10-24-08 The Archer's Tale by Bernard Cornwell - Fiction

4 - The first in Cornwell's Grail trilogy, The Archer's Tale is well written and, for the most part, historically accurate. Cornwell admits fiddling with a few facts of the time, but her doesn't have to do much as the beginning of the Hundred Years War is interesting enough. Thomas of Hookton, and archer and a priest's son, begins his story with a promise to recover a holy relic (not the Grail) and that promise drives him to search for his father's killer, his heritage, and, eventually, the Grail. This is not a romantic and chivalrous account of the times; this is a tale straight from the battlefields in France where honor was still popular but not always observed. Cornwell's writing style hooks you from the beginning and soon you'll be pouring over pages to learn Thomas' fate.