The first volume in this new series begins a medieval quest for the Holy Grail. When his English village is attacked by French marauders led by a vicious knight, young Thomas vows revenge and to retrieve a holy treasure taken from the church. Traveling to France, Thomas joins the army of King Edward III at the beginning of the Hundred Years War, becoming an preternaturally gifted--and deadly--archer.
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The first volume in this new series begins a medieval quest for the Holy Grail. When his English village is attacked by French marauders led by a vicious knight, young Thomas vows revenge and to retrieve a holy treasure taken from the church. Traveling to France, Thomas joins the army of King Edward III at the beginning of the Hundred Years War, becoming an preternaturally gifted--and deadly--archer.
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Seller's Description:
Fair. Mass market paperback in ACCEPTABLE condition. Book is perfectly usable, but has heavy wear or cosmetic issues which may include a cocked spine, creased spine, heavy wear, yellowed pages, price stickers, etc. Cover art may be different from that in photo.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. The item is very worn but continues to work perfectly. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, folded page corners and minor liquid stains. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. Page edges may have foxing (age related spots and browning). May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. The item is very worn but continues to work perfectly. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, folded page corners and minor liquid stains. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. Page edges may have foxing (age related spots and browning). May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Cornwell earned A rep for being a stellar writer of historical fiction...how...I guess it pays to have friends in the right places. His style is the classic..."If you read one, you've read 'em all"! If you don't believe me try one of his myriad "Sharpe" thrillers.
I made the mistake of thinking he might have finally gotten the message but, "The Archer's Tale"was just the usual crap; A "Batman" type hero who's as dumb as dirt
and beautiful maiden in distress allowing our man to demonstrate that it's better to be lucky than smart.
I f you clean up the dialogue this might pass as a credible "young reader's" entry!
Jolyon H
Jul 13, 2015
The Grail Quest Beginning
The Archer's Tale is the beginning of the Thomas from Hookton adventures set in the 1340's - 1350's. It begins in Thomas' hometown and takes Thomas through the Battle of Crécy. In Bernard Cornwell's books, including other archers' tales such as "Agincourt," one can see Cornwell's conviction regarding the English Long or Yew bow. He has done extensive research to make these tales fit in with actual battles fought during the 100 years war.
This story is a great adventure, nicely planned, and well told. The battle scenes are a bit graphic so squeamish readers might want to pass these by. For those of us interested in the time and techniques surrounding the 100 years war, it is a must read. While certain characters, such as villains, seem a bit 1-dimensional in Cornwell's tales, these books are real page turners and I highly recommend them to anyone interested in late medieval/renaissance warfare.
I can only hope he adds more Thomas of Hookton adventures to his voluminous works and I recommend them most readily.
Andrew C
Jun 19, 2014
Good read
"The Archers Tale" was a good change of pace from my usual nonfiction historical reading. It's well paced with believable characters that you take an interest in emphasize with. The setting and story background is not only something out side of my usual venue (Civil War and WWII) but obviously well researched and vividly brought to life. Like most readers I have a stack of books on the to read list and have eagerly added the next two books in the series "Vagabond" and "Heretic" to the it. Highly recommended.
Jekyll
Feb 28, 2008
The Archers Tale
This is an excellent well written book which gives a good insight into Norman/Saxon England. It is a difficult book to put down once you get into it and the excitment and intrigue starts early on. Bernard Cornwell writes very good historical fiction. This is the first book of a triology.
Jillian17
Apr 3, 2007
Love it :)
I actually read this book after the last one in the trilogy, (because i didn't know it was a trilogy when i got it) and i still loved it even though i knew where it would all end. When i get the time i am going to read it again. Like all Cornwell's books the battles are well-written and alive, as well as the characters.
