Heretic

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The Barnes & Noble Review Heretic is the impressive third novel in the Grail Quest series by Bernard Cornwell, a masterful voice in the historical suspense subgenre. Although the first two Grail novels ( The Archer's Tale and Vagabond ) have their fair share of mystery, political intrigue, and gripping battlefield action, this sweeping epic practically explodes with nefarious schemes, grandiose conflicts, and surprising plot twists. In the year 1347, English archer Thomas of Hookton continues his search for the Holy Grail. With the Hundred Years' War raging all around, Thomas is fighting in France when he's ordered to his ancestral home of Astarac in Gascony -- the scene of the last Grail sighting. While he and a small group of loyal English archers hold a captured castle against French forces, Thomas confronts his father's murderer, the wrath of a corrupt church, and the secrets surrounding his own lineage. A well-researched and complex novel, Heretic includes beautiful imagery and intriguing plot strands woven against a detailed backdrop of war. Cornwell combines fact and myth, fusing them into vivid scenes of heroism in the face of horrific carnage. Yet in spite of so many disparate story lines, the action remains taut and compelling. Heretic is destined to become a true classic among historical action novels. Tom Piccirilli