Harlequin: The Archers Tale (The Grail Quest, Book 1) [Paperback]

Bernard Cornwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 4, 2001

Thomas of Hookton is one of those archers. When his village is sacked by French raiders, he makes a promise to God: to retrieve the relic stolen from Hookton's church. Escaping his father's ambitions, he becomes a wild youth who delights in the life of an army on the warpath. Driven by his conscience and protected by his fearsome skills, he enters a world where lovers become enemies and enemies become friends, where his only certainty is that somewhere, beyond a horizon smeared with the smoke of fires set by the rampaging English army, a terrible enemy awaits him. This enemy would harness the power of Chistendom's greatest relic: the Grail itself. Here, in the first book of a new series, the quest begins. It leads him through the fields of France, to the village of Crecy where two great armies meet on the hillside to do battle.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The young archer Thomas of Hookton joins the forces of King Edward III to fight against France in Cornwell's latest, which takes place in the mid-14th century at the beginning of the Hundred Years War. Thomas, a brilliant, handsome warrior who combines physical strength and skill with the bow, survives the pillaging of his village to become an archer and then rescues a female counterpart known as the Blackbird after she's nearly raped by Sir Simon Jekyll during one of the troop's raids in France. The nobleman becomes Thomas's chief rival as Jekyll continues to pursue the Blackbird, and Thomas is finally cast out of his unit after failing to kill Jekyll in an ill-conceived assassination attempt. He recovers to join and couple with the Blackbird, making his way through France and parlaying his skills into a royal pardon even as his opportunistic partner leaves him for the libidinous Prince of Wales. The three members of Cornwell's romantic triangle eventually meet during a huge climactic battle at Cr‚cy, where Thomas must face up to a demanding family legacy involving a quest for a special lance. Cornwell has been down this path many times before, and he's a consummate pro when it comes to plying the tried-and-true combination of heroic characters; a fast-moving, action-packed plot; and enough twists and turns to keep the narrative from lapsing into formula. He uses his historical expertise judiciously as well. This book mark the beginning of a promising new series that brings an intriguing period to life. (Oct. 9)Forecast: Cornwell, the author of the Richard Sharpe series, set during the Napoleonic Wars, has a strong and growing U.S. fan base. The Archer's Tale, already a bestseller in Britain, should strengthen his hold on the Patrick O'Brian crowd.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Already a best seller in England under the title Harlequin, this novel is the opening salvo of a new series by the author of the well-known Richard Sharpe books (e.g., Sharpe's Trafalgar). Set in the early 1400s at the beginning of the Hundred Years War between England and France, this novel depicts one of the most bloody and violent periods in the history of conflict between these two nations. After the theft of the treasure of Hookton, a broken lance thought to have been the weapon St. George used to slay the dragon, young Thomas, the bastard son of the village priest and a skilled longbowman, joins the English army in hopes of recovering the relic. Instead, he finds himself caught up in the invasion of France. Cornwell has crafted an extremely well-written novel, grounded in actual historic events. As in the Sharpe books, Cornwell's battle scenes are particularly memorable. This series, however, promises to be a bit meatier. More attention is paid to fascinating secondary characters and the roles they play in the political, religious, and social arenas of the time. Highly recommended.
- Jane Baird, Anchorage Municipal Libs., AK
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Harper Collins Pb; U.K. edition (June 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006513840
• ISBN-13: 978-0006513841
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (111 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,309,674 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bernard Cornwell was born in London in 1944 - a 'warbaby' - whose father was a Canadian airman and mother in Britain's Women's Auxiliary Air Force. He was adopted by a family in Essex who belonged to a religious sect called the Peculiar People (and they were), but escaped to London University and, after a stint as a teacher, he joined BBC Television where he worked for the next 10 years. He began as a researcher on the Nationwide programme and ended as Head of Current Affairs Television for the BBC in Northern Ireland. It was while working in Belfast that he met Judy, a visiting American, and fell in love. Judy was unable to move to Britain for family reasons so Bernard went to the States where he was refused a Green Card. He decided to earn a living by writing, a job that did not need a permit from the US government - and for some years he had been wanting to write the adventures of a British soldier in the Napoleonic wars - and so the Sharpe series was born. Bernard and Judy married in 1980, are still married, still live in the States and he is still writing Sharpe.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A medieval replacement for Sharpe, October 15, 2001

By 

charles falk (Novato, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Archer's Tale (The Grail Quest, Book 1) (Hardcover)

With "The Archer's Tale" Bernard Cornwell transports his readers to the mid 13th century and the start of the Hundred Years War. His replacement for Richard Sharpe is Thomas of Hookton, an archer in the army of Edward III.

We learn in the prologue that Thomas is the illegitimate son of the Hookton parish priest, an educated man of mysterious noble origins. Thomas learns Latin and French from his father (which is puzzling because we find out later that the priest's native tongue is langue d'Oc) and archery from his maternal grandfather. French pirate overrun Hookton killing everyone except Thomas. They are led by the priest's nephew who wants an important relic his uncle has hidden in the Hookton church.

Thomas then joins the King's army in order to find and take revenge on the man who massacred his family and his town. Like Sharpe, Thomas soon comes to the attention of a powerful historical figure, the Earl of Northhampton. He also has Sharpe's knack of making deadly enemies of the venal and the villainous -- in this case a knight who serves in the Earl's command. Two women of noble status play key roles in Thomas' life as he fights his way from Brittany to Normandy and into France. The climax of the book is the battle of Crecy.

"The Archer's Tale" is filled with the wealth of historical detail that gave the Sharpe series its air of authenticity. The reader learns the minutae of using the English longbow in battle, about life in a medieval army, and about medieval life in general. Lest I give the wrong impression, the book is stuffed with plenty of exciting, gory, mayhem too. Thomas is an altogether worthy replacement for Sharpe. His intriguing antecedants and his secret quest promise further adventure.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent adventure, June 23, 2003

By 

ilmk "ilmk" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harlequin (The Grail Quest, Book 1) (Paperback)

There is an inevitability that any new Cornwall book will be measured against the Sharpe series and the opener of the Grail Quest series, `Harlequin' proves that it is of the same ilk. The novel follows an English archer, Thomas of Hookton, from the destruction of his home town and the murder of his father, Father Ralph, through to the battle of Crecy in 1346. Cornwall moves from battle to battle during a period, now denoted by modern historians as the commencement of the Hundred Years War, during which King Edward III of England waged war through Normandy against Philip VI of France.
Cornwall opens in England with the deliberate sack of Hookton by the French knight-pirate, Sir Guillame and the enigmatic figure of the Harlequin. Their prize is the legendary lance of St George. After this prologue we are swiftly deposited in France where Thomas has become an archer of some note in the English army under the leadership of Will Skeat. We are at the walls of La Roche-Derrien which the English are desperate to storm and eventually manage to do with the guile of Thomas. It is during this period the main characters are established, Thomas' immediate enemy - Sir Simon Jekyll, Jeanette Chemier, Comtesse d'Amorique (though known initially as the Blackbird), niece of Charles de Blois, Father Hobbe - who seems to spend most of time acting as Thomas' conscience in a manner that more befits the slave whispering in the triumphant imperator's ear - Eleanor and an assortment of other minor characters.
So, we move from battle to battle, Thomas saving Jeanette after Charles de Blois takes her son, he flees attempted murder, makes it to Normandy, loses Jeanette to the Prince of Wales (the Black Prince of later legend), finds Sir Guillame, learns of the true nature of the Harlequin, is tasked with the greater mission of the Grail quest and eventually fights in the Battle of Crecy, which the English win.
A great deal of the novel is given over to the dominance of the archer in this period of history and Cornwall has clearly researched his subject matter as there is technical detail littered throughout. His depictions of the battles are what we would expect of the author of the Sharpe series and he doesn't shy away from depicting the brutal reality of medieval warfare. Our hero is not overly chivalrous - though considerably more so that his counterparts - and we are taken through the aftermath of several battles into the details of sacking cities - particularly Caen.

Some of the characterization is a little stereotyped. Particularly the villains. There is a fairly weak reason given for Sir Simon's initial enmity - seems to be just an instant dislike, which is echoed in the later `Vagabond' with Sir William Douglas - which then rests on a more solid foundation after Thomas steals both his desired woman and then attempts to murder him. The dark cloaked Harlequin (or Guy Vexille, Count of Astarac - who turns out to be Thomas' cousin ) is also somewhat standardized as the thinking villain amongst the remaining bumbling ones. Indeed, most of the battles are won by the English (or people associated with Thomas) due the enemy's lack of foresight, intelligence, or experience.
Nevertheless, this is a good story and you come away with the impression of some accuracy. The pace moves along nicely, there are some complete subplots and the right mix of reality and general adventurousness. All in all a well rounded tale and it'll make the reader reach for both `Vagabond' and the eventual `Heretic'.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 100 years' war from the eyes of an archer, September 23, 2006

By 

Jim Schmidt "Jimmbbo" (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Archer's Tale : Book One of the Grail Quest (The Grail Quest) (Paperback)

I received the book from a friend as a 'good read'. At the time, I had little knowledge and less interest in the 100 years' war, but had nothing else to read, so I started it. I found the book to be a well written, engaging, well paced look into the life of a common archer who finds himself in the service of the English during the 100 years' war... Cornwell puts the reader in Thomas of Hookton's hip pocket, and there the reader stays as Thomas survives battles, love, lust, injury, failure and triumph in day to day life of 15th century Europe.

The book is historically very acurate, with a minimal articstic liberties taken, and sparked me to learn more about the period. I found it so enchanting that I read the other two books in the series, and started researching more about the war itself... Highly recommended!