Definetly not Monty Python, it's the quest for the holy grail (Harlequin - Bernard Cornwell)

Member Name: sparkymarky1973

Product:	Harlequin - Bernard Cornwell
Date:	25/07/07 (26 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: gripping all the way through with realistic visions of battle

Disadvantages: none-this book is a gem, a real pleasure to read

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 illegitimate son of a priest.

Vowing revenge on those who sacked his village, he learns that the mercenaries were apparently after a holy relic stored at his late father's church which purported to be the lance used by Saint George to kill the legendary Dragon. Thomas also soon discovers that one of the mercenaries, he known only as the Harlequin, has links to the nobility his father left behind in disgrace and that this family was once linked to the true Holy Grail.

Before long, Thomas has joined the English forces at the battle of Crecy, that begins the Hundred Years war, as an archer; a skill to which he shows an undeniable sometimes uncanny talent. Accompanied by a priest who convinces him it is his holy duty to recover the Holy Grail, Thomas finds himself reluctantly pursuing both the killer of his father and a relic he doesn't truly believe even exists as friendships are formed, strange alliances are made and battles fought and won changing history in the process.

From very early on, the scenes of battle draw you in and these are where Cornwell is at his strongest. You can almost smell the scent of blood as soldiers die around you and, if you strain, you can almost hear the hum of bow strings as deadly arrows fly through the air to pierce the hearts of the fearsome french forces.

In fact, in this first novel, the Grail almost becomes an aside as more detail is spent on the outbreak of the war and the initial battle that launches it. And this is no bad thing because it makes the story that more believable and helps you warm to characters you know you are going to be spending a lot of time with...

As one of the first few historical fiction novels I have read, this and others such as Steven Saylor are fast convincing me that historical fiction is a genre I could really sink my teeth into.....the real historical detail and surroundings only help to strengthen the story even more and make everything more real!!

As the crime thriller genre becomes more and more swamped with what is rapidly becoming a mire of less than impressive writers, it is refreshing to discover a new genre that may just take its place on my bookshelves. For a while now I have found myself somewqhat struggling to find something that I could really engross myself in but if Cornwell's other books are anywhere near on par as this then I suspect I may be reading more of his work.

An excellent novel combining everything a bloke could want in a novel!!!

Summary: Thomas of Hookton sets out on a path of vengance and discovers so much more