff: war and torture; love, lust and loss’ THE TIMES

‘The battle scenes, as always, are masterful; and the vignettes of everyday living, in times of extreme hardship, have the ring of simple truth’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

‘A very fine writer’ ECONOMIST

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0007310323
• ISBN 13: 9780007310326
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 448