Cornwell weaves a well-written and fast-moving historical novel from Medieval times (1347) that without strain or boredom introduces us to an era, its culture and peoples. Cornwell skillfully weaves dialogue and description together into an interesting story that does not lag.

In Heretic, Thomas of Hookton returns to his ancestral homeland, Gascony, both to find the Holy Grail and to engineer a confrontation with his cousin, Guy Vexille. Near the end of the book we discover that Vexille is a fanatical zealot, judged by the church as a heretic leading a deadly group of knights.

The main action of the book follows the English capture of Calais and the suspension of the war with France by a truce. Thomas heads south leading a feared group of English archers who become savage raiders, pillaging villages and capturing a castle. Early in this adventure he saves a girl condemned to burn as a heretic. The charges turn out to be typical of the superstitions so common in the Dark Ages. For saving her, and falling in love with her, Thomas becomes hunted and ultimately also declared a heretic by the church.

Woven throughout the book is the quest for the grail, the legendary cup of Christ; the cruelty of lords and their private armies; the corruption of the church; the fear with which the English archer is held; and vivid descriptions of clashes between rival groups of knights. Fortunately, one or two laudable monks/church figures are described to offset the negative images of the church. The terror visited on Europe by the plague is also described. An enjoyable and enlightneing read