Heretic (The Grail Quest, Book 3)

This is actually my first Bernard Cornwell novel. It is amazingly, and sometimes gruesome, detailed. His thorough research on historical issues are indeed extremely well. That is why, after finishing reading this novel, I became one of Cornwell's huge fan. Heretic is actually the last novel of the Grail Quest series, with a total of three installments. I have never actually read the first two installments, which did not make a big differrence, since parts of the previous plots were being told sporadically in Heretic. Thomas Hookton, the main protagonist, met a heretic girl who is bound for burning for being claimed heretic. The story revolves around Thomas' search for the holy grail, the cup, to be more precise. His adventures with the other competing knight, being a paid mercenary for several kings, his love interests, etc. All of these interesting stories were woven into a nice fictional novel. The outcome of this book is astonishing. If I wrote the ending in this review, it will shatter the element of excitement prepared by Bernard Cornwell. Get this book, a five-star read.

This was a great read either as the third in a series or as a stand alone.Heretic", the last book in the 3-book medieval Grail Quest series, is where Thomas Hookton finally confronts his cousin, Guy Vexille. Thomas, with his war-band, travels to Astarac, the former home of his infamous family, The Vexilles. Thomas then finds a lover, Genevieve, while at his stay in Astarac. She was a heretic and persecuted by the Church, and was going to be burned, but Thomas saves her. Subsequently, Thomas is also condemned by the Church during a siege in Astarac. He and Genevieve flee from Astarac, and take refuge with the bandits in the hills. Guy Vexille then hunts them down, but is unsuccessful in capturing them.

"Heretic", the last book in the 3-book medieval Grail Quest series, is where Thomas Hookton finally confronts his cousin, Guy Vexille. Thomas, with his war-band, travels to Astarac, the former home of his infamous family, The Vexilles. Thomas then finds a lover, Genevieve, while at his stay in Astarac. She was a heretic and persecuted by the Church, and was going to be burned, but Thomas saves her. Subsequently, Thomas is also condemned by the Church during a siege in Astarac. He and Genevieve flee from Astarac, and take refuge with the bandits in the hills. Guy Vexille then hunts them down, but is unsuccessful in capturing them. Compared to the others in the series, Heretic is more about betrayal, deceit and the greediness of the nobleman - while there are also exciting battle scenes. I recommend this book and the Grail Quest series whole heartedly - actually, you must read all three in order.

The Holy Grail was the most sacred of all treasures in medieval times, sending armies on quests for the fabled cup all over Europe. Thomas of Hookton, a young English archer of some considerable skill, finds himself in France searching for the grail, but instead finds himself a bundle of trouble.Thomas saves a girl from being burned at the stake for witchcraft and suddenly finds himself excommunicated from the church, and an enemy of his friends. To make matters worse, English archers in France were popular amongst bandits- because of the high price on their heads. Thomas and his newfound love soon find shelter in a monastery, which holds further clues to the whereabouts of the mythical grail.The monastery proves to be an unsafe hideout, as Thomas' ambitious and ruthless cousin also seeks the grail, and would quite like to see Thomas and his heretic girlfriend dead. Things come to a head when Thomas is reunited with his former friends, but ends up besieged in a castle. While the English longbow was the most deadly infantry weapon of the era, it was no match for the early cannon, subtly named Hell Spitter, dragged in from Italy to knock down the castle. The Italian gunners however bring something far more deadly with them in the form of the Black Death.Bernard Cornwell brings to life a number of aspects of the medieval age, like the deep reaching influence of the church, and how allegiances among soldiers were made and broken. He also offers a view into the harsh realities of medieval life, like the desperate poverty of peasants, who were an easy target for both soldiers and bandits alike. Cornwell pulls no punches when it comes to graphic descriptions of violence and war, and how something as simple as a broken limb could prove fatal.While Robin Hood may have been noble enough to steal from the rich and give to the poor, Thomas of Hookton stole from the poor when he had to, and killed the rich when they deserved it. This is a fast moving and historically accurate story with characters flawed enough to be real people, tangled in one of the most futile but enduring treasure hunts of all time.

Best of the trilogy; could hardly put it down! The man can WRITE I loved the! Aurthurian books and Stonehenge, but this is great, I have no interest whatsoever in the Sharpe series; this is a guy thing.