Heretic (The Grail Quest, Book 3) - Softcover

Cornwell, Bernard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007149891 ISBN 13: 9780007149896

Publisher: Harpercollins Pub Ltd, 2004

Synopsis

The eagerly anticipated follow-up to the number one bestseller Vagabond, this is the third instalment in Bernard Cornwell's Grail Quest series. In 1347 the English capture Calais and the war with France is suspended by a truce. But for Thomas of Hookton, the hero of Harlequin and Vagabond, there is no end to the fighting. He is pursuing the grail, the most sacred of Christendom's relics, and is sent to his ancestral homeland, Gascony, to engineer a confrontation with his deadliest enemy, Guy Vexille. Once in the south country Thomas becomes a raider, leading his archers in savage forays that will draw his enemy to his arrows. But then his fortunes change. Thomas becomes the hunted as his campaign is destroyed by the church. With only one companion, a girl condemned to burn as a heretic, Thomas goes to the valley of Astarac where he believes the grail was once hidden and might still be concealed, and there he plays a deadly game of hide and seek with an overwhelming enemy. Then, just as Thomas succeeds in meeting his enemy face to face, fate intervenes as the deadliest plague in the history of mankind erupts into Europe. What had been a landscape of castles, monasteries, vineyards and villages, becomes death's kingdom and the need for the grail, as a sign of God's favour, is more urgent than ever.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

An epic historical saga steeped in myth and legend, Heretic brings history to life with the wonderful characters and heart-stopping battle scenes that have made Bernard Cornwell a New York Times bestselling novelist.

Thomas of Hookton is a young man but already a seasoned veteran of King Edward's army. His fearlessness and uncanny prowess with the longbow make him a natural leader in what will be remembered as the Hundred Years' War. But the dangers on the battlefield are small compared to those of his true quest -- a hunt for a mysterious relic rumored to be the Holy Grail. Accompanied by a small but able band of soldiers, Thomas travels to his ancestral home, only to find it ensnared in a murderous struggle for possession of the Grail. But it is the arrival of a mortal foe -- and the rumored discovery of the Grail itself -- that forces Thomas to make a choice of historic consequence.

About the Author:

Bernard Cornwell worked for BBC TV for seven years, mostly as producer on the Nationwide programme, before taking charge of the current Affairs department in Northern Ireland. In 1978 he became editor of Thames Television's Thames at Six. Married to an American, he now lives in the United States.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harpercollins Pub Ltd
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0007149891
• ISBN 13: 9780007149896
• Binding: Paperback