1356

It's a little counter intuitive to say you loved a book that is mostly battle and brutal fighting between two armies in that long ago year of 1356, but it's the truth. Bernard Cornwell has the ability to create vivid pictures in the reader's mind, and to map out the happenings of long ago battles. He brings to life both actual historic characters and the characters that come to life through his writing skill.If I'd had Bernard Cornwell on my bookshelf in college, I would have aced those essay questions about what happened in the different wars that were taught in Western Civ.

Having said that, I read the first in The Grail Quest series back in 2010, and have now picked back up with this audio book. It was great fun to stumble upon old show more friends and find what's gone on with them in the interim. It's very obvious that Cornwell speaks his writing aloud as part of the process (and , indeed, if you've ever gone down the street where he lives part-time here in Charleston, you can hear him, sounding like a man possessed, speaking his characters' lines.The tour guides love it when he gets going full steam.) The dialog is real, funny, moving, and very, very authentic. Another delight was the introduction of a character named Keane, who, I strongly suspect, got his name from a mutual friend, also here in Charleston.Even if Keane is not based on Keane, he's a great character, and I'm glad he made it out of this book alive.

Will go back and find the interim books, also hopefully on audio, to fill in the gap. show less

Another outstanding book from an author who excels at taking a historic event and turning it into a rousing and hard to put down story. Filled with interesting heroes and really bad villains, the story leads into and concludes with the Battle of Poitiers where once more the flower of French Chivalry falls to British and Gascon knights, men at arms and archers. Cornwell's MacGuffin, the sword of St. Peter, places the story nicely into the author's Grail Quest series. Hopefully, other quests and battles, which Cornwell does better than just about everyone, lie in our future. Read again this time on an audio Book with excellent narration.

The main problem here is that this story was effectively wrapped up in 'Heretic.' As always, Cornwell's descriptions of battle are interesting - this time the Battle of Poitiers. Entertaining, but I hope that Cornwell doesn't continue to add to this series to mimic a medieval version of his Sharpe series, as I think there isn't much more to add here. I almost feel that this would have been better covered as an independent novel like his 'Azincourt'.

I had assumed that having finished 'Heretic' that this was a conclusion to the adventures of Thomas of Hookton. So it was a bit of a surprise to see him make a re-appearance after some hiatus. The 100 Years War offers plenty of material for other books and the book was a decent story involving another religious relic set against the backdrop of the conflict in France. There was good characterisation and an attempt to define female figures. However, given that the Uthred series is continuing and that Sharpe has been on hiatus for some time I reiterate my previous belief that Starbuck deserves a return as a continuation of Uthred and Thomas are too similar at this time.

"This is going to hurt you...so very much." Hilarious! I loved this old lady. Look out for her!

Bernard Cornwell, like a macro photographer, focuses on amazing details of life during that period.

I devoured this book with relish. I loved Bernard Cornwell's rich portrayal of that life; the use of titles, the food they ate, weapons used, how arrows were made, the differences in arrows, the use of crushed bones in the making of steel and and and... Yet at no time are you aware of him telling these details because they are finely threaded into an awesome story. Without the details the plot would be meaningless.

The brutality of those days has no comparison to anything we know today. It is jarring. How was it possible to live?

I can't think of show more any man that would not want to be more like Le Batard. I wanted to know more of the ladies; beyond them being beautiful.

I highly recommend this book for those that love historical fiction, for those that would love to reside with a traveling band of raw warriors show less

Sir Thomas of Hookton, a fictional archer from a fictional English village, stars in the 4th episode of the "Grail Quest" series. Leading a mercenary band of archers and men-at-arms through chaotic France during the 100 Years War, this novel follows our hero through events up to and including the stunning English victory at Poiters, where Edward the Black Prince (as he would someday be known) defeated a French army nearly twice the size and took captive the presumed King of France (presumed because the English insisted that Edward III was the rightful king).

Sir Thomas has developed a sort of hobby finding revered religious relics and disposing of them for the presumed good of mankind. A descendent of a Cathar heretic, Thomas really show more doesn't believe these objects are what they are made out to be: the spear of St. George, the Holy Grail, and, in this book, the sword of St. Peter (for purposes of the book named "la Malice." Raised to be a cleric, Thomas isn't necessarily an impious person, although he was excommunicated from the Church and declared an outlaw. Also in search of la Malice is the Pope's right-hand thug, a Cardinal Bessiers, and a priest with bird called a "callade" that is an alleged truth-sayer, in that it pecks out the eyeballs of a victim that is presumably lying. Starving the bird so that it is always hungry for eyeballs is a bit disingenuous, and when Thomas' wife is maimed and partially blinded by the bird, you know the Church is going to take a beating.

The climax of the book, the Battle of Poiters, is lavishly described, just as the Battle of Crecy was in an earlier book in the series. At the end of the last book, Heretic, the initial trilogy seemed complete, yet the door left open for was is this novel. The next major battle, the Battle of Agincourt, is far off...not only was it the subject of a stand-alone novel by Cornwell, but also is beyond the useful career of the Sir Thomas of Hookton character. Perhaps he will again pursue a powerful relic in another medieval adventure, but it would be a new story from whole cloth as virtually all of Thomas' antagonists have been put to rest. show less

'1356' is the fourth book in Cornwell’s Grail Quest series all set during The Hundred Years’ War, a fact that I hadn't realised before starting it. The series’ protagonist, Thomas of Hookton, is now known throughout France as 'le Bâtard', the commander of a fierce band of mercenary English longbowmen called the Hellequin. As with the other books in the series Thomas is given a quest to find a religious artifact, this time a sword called 'la Malice' – the sword that Saint Peter used in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Cornwell isn't particularly great at character development but one of the best things about his books are his villains, and this novel is no different with a colourful cast of adversaries opposing Thomas’ quest. These show more include a malevolent priest called Father Calade and an ambitious Cardinal (Bessières), who believes that finding 'la Malice' will help him become the next pope.

The Battle of Poitiers, the main battle in the year 1356 after which the book is named, is the setting for the novel’s climax. I am a fan of historical novels and one of Cornwell's strengths is writing gripping medieval battle scenes. Once again the battle at Poitiers is masterfully written, but the conflict between Thomas and the cardinal over la Malice dominates this story. Personally I would have quite happily foregone this section of the story but overall 1356 is a worthy addition to Cornwell's catalogue which I believe can easily be read as a stand alone (as I did) or as it was intended as a continuation to this series. show less