The Wounded Hawk : The Crucible Series, Book Two (Crucible) [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Sara Douglass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

The second book of The Crucible, an exciting new historical fantasy from the author of the popular Axis Triology. The plague has passed and for a while it seems evil has been defeated. Europe recovers; prosperity returns, trade resumes, and people slowly recover from the effects of the plague. Then, just as the Church relaxes its guard, war spreads across Europe. Widespread heresies challenge the authority of the Church. Revolts and rebellions threaten to topple the established monarchies and overturn the social order of Europe. And then the plague returns, worse than ever. Neville eventually discovers the cause. The minions of the Devil have been scattered throughout European society during the confusion of the Black Death. His task is to discover the identities of these shapeshifters so that the Church can move against them, but it is a dangerous task. They are master shapeshifters so he can never be certain of who he should trust.

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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Australian author Douglass's engrossing second volume in her historical fantasy trilogy (after 2004's The Nameless Day), simmering conflict between the lower classes and the gentry bursts into open revolt and sweeps across 14th-century Europe. At the center of the clash is Thomas Neville, former Dominican priest and chosen favorite of the Archangel Michael, who has ordered Thomas to locate Wynkyn de Worde's casket and use the contents to help defeat the hordes from hell that have invaded the world. Thomas has set aside his calling to the Holy Church to better search for the casket, becoming companion to Prince Henry of Bolingbroke and enemy of Richard II of England, both big players in the unfolding drama. Douglass seamlessly fuses the period's class struggle for freedom against tyranny with a disturbingly vivid look at the ambiguous battle between good and evil. Those who know their medieval history may carp that she takes too many liberties with such figures as John of Gaunt and Joan of Arc, but all will applaud the way she avoids the dull middle-book syndrome that commonly afflicts such series.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The second book of the Crucible trilogy picks up where The Nameless Day [BKL Jl 04] left off. In fourteenth-century Europe, the first wave of devastation from the Great Plague is just ending. Soldier-turned-monk Thomas Neville has received his latest marching orders from the Archangel Michael, who has given Neville the divine mission of tracking down an army of demons posing as ordinary human beings and plotting a war on humanity and heaven. Now Neville sheds his cassock to join the ranks of English estate owners and infiltrate the society of power brokers, in which the demons remain cloaked. It is becoming less and less clear whom he can trust, or even whether he is on the right side of good and evil. Douglass puts her Ph.D. in history to good use in skillful attention to period detail and credible medieval action, so that her saga should please fantasy enthusiasts, history buffs, and even fans of the Left Behind series. Carl Hays
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• ISBN-10: 0765303639
• ASIN: B000FUTQ7S
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #624,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sara Douglass was born in Penola, South Australia, and spent her early working life as a nurse. Rapidly growing tired of starched veils, mitred corners and irascible anaesthetists, she worked her way through three degrees at the University of Adelaide, culminating in a PhD in early modern English history. Sara Douglass currently teaches medieval history of La Trobe University, Bendigo and escapes academia through her writing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars carries some of same flaws but better than first, strong 3, June 14, 2005

By 

B. Capossere (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wounded Hawk (The Crucible Series, Book Two) (Hardcover)

Set amid the drama and cast of the 100 Years War (though more parallel than true history), this sequel to The Nameless Day continues the story of Thomas Neville, former cleric returned to his noble life, as he tries to complete the quest given him by archangel Michael--to retrieve a mysterious casket that will allow him to send back to hell the demons that now roam the world. As readers of the first book know (and only readers of the first one should read this), Thomas himself has become unsure of just which side is the "good" one in the battle between the demons and angels and his uncertainty continues throughout this book, though not quite as pronounced.

Though plagued by some of the same flaws as The Nameless Day (some character inconsistencies, some surprisingly careless writing), Wounded Hawk manages to easily avoid the "middle book" syndrome. Instead of acting simply as a weaker bridge book to the trilogy's conclusion, Wounded Hawk expands and deepens both the characters and the story, improving on its predecessor in all ways.

Some of the improvement occurs because the character/plot inconsistencies, while not completely evaded, are much reduced. Some of the improvement occurs because the main character of Thomas recaptures some humanity and thus is a much more palatable character with whom to spend hundreds of pages. Improvement also lies in the book's tighter focus, mostly centering around a few personal relationships and the royal politics of England, specifically the battle between Richard II and Hal of Bolingbroke. It's also a better paced book, with scenes moving quickly and (usually) smoothly from one to the other, with no sense of being bogged down. The plot, while still containing some twists and turns, some shifts of allegiance, is crisper and cleaner, less of a muddle than in book one. The characters are all much more interesting and are captured much more fully, even the secondary ones.

The book's flaws are pretty much the same as in Nameless Day, though as mentioned they are greatly reduced. There are still annoying (though not infuriating) inconsistencies in character thoughts/actions and in points of view. Douglass has a tendency to tell us too much rather than allowing us to infer from actions or dialogue. Some actions seem a bit implausible. And some shifts in characters' beliefs seem to move all too quickly. Noticeable as these are, however, the book's strengths outweigh its flaws and I found myself pretty swept along in what was happening even as I found myself occasionally annoyed by how it was being presented. Certainly if you've read book one and enjoyed it, continue the series. If like me you had mixed feelings about book one, I'd strongly recommend giving the sequel a chance as it's so much better. And if you really didn't like book one at all, then you're not reading this anyway so blah blah blah.

Recommended.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant use of historical facts in a supernatural context, November 14, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wounded Hawk (The Crucible Series, Book Two) (Hardcover)

Thomas Neville, once a priest in the Dominican order, is married to Margaret; they have a daughter he loves dearly, but he doesn't love his wife because the Angel Michael told him she was demon spawn like all daughters of Eve. Thomas' mission is to find Wynkyn de Worde's casket and use the book inside to send the demons back to hell. He doesn't know who to trust but believes King Richard II is a demon and that Duke Hal Bolingbroke, the next in line for the throne, should rule.

Over time his feelings for his wife turn to love, an emotion that Jesus sanctified in a vision to him. The king and his lover Robbie Devere are bankrupting the country, turning the peasants against him. When the king exiles Bolingbroke without charging him with anything the nobles turn against their monarch as well. Just when it looks like Bolingbroke will achieve his dreams, Thomas learns the secret that he and his wife share that if revealed could cost them both Bolingbroke and Margaret their lives.

Fans of Judith Tarr's historical fantasies will love THE WOUNDED HAWK, a brilliant epic novel that uses authentic historical facts in a supernatural context. This romantic fantasy answers many of the questions in THE NAMELESS DAY but there are still more yet to be answered in the next book THE CRIPPLED ANGEL. Although not a religious book, the author provides a unique take on angels, demons, Christ and God. The tortured hero is torn between his love for his wife and the veneration of an angel; he knows it is his destiny to choose mankind's path, a decision he fears but will make when the time comes. This superb tale will appeal to speculative fiction readers.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than the first, but not without flaws, June 29, 2006

By 

Kelly (Fantasy Literature) (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wounded Hawk : The Crucible Series, Book Two (Crucible) (Hardcover)

The middle book of the Crucible trilogy is better than the first, but not without its flaws.

Thomas Neville, our protagonist, is slightly more bearable this time around, having shaken off some of his old vows and old prejudices. It's a beautiful thing watching him come to love his wife Margaret, and reexamine some of his beliefs.

Meanwhile, Richard II is ruling cruelly and ineptly, Thomas's boyhood friend Bolingbroke is beginning to make his play for the throne, and in France, Joan of Arc urges a reluctant king to act against the English. Douglass has taken some liberties with chronology, but it doesn't matter much, as her timeline works for the story and she explains in a foreword that she *has* used some creative license, so it doesn't jar at all.

What does jar a bit is the head-hopping; we seem to bounce from POV to POV several times per scene. Also, the scheme that Bolingbroke and Margaret execute, with traumatic results for Margaret, just doesn't quite make sense. I feel like I was supposed to either find it reprehensible or decide it was worth the eventual outcome, but instead? It just doesn't make sense. I can't figure out why these characters would have chosen that route.

On the positive side: Douglass builds to a big bang here. The secret that Thomas discovers is as shocking as it needs to be, and raises many questions about what will happen in the third book.

Finally, one more quibble. When Douglass sets her mind to it, she can write gorier scenes than many writers of outright horror. (I'm thinking of the miscarriage from Hades' Daughter.) I got almost to the end of The Wounded Hawk and was pleased to think that she'd kind of toned down the gross-out.

Then I read the epilogue. Let's just say that Douglass reassigns Edward II's gruesome death to another figure--and describes it. In detail. In excruciating detail. Yes, the guy was a vicious character. But I don't want to read about that happening to *anyone*.