Harlequin - Bernard Cornwell

The first in a trilogy of books detailing the search for the Holy Grail in and around the time of the Hundred Years War, Harlequin is a highly engaging novel from the creator of the Sharpe series of novels so famously transferred to the small screen starring Sean Bean in the title role. I have never picked up a Sharpe novel, though of late I have oft been tempted, so Cornwell for me was kind of virgin territory. Starting with the assault on the village of Hookton by a group of pillaging mercenaries and one character in paticular whom is referred to merely as the Harlequin, we are quickly introduced to the lead of this series- an archer named Thomas; the ...  Read the complete review

My other half's been nagging me for a while (oops - I'm in trouble when she sees this!) to read a Bernard Cornwell novel - an author I've just never fancied. Eventually, to get a quiet life (oops - now I'm really in trouble!) I gave in and started reading Harlequin, the first of Cornwell's Grail trilogy. I chose this one mainly because I'm interested in the Grail mythology, so thought its subject might appeal to me. I have to say, I initially found Harlequin hard going. Probably this was partly due to my prejudices against Cornwell as an author. However, it was also due to the fact that the book starts incredibly slowly. Particularly during the first 100 pages ...  Read the complete review

Bernard Cornwell will doubtless be best known amongst you for the best selling Sharpe series of novels - you know, the ones that Sean Bean starred in when they were adapted for TV a few years back. Following on from this success, he has now turned his talents towards a trilogy of novels (The Grail Quest) set during the 14th century. This review is on the first of the series ? ?Harlequin? ? although I am currently ploughing my way through the third of these novels, the recently released ?Heretic?. You may find it surprising that I am reading these at all, given their reputation as being very much ?bloke?s ...  Read the complete review

Sharpe, heard of him? You must have, the TV series, Sean Bean, all decked out in that soldier’s uniform, looking like the piece of rough that all ladies want (or so I am told.) Well to the non-literary TV watching of you out there, Sharpe was derived from a series of books written by Bernard Cornwell. You, the reader may be wondering what I am going on about, well I too often wonder about that, but Cornwell is famous for the Sharpe series of books, but methinks he became a tad bored with writing about Sharpe and has now branched into a new series of books called the Grail Quest and Harlequin is the first book in this series. Just to put Mr Cornwell in context, ...  Read the complete review

Bernard Cornwall, the English historical write, was born in London in 1944. His father was a Canadian airman, and his mother was English. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe which were adapted into a series of Sharpe television films. 'Harlequin' is the first book in the Grail Quest series (In America this book is known as 'The Archer's Tale') A trilogy that deals with a mid-14th century search for the Holy Grail during the Hundred Years' War. They are told mostly by Thomas of Hookton, a bastard child of a priest from southern England, who becomes drawn into the quest by the actions of a mercenary soldier called ...  Read the complete review