Grail Quest

Bernard Cornwell crafts an extraordinary story in The Archer's Tale, a grand and glorious epic concerning duty, love, and valor and set during the Hundred Years War. As dawn breaks on Easter, 1343, a band of French marauders ambushes the English village of Hookton. Only a youngster named Thomas survives, and the horrible tragedy is forever etched upon his memory. In particular, he recalls a black-clad knight, bearing a distinct flag, who is exceedingly brutal. Grown to become a master archer, Thomas lives for revenge. He must track down the knight and recover a holy relic stolen during the raid. He joins the invading forces of King Edward III and serves well, yet his eyes are constantly scanning the horizon, searching for the flag he can never forget.

The year is 1342. The English, led by Edward III, are laying waste to the French countryside. The army may be led by the King, but it is the archers, the common men, who are England's secret weapon. The French know them as Harlequins. Thomas of Hookton is one of these archers. But he is also on a personal mission: To avenge his father's death and retrieve a stolen relic. Thomas begins a quest that will lead him through fields smeared with the smoke of fires set by the rampaging English, until at last the two armies face each other on a hillside near the village of Crécy.

At dawn on Easter morning 1343, a marauding band of French raiders arrives by boat to ambush the coastal village of Hookton. To brave young Thomas, the only survivor, the horror of the attack is epitomized by the casual savagery of a particular black-clad knight. Thomas vows to avenge the murder of his townsmen and recapture a holy treasure that the black knight stole from the church. But Thomas must first make his way to France, so he joins the army of King Edward III as it is about to invade the continent and quickly becomes recognized as one of England's most deadly archers. When Thomas saves a young Frenchwoman from a bloodthirsty crowd, her father rewards his bravery by joining him in the hunt for the mysterious dark knight and the stolen holy relic. What begins as a search for vengeance will soon prove the beginning of an even higher purpose: the quest for the Holy Grail itself.

1347 is a year of war and unrest. England's army is fighting in France, and the Scots are invading from the North. Thomas of Hookton, sent back to England to follow an ancient trail to the Holy Grail, becomes embroiled in the fighting at Durham. Here, he meets a new and sinister enemy, a Dominican Inquisitor, who, like all of Europe, is searching for Christendom's most holy relic. It is not certain the grail even exists, but no one wants to let it fall into someone else's hands. And though Thomas may have an advantage in the search - an old notebook left to him by his father seems to offer clues to the whereabouts of the relic - his rivals, inspired by a fanatical religious fervor, have their own ways: the torture chamber of the Inquisition. Barely alive, Thomas is able to escapes their clutches, but fate will not let him rest. He is thrust into one of the bloodiest fights of the Hundred Years War, the battle of la Roche-Derrien and, amidst the flames, arrows and butchery of that night he faces his enemies once again.

1347 is a year of war and unrest. England's army is fighting in France, encouraging the Scots to invade their old enemy. Thomas of Hookton, send back to England to follow an ancient trail which suggests his family once owned the Holy Grail, instead becomes embroiled in the savage fight when the Scots come to Durham. Out of the horror he finds a new companion for the quest, but also discovers a new enemy in a Dominican Inquisitor. All Europe want the grail. Many may doubt it exists, but no one would willingly allow an enemy to find Christendom's most precious relic, and Thomas finds himself in a murderous race with the Inquisitor and with Guy de Vexille, the mysterious black rider who murdered Thomas' father. Thomas' father bequeathed him a mysterious notebook which confirms the grail's existence and offers clues to where it might be hidden. But his rival have the advantage of the torture chamber of the Inquisition. Thomas, seeking help to decipher the book's cryptic pages, is delivered instead to his worst enemies. He finds refuge in Brittany with the Countess of Armorica, but fate will not let him rest. He is thrust into one of the most desperate fights of the Hundred Years' War, the battle of la Roche-Derrien and, amidst the flames, arrows and butchery of that night he faces his enemies again. Performed by Tim Pigott-Smith.

Thomas of Hookton is a seasoned veteran of King Edward's army and a natural leader in what will be remembered as the Hundred Years' War. Accompanied by a small but able band of soldiers, Thomas is sent to Gascony to capture the castle of Astarac. But he has ulterior motives for accepting the charge: Gascony is the home of the black knight -- Guy de Vexille -- who brutally slaughtered his father. It is also reputed to be the place where the Grail was last seen. While capturing Astarac, Thomas learns of a tragedy in the making: a beautiful young woman named Genevieve, innocent if not pious, is to be burned as a heretic. Thomas prevents the corrupt local priest from carrying out his "God-given" duty -- a sacrilege that turns him into an outcast, even among his own men. Eventually he and Genevieve have no choice but to flee. While hidden away at a monastery, they learn of a plot involving the creation of an imitation Grail for a diabolical end; and they witness the murder of a trusted priest at the hands of Guy de Vexille. At last reconciled with his allies, Thomas leads his brave band in a bloody battle to the death, the outcome of which could determine the seat of power -- and the direction of Christendom -- forevermore.

A sharp, skilled and utterly fearless archer in the army of King Edward III, young Thomas of Hookton has been making his way through France for three years now, fighting fiercely alongside the English troops. But being a soldier in the great Hundred Years War is only a means to an end: Thomas of Hookton is hot on the trails of the man who brutally slaughtered his father and stole his only treasure-rumored to be the Holy Grail-from the ancient church of Hookton. All Europe wants the grail, and though many doubt it even exists, no one would willingly allow an enemy to find Christendom's most precious relic. To seek revenge and reclaim what's rightfully his, Thomas finds himself in a murderous race with the dangerous black rider who keeps cunningly eluding his grasp. In the tradition of Ken Follett and Edward Rutherford, Heretic is the third book in Bernard Cornwell's remarkable new series about the search for the Holy Grail.

Bernard Cornwell penned the acclaimed Saxon Tales. With 1356, Cornwell brings Thomas of Hookton (from the Grail Quest series) into an exciting new adventure. It's September 19, 1356, and the English and French armies are waging the historic Battle of Poitiers. With the English clearly outnumbered, it will take a masterful strategy to earn what may be the most decisive and unlikely victory of the Hundred Years' War.

September, 1356. Across France, towns are closing their gates. The crops are burning and the countryside stands alert to danger. The English army - led by the heir to the throne, The Black Prince - is set to invade. The French, along with their Scottish allies, are ready to hunt them down. But what if there was a weapon that could decide the outcome of the imminent war? Thomas of Hookton, known as le Batard, has orders to discover the lost sword of Saint Peter, a blade with mystical powers said to grant certain victory to whoever possesses her. The French seek the weapon too, and so Thomas's quest will be thwarted by battle and betrayal, by promises made and oaths broken. As the outnumbered English army becomes trapped near Poitiers, Thomas, his troop of archers and men-at-arms, his enemies, and the fate of the sword all converge in a maelstrom of violence, action, and heroism. Rich in color and characters, in great adventure and thrilling conflict, 1356 is the magnificent tale of how the quest for a holy relic with the power to change history leads to an epic battle.