1356: A Novel Paperback – August 27, 2013

With "1356", Bernard Cornwell has closed the loop on the Holy Trinity of the great English victories in the Hundred Years War. Trailing only Agincourt and Crecy in importance, the Battle of Poitiers is the third of the great victories recorded by the English over their French foes as the English royal house sought to assert their claim to the throne of France in the 14th Century.Fans of Cornwell's Grail Trilogy will be happy to see the return of Thomas of Hookton, the young scholar-turned-hellequin whose journey toward mastery in the craft of war - and to the finding of the greatest Christian holy relic of the Middle Ages, the Grail - was recounted in those books. Thomas is now the leader of a mercenary warband, accompanied by some of his hell-raising companions from his early days in Brittany under Will Skeat, and by his French wife, Genevieve. Cornwell brings back Thomas' one-time comrade-in-arms, the young Scotsman Robbie Douglas, to close the circle on their estranged friendship; also returning to the orbit of Thomas' life in this story is the rapacious and ambitious Cardinal Bessierès, who is once again in search of a holy relic - the sword of St Peter, called "La Malice".The return of Bessières, and the repetition of the holy relic theme from the Grail Trilogy books, make "1356" feel somewhat formulaic, but that sense does not intrude while reading the book, or at least it didn't for me - it was only after I had finished that it struck me. While the reader is engrossed in the story, with its action, danger, and colorful dialogue, all that matters is the tale itself. A handful of new characters, including an Irishman named Keane - a reluctant divinity student; a young monk, Brother Michael, who doesn't really want to be a monk;, and Roland de Verrec, a supremely skillful knight who has read too many romantic tales of chivalry, are fine examples of Cornwell's skill in crafting personalities for his characters and bringing them to life. "1356" feels, in the aftermath, a bit like a return to the Grail stories all crammed into one volume, and the actual battle gets somewhat short shrift in favor of the search for "La Malice" and the renewed conflict between Thomas and Cardinal Bessières, it is nevertheless a rousing read and a worthy addition to the collection of any Cornwell fan.

Of course, as can be seen with other Cornwell series, you never know for sure if you've read the last book. 1356 is the most recent book in the series and was published in 2013 while the first book, "The Archer's Tale" (U.S. title - which annoys Mr. Cornwell) was published in 2005. "Vagabond" was published in 2006 and "Heretic" in 2007. As you can see, there can be some time between releases as there was between books three and four. "1356" is a great story and when you read the Historical Note at the end you really get a sense of how much effort goes into understanding the period so that real events can be carefully seeded with fictional lives and events to make a compelling case for me to be entertained by another Cornwell effort. I enjoyed the series and "1356" for inserting me into the events through the eyes of Thomas of Hookton. Cornwell has again done a masterful job of weaving reality and fiction together so seamlessly that it is difficult to tell the two apart at times. I learned so much about European history of the 100 Years War from these accounts and can now see so much more about how that history has shaped much of what has followed since from these books. Cornwell does an outstanding job of making history interesting and enjoyable. All of the characters are believable and have depth and complexity along with an equally complex plot. This isn't a predictable read. You may know the history which makes the overall outcome predictable but what happens to the fictional characters has entertaining twists and turns. As I've said in other reviews of Cornwell's work, he gives nothing away for free to his characters. They work for everything and lose a great deal in the process of achieving every gain. It's not easy to guess who will live, who will die, who will be maimed or disfigured and who's inner demons will positively or negatively affect an outcome. Truly enjoyable and inexpensive entertainment. I highly recommend this book and the entire series. You should start at the beginning though.

Bernard Cornwell has written a novel that is riveting from start to finish. He is an author that has the ability to write in a manner that resembles an unfolding 3D movie, whereby the reader smells, hears, tastes and feels everything almost first hand.The novel is full of energy and abounds in intrigue, drama, awe and lots of action. Many events in the novel made my heart race and I found it very hard to put the book away.The storyline is centred in France during the 100 years war and deals with events and actions leading up to and including the battle of Poitiers in 1356. Prince Edward (Prince of Wales) or at times referred to as the Black Price, pitted his smaller English army against that of the French King Jean 2nd. The French side included Scottish knights who had hoped to capture the English Prince and use him as ransom to release the Scottish King, being held in an English jail, by the English King Edward the 3rd.The author has undertaken extensive historical research and hence the novel can be educational in itself. I found the documents and references at the end of the book very useful.

The book arrived on time and in fine condition. I'm a big fan of Cornwell's books and I enjoyed reading this book, the fourth in the Grail series.

Detailed and technical storey

En primer lugar, pensé que el libro estaba en inglés, según la foto. No fue así era una tradducción a español. En segundo lugar, taró casi cuatro meses en llegar. Por último, el libro era muy repetitivo, hasta el aburrimiento, sobre las técnicas de los arqueros. Parecia mucho "cut y paste" para rellenar páginas. No es lo que esperaba de un libro de Bernard Cromwell.

A Masterpiece on battle description. Well constructed characters and narrative. Breathtaking actions and general drama.

A rating close to the best to my liking.Very entertaining and illustrating plot in historical terms. No doubt this author is one of today's greatest story tellers