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The Archer's Tale (The Grail Quest #1)

4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 · rating details · 7,209 ratings · 316 reviews

A brutal raid on the quiet coastal English village of Hookton in 1342 leaves but one survivor: a young archer named Thomas. On this terrible dawn, his purpose becomes clear -- to recover a stolen sacred relic and pursue to the ends of the earth the murderous black-clad knight bearing a blue-and-yellow standard, a journey that leads him to the courageous rescue of a beautif...more

Paperback, 400 pages

Published November 8th 2005 by Harper Perennial (first published October 16th 2000)

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Sep 21, 2008 Sam rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: ISR supervisors who desire to punish their students

ZZZzzzZZ...wait...huh? Why was I sleeping...? Oh, yeah. I was reading The Archer's Tale. Duh.

With that statement, I shouldn't really need to say more, but I will anyway.

Forcing myself into reading this book (originally it just sat there and I found myself unsure of whether or not I actually cared about finishing it), I managed to fight through 400 pages of post-Middle Ages fetid turd. Why do I call it that, you ask?

Though the premise of the book begins with fire and promise, and still holds out...more

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Jan 02, 2011 Richard Denning rated it 4 of 5 stars

Met Bernard Cornwell for a book signing for this book (or one of the others in the series.) I remember him speaking of the difference between the ease of learning how to use a musket and the years needed to learn how to fire a Longbow. Although as he pointed out they both led to dead Frenchman so job done!!

Maybe not as powerful a series as Sharpe BUT still well done and having been to Crecy (and Agincourt) I feel he made a good stab at the description.

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Apr 10, 2012 Beth Cato rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: in, 2009, historical, fiction, no-longer-own

This is my first book by Bernard Cornwell, who is a rather prolific historical fiction writer across various time periods.[return][return]The Archer's Tale begins in the village of Hookton on the English coast. There, the lance of St. George was kept safely in the rafters of the church - until one day when Frenchmen raided the town and stole the lance. The only surviving villager is a young man, Thomas, the protagonist of the story. His journey leads him into France at the beginning of the Hundr...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Gale rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure-young-adult, european-setting

“For God and His Fathers”

Set during the preliminary stages of the Hundred Years’ War, this novel offers grim action and ruthless adventure as England and France wreak havoc upon each other’s peasantry and nobility. Thomas of Hookton--sole survivor of a vicious raid on an English coastal hamlet--swears vengeance on the French and Genoese raiders who destroyed the entire village. His grief and rage are increased by the fact that they murdered his father and stole a sacred relic from the church....more

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Apr 05, 2013 Dark-Draco rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure-fiction, historic-fiction, favorites

Thomas is the bastard son of the local priest, who is thought to be mad by a lot of people, and has grown up in the seaside village where St George's lance is kept above the alter of their church. When French raiders come to the village, Thomas takes his bow and fights back. He kills and injures many of them, but they still escape after burning the houses, kidnapping the women and killing anyone else they find. Thomas vows revenge and joins the English Army in France, using his bow to deadly eff...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Iceman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Há vários anos que sou um profundo admirador de Bernard Cornwell, autor britânico responsável por uma série de romances históricos verdadeiramente excepcionais, destacando contudo a trilogia “Crónicas do senhor da guerra”, simplesmente do melhor que li até à data.

A escrita de Bernard Cornwell não tem nada que possamos classificar como único ou transcendente. O estilo dele é simples, mas é essa simplicidade que torna os seus livros tão empolgantes. Ele não perde muito tempo com descrições desnece...more Há vários anos que sou um profundo admirador de Bernard Cornwell, autor britânico responsável por uma série de romances históricos verdadeiramente excepcionais, destacando contudo a trilogia “Crónicas do senhor da guerra”, simplesmente do melhor que li até à data.

A escrita de Bernard Cornwell não tem nada que possamos classificar como único ou transcendente. O estilo dele é simples, mas é essa simplicidade que torna os seus livros tão empolgantes. Ele não perde muito tempo com descrições desnecessárias. Focalizasse objectivamente na descrição da época abordada e isso é algo que marca inegavelmente o seu estilo, pois ele consegue agarrar o leitor com a escrita, principalmente porque descreve de uma forma nua e crua não só a época, como nunca esconde (até faz gala) a brutalidade da mesma.

Quantos e quantos romances históricos que lemos, alguns até bem interessantes, que mostram a idade medieval cheia de amor e fraternidade, um mar-de-rosas, onde todos são amigos e onde a violência parece algo tão distante...

Com Cornwell vivemos as épocas da forma que elas foram. A brutalidade das guerras, o modo como elas se faziam. As relações humanas, a clara divisão de classes sociais. O modo de uns verem os outros, ou seja, em qualquer romance de Bernard Cornwell entramos nas épocas, quase que os sentimos presentes, quase que entramos no próprio romance. Digo quase porque não pretendo efectuar uma análise mais pormenorizada nem pretendo convencer ninguém, mas eu quando leio Cornwell, sinto-me dentro do romance, vivo as batalhas, consigo até ouvir o relinchar dos cavalos e os gritos dos homens.

Esta trilogia denominada “Em demanda da relíquia” e composta pelos romances “Harlequin”, “Vagabundo” e “O Graal”, situa-nos em plena Guerra dos Cem Anos que opôs a Inglaterra à França por todo o séc. XIV.

Thomas de Hookton é um jovem inglês que vive com os pais numa pequena aldeia piscatória que, subitamente, é invadida por dezenas de soldados franceses que arrasam a aldeia assassinando todos os seus habitantes, exceptuando Thomas que consegue fugir.

Esse episódio, que acaba por ter um objectivo que aqui não revelo, acaba por marcar a vida de Thomas, traçando então o seu destino que o colocará no caminho da maior obsessão de toda a idade medieval, da mais valiosa relíquia da cristandade: O Santo Graal.

Numa época tão marcada pelo surgimento de relíquias que supostamente pertenciam ao próprio Jesus Cristo, Bernard Cornwell retracta brilhantemente todo esse agitado período, onde os acontecimentos se sucedem em catadupa sem qualquer quebra, cheio de entusiasmo, suspense e vitalidade.

Uma trilogia que se lê num só fôlego tal a ânsia de sabermos o que vai acontecer a seguir, qual o desenrolar da batalha ou o destino dos vários personagens, personagens fortes, com alma.

Não sendo o melhor que li de Bernard Cornwell, esta trilogia apresenta-se como uma obra Histórica de eleição e altamente aconselhável para aqueles que escolheram o género histórico como o seu predilecto. (less)

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Oct 16, 2012 Kit Fryatt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

According to his note, Cornwell started his research for this book thinking he'd be doing a lot of reading about chivalry, and it turned out 14th-century warfare (surprise!) wasn't really like that. It's a nice touch that the conflict between chivalrous ideal and brutal reality becomes integral to the plot, and that given a choice, the protagonist prefers brutal reality because at least you know where you are with it, but is a decent enough sort of chap that he can't quite relinquish the chivalr...more According to his note, Cornwell started his research for this book thinking he'd be doing a lot of reading about chivalry, and it turned out 14th-century warfare (surprise!) wasn't really like that. It's a nice touch that the conflict between chivalrous ideal and brutal reality becomes integral to the plot, and that given a choice, the protagonist prefers brutal reality because at least you know where you are with it, but is a decent enough sort of chap that he can't quite relinquish the chivalrous ideals that he gets tangled up in.

There are (ancestral, and not awfully convincing) Cathars.

Cornwell seems happiest when he's got a lot of projectile weaponry, siege strategy and reconnaissance missions on the go -- the more recent Saxon series, though it probably contains his best writing to date, seems to be in mourning for the absence of Crack Shot Mary Sues with an Eye for Terrain. Warfare that essentially means getting to and severing the other guy's femoral artery before he gets yours seems to make him a bit depressed, which pays dividends when Alfred is stuck out on a melancholy fen plotting the reconquest of Wessex and eating loads of cheese and onions, but makes Uhtred a bit of a bore who has be livened up with some unlikely paganism. Thomas of Hookton is, on the other hand, kinda cute (though see Russian soldier caveat below.) And...when I say best writing -- I don't exactly mean that Cornwell has ever quite got to the stage of good writing. The prose here is certainly no treat, and when we actually get to Crècy there's quite a bit of military-history-textbook passive voice. Material anachronism is rare, and Cornwell has done his best with the historical romancier's perennial problem of creating sympathetic characters who must, for accuracy's sake, be also sexist, anti-Semitic and fully accepting of class hierarchy. (Admittedly, he does this with the time-honoured trick of creating a cast of villains who are those things to a rabid and psychopathic degree, so that essentially we sympathise with the equivalent of the Russian soldier in Berlin in 1945 because he isn't the equivalent of Himmler.) A sense of sameness and continuity, not a sense of difference, is what we go to historical romance of this kind for, and maybe that's why historical novels which aim for a sense of difference end up being thought of and experienced as something other altogether. Resist snobbery as you might, you still find Cornwell is different in kind, not just in degree, from, say, Broch's Death of Virgil. And ultimately he's lesser because he's straining all his cords (see what I did there?) to tell us Thomas of Hookton was like us, and not facing that fact that it's the differences that make the difference.(less)

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Jul 04, 2012 Billy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book, the first in a trilogy which I will finish reading, is good. It took me about 100-125 pages to really get in to the story, but once I found serious interest, I moved through the book very quickly and I look forward to finishing the trilogy.
The story, which is surrounded by the 100 years war, is well laid out and fits in to the period perfectly. Cornwell melds the fictional characters and factual history well and he doesn't hold back any punches when it comes to telling the truth about...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Rob rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical_novel

I was given this book because of world book night (April 23rd, Shakespeare's birthday).

Harlequin is one of the nastier characters in the book, which is the story of the events leading up to the battle of Crecy, told from the viewpoint of an English archer, but heavily interlaced with the English and French viewpoints of the laying waste of French land leading up to the battle with several romantic side plots and a father's dying wish that his son should avenge his death and recover a battle lanc...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Deb rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-books-read, kindled-ebook

Thomas of Hookton is the bastard son of a mysterious priest in a tiny coastal English village in 1343. Preserved in the village church is a valuable relic - the lance which St. George used to slay the dragon. Thomas' life is changed for ever when a band of French invaders destroy the village, slay his father, and steal the lance. Thomas vows revenge, and becomes an expert archer winding up in France at the beginning of the 100 Years War, fighting with the English army led by Edward III. Thomas f...more

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Jan 25, 2011 Alex Telander rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2002

Prominent author Bernard Cornwell, famed for the Richard Sharpe series and the Arthurian Warlord trilogy, begins anew with a series set in a time of immense change.

It is the fourteenth century, the Hundred Years War is about to begin (lasting until 1428); the Black Plague has already begun ravaging Europe and taking life; and then there is still the Great Schism to come (a time where three popes ruled and the entire area of Christian Europe was excommunicated).

Our hero is Thomas of Hookton. In 1...more Prominent author Bernard Cornwell, famed for the Richard Sharpe series and the Arthurian Warlord trilogy, begins anew with a series set in a time of immense change.

It is the fourteenth century, the Hundred Years War is about to begin (lasting until 1428); the Black Plague has already begun ravaging Europe and taking life; and then there is still the Great Schism to come (a time where three popes ruled and the entire area of Christian Europe was excommunicated).

Our hero is Thomas of Hookton. In 1343 his town was sacked and pillaged by the marauding French, and everyone was killed except him. Now years have passed and he is fighting for the English army against the French; the stage is set for the Hundred Years War, while in the back of his mind lurks a revenge against the people who razed his town and killed his friends and family They have stolen a relic from his church, the lance that was supposedly used by Saint George to slay the dragon.

The crux and closure of the novel involves the first monumental battle of the Hundred Years War, the Battle of Crécy, the first great win for the English against the French. It is here that Thomas of Hookton, one of the best archers in all of Europe, will fight for the English, as well as avenge the destruction and death that he has suffered for so long, and in the course of battle, the famous lance of Saint George will shine like a beacon, as Thomas fights to reclaim what was stolen from him.

Once again Bernard Cornwell outdoes himself in this wonderful new series. While the writing is not a high literary level, the book is nevertheless compelling, and the history extremely well researched. Cornwell skillfully weaves in the details and facts of the period, serving as a colorful world for the strong characters to interact with.

The reader quickly learns that the reason England is so victorious against the French is because of the infamous longbow (a later coined term). We even see the first cannons ever used by Edward III, which fail pitifully and are used more in hope than effect. Cornwell ends the novel with the Battle of Crécy, setting himself up for a complete series of one of the most major wars in the history of civilization.

Originally published on March 4th 2002.

For over 500 book reviews, and over 40 exclusive author interviews (both audio and written), visit BookBanter.(less)

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Jul 25, 2010 Maria Myers rated it 3 of 5 stars

I heard Bernard Cornwell interviewed on NPR last year sometime, and he was very entertaining. He had a funny and cute irreverence I had hoped my college history professors would have (none of them did). At the time, R was also complaining about how boring her European history class was, specifically, the Hundred Year's War. I thought I'd try this out to see if I could recommend it to her. The history I remember best comes mostly from reading historical novels, and the follow up reading I did to...more I heard Bernard Cornwell interviewed on NPR last year sometime, and he was very entertaining. He had a funny and cute irreverence I had hoped my college history professors would have (none of them did). At the time, R was also complaining about how boring her European history class was, specifically, the Hundred Year's War. I thought I'd try this out to see if I could recommend it to her. The history I remember best comes mostly from reading historical novels, and the follow up reading I did to check the facts.

This book was OK. Not great, but OK. I felt that Cornwell did a good job creating distinct characters from the historical figures. None of them were just nobles or yeomen. Thomas,the archer of The Archer's Tale, is definitely more than just a hero or a thug. He's flawed; he's smart, but makes dumb mistakes; he's loyal, but he struggles with the burden of loyalty. He's a guy caught in intrigues, mysteries and battles much bigger than himself. He's not sure he wants anything to do with them, but neither is he sure he can live with himself if he walks away.

There is plenty of intrigue and mystery going on. Thomas is the son of a priest, who joins the army when his village is plundered and his family is killed. He hasn't got anything else to do. The Hundred Years War has begun, and he winds up in France. Besides trying to survive the enemy, Thomas has to survive a jealous knight. He stumbles across the man he believes responsible for his father's murder,a secret about his father's family, and a mystery related to the Holy Grail.

Cornwell doesn't shrink from the dirty business of war. Towns are sacked, women are raped and killed. Soldiers eat whatever they can, and kill in brutal, bloody ways. The story was interesting, and I was thoroughly involved with how it was going to play out. But, there isn't any character yet that I feel a great affection for. Maybe humor would help that? I haven't felt an emotional hook yet. Yet, because The Archer's Tale is the first part of a trilogy. Hopefully, it will have a little more of the Cornwell's interview humor. (less)

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Jan 19, 2010 Tomid Tomid is currently reading it · review of another edition

Just finished the prologue. Am reading this concurrently with another Cornwell book, Azincourt, set 100 years later. I had high hopes to begin with because Cornwell has such a high reputation. But both these books are weird. Harlequin is more so.

Lines like "John farted and everyone laughed" and "somebody went for a piss" cause my eyebrows to ascend on most pages because I didn't expect such juvenile coarseness from the merry old gentleman pictured on the first page. Does the author really need t...more

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Jan 02, 2011 Blysse rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Of a mind to try a different genre, I picked up this book, which is Book 1 in the Grail Quest Series. For international readers, I read this book as 'Harlequin' but it is retitled as 'The Archer's Tale' in the USA so as not to be confused the bodice-ripping bosom-heaving Harlequin Romances. While the author snipes on his website that there is bodice ripping in these books, I would disagree.

The book is based on real life events at the start of the Hundred Years War, actually a series of separate...more

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Aug 31, 2011 Jim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-ages, historical-novels

I have read enough of Bernard Cornwell's historical novels to see how the formulas are made to click into place. What would have been sheer delight to me a few years back now strikes the more blasé reader that I've become as good, but no longer quite fresh.

With The Archer's Tale (published in England as Harlequin, a title which in the U.S. is redolent of bodice-ripping), Cornwell begins his Holy Grail trilogy, set in France during the Hundred Years War. The hero is a young Englishman named Thom...more

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Mar 02, 2009 Ed rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Historical Fiction and Cornwell fans,

Shelves: historical-fiction, reviewed

I am constantly surprised, though I shouldn't be, at Cornwell's ability to re-create an historical era.

In this story,(also titled "Harlequin" in its British Edition) the first of The three book "Grail" series, Thomas of Hookton, becomes an archer in the army of Edward the 2nd at the beginning of the Hundred Year's war between England and France (mid 14th century).

In typical Cornwell style, Thomas overcomes his low birth (he's the bastard son of a priest) and more than a few near death experienc...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Meghan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book! It captivated my attention in the first few pages and afterwards I found myself reading it every second I had to. In fact, I haven't picked my kindle up since I started it because nothing on there seemed as important to me as finishing this book. I read the majority of it yesterday being lazy instead of doing things that needed to be done. That's how into this book I was.

He did a great job with the characters ... and the anticipation during confrontations had me holding my br...more

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Nov 29, 2012 Jason Golomb rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action, adventure, england, fiction, historical-fiction, medieval, war

"The hellequin...are the dead who have no souls. The dead who were so wicked in life that the devil loves them too much to punish them in hell and so he gives them his horses and releases them on the living."
from Bernard Cornwell's "The Archer's Tale"

This first novel in Bernard Cornwell's "Grail Series" is a rock n' roll 14th Century swords, horses and armor action adventure. The characters are interesting but cliched, flawed enough to develop an emotive reader response, but without real emotion...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Erica Verrillo rated it 5 of 5 stars

After reading The Archer's Tale I systematically - and quite pleasurably - worked my way through all of Cornwell's other works. But this book remains my favorite. Thomas of Hookton is Cornwell's most engaging character to date - innocent, romantic to the extreme, and deadly. Like Cornwell's other heroes, Thomas has been grievously wronged. But in the Grail Quest series, Thomas must subsume his desire for vengeance to a greater goal. In his wanderings through Europe, the chivalrous Thomas falls i...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Paul Tonantius Ferreolus Gober rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very well written, this great read is almost as good as Bernard Cornwell's 'Azincourt.' The story brings a bit of humor that makes the characters seem more real. Here is the set up to a quote I pulled from page 71. In the 12 century, English troops fighting in France under the King Edward III, has just sacked another town. A Priest traveling with the English is trying to save the churches from the pillaging . Run by a widow and three very ugly daughters, the Priest finds the main character in he...more

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Jan 24, 2011 Andrew Hill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Better than 3 stars, worse than 4...

I have read and enjoyed Cornwell's Anglo-Saxon chronicles, but I am not a fan of his Sharpe novels. I thought I'd try this series, which describes the adventures of a young English archer, Thomas of Hookton, during the early stages of the 100 years' war. Though not as compelling as the story of Uhtred ("The Last Kingdom" is an excellent book, and a few others in that series come close to that standard), "The Archer's Tale" does just enough to merit reading the...more

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Oct 18, 2010 Jon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Bernard Cornwell's starkly vicious take on historical fiction. Can't quite figure if he has found the perfect formula and reuses it for different stories or if he's just telling the same story over and over again. Either way, I'm a geek for the stuff.

The Archer's Tale isn't any different. It's the story of an archer during the 100 years war, the height of that military units dominance on the battlefield, partly because of English reliance on the longbow and partly because of the French r...more

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Jun 16, 2010 Rusty rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

This is a quick and exciting tale about Thomas, a young man who becomes an outstanding archer excelling in battle. The tale depicts his war-time adventures and his relationships with those for and with whom he works. Thomas is an ideal hero, young, enthusiastic, hard-working and ethical. This is the first of two books about Thomas. The second is The Vagabond. Together they make up Bernard Cornwell's Grail Quest series. I truly enjoyed The Archer's Tale. I enjoy books when the author spends time...more

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May 01, 2012 Roger Lawrence rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Harlequin was a great take on the Anglo-French wars of the 14th century. Thomas of Hookton is very much in the vein of a young Richard Sharpe (by the same author) inasmuch as he's a hardened warrior from a young age, an orphan, good looking, and despite being a bastard on the battlefield, he's got more chivalry than the poncing knights around him.

He has good friends, there when needed. And as with good friends, there are multiple layers of antagonists too. As an archer, he's the equivalent of th...more

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Jan 14, 2011 Kelanth, numquam risit ubi dracones vivunt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romanzo-storico

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_d... ), che vide contrapposte l'Inghilterra e l...more

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Dec 04, 2010 Willowfaerie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, medieval

I love Bernard Cornwell, but I have to admit, it took me forever to get through this book. I’m not quite sure why Thomas’ story was not as compelling for me as some of Cornwell’s other heroes. I think maybe I prefer it Cornwell writes in first person point of view as opposed to third person, because his first person accounts just come alive and delve so deep into the main character. The descriptions of the battles seemed to go on forever as well, and I didn’t feel that sense of urgency I feel wh...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical, fiction-and-fact, war-and-military, suspense

This is just my type of genre, medieval fiction based on fact. The story is good and the detailed description of life at this time paints a very clear and gruesome picture of what it must have been like. This was not a chivalrous period in our history, almost genicide at times, and if you like horses I would skip through some of the battle scenes.

I have also read a factual account of the raging battles between England and France in the mid 14th century, in particular the Battle of Crecy (which c...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Sherry rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Archer's Tale was a problematic read for me. The historical accuracy was a real draw (but I can see how it would be hard to wade through, since it's very thorough). Having a history minor helps with this novel.

That said, some portions were too accurate. I've read books with violence and rape before, so it wasn't that I couldn't get through it, it was how completely unmoved the characters seemed. The main character spends the book more-or-less on a quest to revenge the raiding and destructio...more

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Dec 31, 2010 bookczuk rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio, met-the-author, favorite-author, made-me-look-something-up, taught-me-something, thank-you-charleston-county-library

Bernard Cornwell has a gift -- not just of story-telling, but of conveying "realness" in his books. The Archer's Tale was no exception. Historical vibrancy, not just accuracy. The characters in this book become real individuals, the more you read. You befriend them, loathe them, root for them, mourn for them... At one point, when things looked particularly bleak for Thomas, I took a breath, and realized that if he died at this point in the book, Cornwell would have had to have cajones of steel t...more

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Jun 15, 2010 Robert rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this some time ago and really enjoyed it. Somehow, i never got back to "Vagabond," and "Heretic," which continue the story of Thomas Hookton and the Hundred Years' War between England and France. I had already read all of the Sharpe novels, by Cornwell, which deal with an English foot soldier, who rises from the ranks to become an officer in the army during the Napoleonic era. As with everything else that I've read by Cornwell, "The Archer's Tale" was entertaining, well researched, and hi...more

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About Bernard Cornwell

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 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, Cornwell.

Cornwell was sent away to Monkton Combe School, attended the University of London, and after graduating, worked as a teacher. He attempted to enlist in the British armed services at least three times, but was rejected on the grounds of myopia.

He then joined BBC's Nationwide and was promoted to become head of current affairs at BBC Northern Ireland. He then joined Thames Television as editor of Thames News. He relocated to the United States in 1980 after marrying an American. Unable to get a Green Card, he started writing novels, as this did not require a work permit.

As a child, Cornwell loved the novels of C.S. Forester, chronicling the adventures of fictional British naval officer Horatio Hornblower during the Napoleonic Wars, and was surprised to find that there were no such novels following Lord Wellington's campaign on land. Motivated by the need to support himself in the U.S. through writing, Cornwell decided to write such a series. He named his chief protagonist Richard Sharpe, a rifleman involved in most major battles of the Peninsular War.

Cornwell wanted to start the series with the Siege of Badajoz but decided instead to start with a couple of "warm-up" novels. These were Sharpe's Eagle and Sharpe's Gold, both published in 1981. Sharpe's Eagle was picked up by a publisher, and Cornwell got a three-book deal. He went on to tell the story of Badajoz in his third Sharpe novel Sharpe's Company published in 1982.

Cornwell and wife Judy co-wrote a series of novels, published under the pseudonym "Susannah Kells". These were A Crowning Mercy, published in 1983, Fallen Angels in 1984, and Coat of Arms (aka The Aristocrats) in 1986. (Cornwell's strict Protestant upbringing informed the background of A Crowning Mercy, which took place during the English Civil War.) He also published Redcoat, an American Revolutionary War novel set in Philadelphia during its 1777 occupation by the British, in 1987.

After publishing 8 books in his ongoing Sharpe series, Cornwell was approached by a production company interested in adapting them for television. The producers asked him to write a prequel to give them a starting point to the series. They also requested that the story feature a large role for Spanish characters to secure co-funding from Spain. The result was Sharpe’s Rifles, published in 1987 and a series of Sharpe television films staring Sean Bean.

A series of contemporary thrillers with sailing as a background and common themes followed: Wildtrack published in 1988, Sea Lord (aka Killer's Wake) in 1989, Crackdown in 1990, Stormchild in 1991, and a political thriller called Scoundrel in 1992.

In June 2006, Cornwell was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's 80th Birthday Honours List.

Cornwell's latest work is titled Azincourt and was released in the UK in October 2008. The protagonist is an archer who participates in the Battle of Agincourt, another devastating defeat suffered by the French in the Hundred Years War. However Cornwell has stated that it will not be about Thomas of Hookton from The Grail Quest or any of his relatives.(less)

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Books by Bernard Cornwell

The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories, #1)

The Winter King (The Warlord Chronicles, #1)

Lords of the North (The Saxon Stories, #3)

The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories, #2)

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Quotes from The Archer's Tale

“Pelos ossos de Deus, Tom, o diabo fez um serviço ruim quando trepou com sua mãe.” — 4 people liked it

“You'll call me a damned Jew, a Christ murderer, a secret worshipper of pigs and a kidnapper of christian children.' This was all said cheerfully. 'How absurd! Who would want to kidnap children, Christian or otherwise? Vile things. The only mercy of children is that they grow up, as my son has but then, tragically, they beget more children. We do not learn life's lessons.” — 4 people liked it

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The Archer's Tale (The Grail Quest #1)

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