Ratings7
Average rating3.6
15
Ratings7
Average rating3.6
Bernard Cornwell, the "master of martial fiction" (Booklist), brings Thomas of Hookton from the popular Grail Quest series into a new adventure in 1356, a thrilling stand-alone novel. On September 19, 1356, a heavily outnumbered English army faced off against the French in the historic Battle of Poitiers. In 1356, Cornwell resurrects this dramatic and bloody struggle—one that would turn out to be the most decisive and improbable victory of the Hundred Years’ War, a clash where the underdog English not only the captured the strategic site of Poitiers, but the French King John II as well. In the vein of Cornwell’s bestselling Agincourt, 1356 is an action-packed story of danger and conquest, rich with military strategy and remarkable characters—both villainous and heroic—transporting readers to the front lines of war while painting a vivid picture of courage, treachery, and combat.
Featured Series
5 primary booksGrail Quest is a 5-book series with 5 primary works first released in 1985 with contributions by Bernard Cornwell, Laura Anne Gilman, and J.H. Brennan.
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In [b:1356 15739863 1356 (The Grail Quest, #4) Bernard Cornwell https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344100391s/15739863.jpg 21425637] Bernard Cornwell brings back Thomas of Hookton, the main protagonist of his Grail Quest series. This story takes place about ten years after the events of [b:Heretic 261083 Heretic (The Grail Quest, #3) Bernard Cornwell https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1382119406s/261083.jpg 927167]. Thomas, now a knighted veteran, is a man of some wealth and fame. He leads his own company of archers and men at arms. Though he serves England, he operates independently in the countryside of Gascony.This story has a lot of the tropes we have come to expect in a Cornwell story. There are of course desperate fights and escapes from perilous situations. And then there are evil men. The most malefic men in the book are a Cardinal of the church and his henchmen. They are almost matched in their vileness by the Count of Labrouillade, who is a pig of a man. As in all the Thomas of Hookton stories, there is also a holy relic. In this story, it is la Malice, a sword that was supposedly used by Peter to defend Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Cornwell hangs this story on the struggle to possess la Malice.The story reaches its climax at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. Cornwell shows us the battle by involving Thomas and his men in desperate and bloody fighting at various crucial points.While not as good in my opinion as the Grail Quest trilogy, [b:1356 15739863 1356 (The Grail Quest, #4) Bernard Cornwell https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344100391s/15739863.jpg 21425637] is quite entertaining, and it was nice to read another Thomas of Hookton story.
