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Vagabond (The Grail Quest #2)
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,
...moreAnalog Audio Cassette, Abridged, 0 pages
Published
November 26th 2003
by HarperAudio
(first published 2002)
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c2002 - The 2nd entry in the Grail Quest series. Another piece of solid writing by Mr Cornwell and now that the character of Thomas of Hookton (yay - Dorset!)has been well established, this read is much easier than the first book in the series. This book sees him joined by Robbie Douglas of Scotland who quickly becomes quite an endearing character. Baddies abound and Mr Cornwell has a knack of conveying the brutal with a certain straight forwardness that I remember from the Lords of the North se...more
Dopo la mia recensione sulla saga di Re Artù, recensisco ancora questo autore molto bravo che deve principalmente il suo successo internazionale per la saga di "Sharpe", credo arrivata al decimo o undicesimo libro, che ho in libreria ma che non ho ancora iniziato. Per tornare alla recensione di oggi, credo che tutti più o meno sanno cosa sia stata la "Guerra dei Cent'anni" (per chi non lo sa e vuole approfondire: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerra_dei_... ), che vide contrap...more
This volume continues the story begun in "The Archer's Tale." Once again, this is vintage Bernard Cornwell. It's a terrific story, and a great piece of historical research as well. The primary historical aspects of the story revolve around an alliance between the French and the Scots to invade England from the north, while the main English army is campaigning in northern France. The main character, Thomas Hookton is joined by some characters mentioned in "The Archer's Tale,"...more
Not my usual read. I picked this up for 25 cents at a library book sale before a trip (and I'm glad I did since my plane was delayed for two hours!)
The language was very blue and the violence very graphic, but the story very convincingly carries you back in time to the Dark Ages. The vicious battle scenes captured my attention immediately, but I felt my attention flagging after a bit, though I still finished the story. I was interested enough to look up the Cathar heresy on Wikipedia, and I...more
The language was very blue and the violence very graphic, but the story very convincingly carries you back in time to the Dark Ages. The vicious battle scenes captured my attention immediately, but I felt my attention flagging after a bit, though I still finished the story. I was interested enough to look up the Cathar heresy on Wikipedia, and I...more
I actually enjoyed “Vagabond” more than I enjoyed an “Archer’s Story.” Probably because there were less battle scenes and more intrigue. Don’t get me wrong, Cornwell writes the best battle scenes, but I enjoy reading about relationships more. There were a lot of things happening in this book, and Thomas is almost always on the move.
There’s one part in this book I will never forget. I won’t say what it is, but I was truly scared for Thomas. It was so weird too, because here I’m...more
There’s one part in this book I will never forget. I won’t say what it is, but I was truly scared for Thomas. It was so weird too, because here I’m...more
I would say that this book is definitely better than the first of the series. While "The Archers Tale" was a great read with great detail it failed to show an inner character for Thomas. "Vagabond", I believe, does a much better job at this. Seeing him suffer and grieve showed how much he does care, even though he tries to shrug it all off. The detail of the battles held up to Cornwell's name and didn't seem as long-winded as they were in "The Archer's Tale". the im...more
The second in the Grail Quest series has Thomas fighting for the Earl of Northhampton in France during the Hundred Years War; he is still torn by doubts about the reality of the Grail but feels driven to continue the quest.
Good battle scenes--Cornwell's forté--and after a somewhat slow start, the book picks up and the plot moves briskly. Cornwell continues to be remorseless in his portrayal of the Catholic Church during the 14th century as the province of ignorant priests and ambit...more
Good battle scenes--Cornwell's forté--and after a somewhat slow start, the book picks up and the plot moves briskly. Cornwell continues to be remorseless in his portrayal of the Catholic Church during the 14th century as the province of ignorant priests and ambit...more
This book, the second instalment of the Grail Quest series, was a tad disappointing. I had great expectations of it as Cornwall started to get a run up in the end of the first book, Harlequin. Therefore, I hoped he would hit the ground running in Vagabond, but he didn't, it was more of a belly flop. Mind you, I still enjoyed the book, it was just that it was more of a chore to read it than a delight.
Compared to Harlequin and Heretic it sorely lacked and I was pleased when Cornwell pic...more
Compared to Harlequin and Heretic it sorely lacked and I was pleased when Cornwell pic...more
Neste segundo volume, continuamos a acompanhar Thomas, arqueiro inglês, a tentar cumprir a sua promessa.
Voltamos a rever personagens do primeiro livro, bem como novos personagens, bastante interessantes, como é o caso do escocês Robbie, no entanto temos também algumas surpresas, pelas quais eu não esperava.
Acho que o ponto forte destes livros é a caracterização quase brutal das batalhas, em que parece que estamos no terreno a combater como Thomas. É também um livro muito mais movim...more
Voltamos a rever personagens do primeiro livro, bem como novos personagens, bastante interessantes, como é o caso do escocês Robbie, no entanto temos também algumas surpresas, pelas quais eu não esperava.
Acho que o ponto forte destes livros é a caracterização quase brutal das batalhas, em que parece que estamos no terreno a combater como Thomas. É também um livro muito mais movim...more
Ed
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Historical Fiction Fans
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
reviewed
The second volume in the Grail Series, this story was not nearly as interesting or exciting as the first book in the series, "The Archer".
It opens with the 1346 battle of Neville's Cross in Northern England, which is peripheral to the main plot of Thomas of Hockton's search for the grail which is supposedly under the control of his family and has been hidden by his dead father. It ends with the 1347 battle of La Roche-Derrien in Brittany between the forces of Charles of Bl...more
It opens with the 1346 battle of Neville's Cross in Northern England, which is peripheral to the main plot of Thomas of Hockton's search for the grail which is supposedly under the control of his family and has been hidden by his dead father. It ends with the 1347 battle of La Roche-Derrien in Brittany between the forces of Charles of Bl...more
This series by Bernard Cornwell consists of three books: The Archer's Tale, Vagabond, and Heretic. I'm just gonna lump them all together here since there's really not a whole lot to set them apart. By that I mean that they've definitely got the trademarks of an overly prolific author who just churns stuff out within his comfort zone (e.g., I got tired of hearing about how an arrow head "pierced mail and leather" after the fifth time in one book) so that you get largely the same story b...more
Anthony
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Adults with an interest in historical fiction of fourteenth century England.
Shelves:
historical-fiction
The Grail Quest series is a fascinating look at fourteenth century England and the Hundred Years War between England and France. Don’t let the name of the series dissuade you, the ‘Grail Quest’ ultimately proves to be a small part of the story. It serves more as a backdrop to illustrating the religious beliefs and climate of the era and is not the same worn out ‘Grail Quest’ you have seen a hundred times. As with Cornwell’s Saxon Chronicles, the main protagonist is a fictional character, but ma...more
It did not take me long after finishing Archer's Tale (Harlequin) to pick up the next book. Usually I wait a bit before I begin reading the next in a series, reading a few other books in the meantime. In this case, I pretty much plowed right into it. Cornwell had me hooked.
The story picks up with Thomas of Hookton on the road to Durham, England along with Eleanor and Father Hobbe. Along the way, they encounter Inquisitor de Taillebourg and Guy Vexille, who are also on their way to Du...more
The story picks up with Thomas of Hookton on the road to Durham, England along with Eleanor and Father Hobbe. Along the way, they encounter Inquisitor de Taillebourg and Guy Vexille, who are also on their way to Du...more
This is the second book in Cornwell’s Grail series. One reason I love Cornwell’s historical fiction is that his writing is so visual. His descriptions of fortifications and battles are so vivid, I feel like I can see a 3-D hologram of the battle fields of La Roche-Derrien – where the ditches and pallisades were and where the noble were hiding in the mill. Cornwell’s characters are three dimensional too. I can’t wait to follow Thomas of Hookton into the next book in the series.
Richard Sharpe continues his journey through the 100 Years War in his guise as a longbowman. he gets a girl. Loses the girl. Gets another one. Has an own-team enemy to vanquish in this episode and an away-team enemy that gets away again. He goes out of his way to show up at historical battles (coincidental, that!). In other words, very formulaic. But fun, in a rough-and-ready kinda way. Rated MA for violence, coarse language, torture scenes and adult themes. 3/5
After the Archer this was a letdown. One of the few Cornwells that has not grabbed me from the start. I think the overlong battle scene at the beginning made it difficult for me to reconnect with the main character- too busy. Even a later inquisition torture scene was curiously remote feeling. I skimmed a lot more than I normally do but even with that I can't say it was BAD- just not as involving as usual. I never came to care a lot about anyone in this book.
As usual, the book is heavy on the well-researched battle porn (I don't know what else to call it). In this case, the book kicked off with it, so it took some time before proper attention was paid to the characters and the clever turn of phrase Cornwell does so well. Amidst the carnage, there are several truly amusing moments that keep the pacing manageable. Robbie Douglas was a nice addition to the cast, and the new bad guys are truly horrible. I thought it was interesting that while Cornwell p...more
I had started this reluctantly after reading the first in this series (unless I really hate a book I generally finish it and try to perservere with the sequel) after finding the battle scenes a bit too long and boring. Bernard Cornwell is a master at historical fiction but I found the first novel Harlequin uninspiring and boring in places, however as I said, I started the second book and it went on in a similar vein, recognising characters from most of his stories. But half way trough it I began...more
Mi aspettavo di meglio. La storia non decolla praticamente mai, è tutto un susseguirsi di eventi con poco spessore e battaglie senza eccessivi colpi di scena. Sembra che il protagonista cerchi rogne solo per far succedere qualcosa. In generale i personaggi hanno poco spessore e, come nel libro precedente, sembrano dettagliati meglio alcuni comprimari che il/i protagonosta/i. Un po' di verve solo nella "scena finale". Speriamo nel terzo e conclusivo libro della saga.
These books are like Harlequin romances to me. That is a really bad joke, in this case, since the bad guy in these books is also known as the Harlequin. Hardy har. But the books are based on historical fact, so I suppose I am learning something over the 14th century, although really all I'm learning is how dirty and bloody those times were. Egad. I will go ahead and read the third book, just to finish it out. I am curious to find out if Thomas finds the grail and then hides it again or if he nev...more
Good solid historical fiction. Set during the Hundred Years' War, this is the second book in Cornwell's Grail Quest series about an English archer named Thomas who finds himself with the unwanted mission of locating and retrieving the Holy Grail.
This isn't some over-romanticized King Arthur version of history. Cornwell's depiction of life and death during the Middle Ages is so brutally honest that you can almost smell the blood and sweat of the battlefield.
This isn't some over-romanticized King Arthur version of history. Cornwell's depiction of life and death during the Middle Ages is so brutally honest that you can almost smell the blood and sweat of the battlefield.
A decent historical novel, but far from Cornwell's best. continues the story of Thomas the archer. The description of the siege and medieval war techniques can be a bit overwhelming at times. Might be of more interest to medieval war buffs.
Mr. Cornwell is a mighty good story teller. I did not expect to be a fan of "historical fiction", but this Grail Quest series is really excellent.
The series is set in England and France at the beginning of the Hundred Years War, a period of history about which I know only what I've learned from these books.
They are a fun read, real page turners.
The series is set in England and France at the beginning of the Hundred Years War, a period of history about which I know only what I've learned from these books.
They are a fun read, real page turners.
I read the first book, Archer, and probably would not have read Vagabond except it was the only other book I had available. Vagabond continues the story of Thomas, an archer in England's middle-ages. I like the book when Cornwell is writing about the characters and relationships. I find it tiresome when he's writing in detail about the battles and battlegear. I am sure a history buff would love it, though, as Cornwell is trying to be as historically accurate as possible.
Ok so I just fi...more
Ok so I just fi...more
I first read Harlequin then Vagabond and Heretic. Fantastic books. Must be read in order to follow the story. Grafic, bloody, romance they have the lot. Give yourself 4 weeks to read through them.
Buena novela (en español la batalla del grial) que te va llevando poco a poco entre batallas, argucias y demás, en un mundo bronco de guerra y destruccion medieval. Muy adaptable al cine. Muy entretenida.
I'm loving this series. It's just the right mix of period info, character development, and action. Am waiting a couple of weeks to start the third book because I don't want it to be over.
This historical novel, the second of the Grail Quest trilogy, brings to life the horrible and brutal fighting in England and France during the Hundred Years War. Not for the faint-hearted.
A stunning next chapter in the Grail series. We find ourselves in the north of England outside Durham with Thomas in search of answers to the mysteries left from his father about the Holy Grail. An exciting read full of action and twists. Yet the story continues...
Loved this, historical but exciting. brilliantly written and read. waiting to get the other 2 on audio from library, of which there aren't very many that were made.
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Cornwell was born in London in 1944. His father was a Canadian airman, and his mother was English, a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. He was adopted and brought up in Essex by the Wiggins family, who were members of the Peculiar People, a strict Protestant sect who banned frivolity of all kinds and even medicine. After he left them, he changed his name to his mother's maiden name, Cornwe...more
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