Rating: 
Summary: Another book that will rob you of sleep
Review: It's the old cliche about novels that you see in reviews all the time: They are a page turner, or you can't put it down.
For the three or four days I read this book, that was true of The Archer's Tale for me.
I couldn't get to sleep. I tried, but I always turned over and picked it back up where I had left off. Bernard Cornwell draws such a good picture of Thomas of Hookton's world you don't want to do anything else but read this book.
As this novel opens, forces from almost all sides are working against the hero -- Thomas of Hookton. He's the bastard son of a crazy priest who has advised him to get on with his life.
An expert marksman with a longbow, Thomas is at a crossroads in his life when French raiders fall upon the seaside town of Hookton early on the morning of Easter 1342. Well educated, but drifting, Thomas is pondering a purpose to his life, and he's gotten a girl pregnant.
War, as it is apt to do, is about to change all that for Thomas. The French come, led by Sir Guillame d'Evecque along with a shadowy sort called The Harlequin, looking for relics Thomas' father might have at the church.
They kill and pillage and find a few odds and ends in the church. Then the men at arms leave and behind them the village of Hookton is pretty much destroyed.
The French scoot after taking their booty and several women, including Thomas' pregnant girlfriend (he doesn't really shed any tears over that even hopes she finds a better life) but not before Thomas kills several French men at arms with well placed arrow shots.
So begins The Archer's Tale. Thomas finds his purpose, which is to cross over to France, find the men who attacked his village, and seek vengance. To do that he has to join the army and slay French troops opposing the English warriors trapsing across France.
Bernard Cornwell, who always does a wonderful job with the Richard Sharpe books, strikes a good balance between action, adventure and the odd romance Thomas encounters in this book, which opens a series of three to date about Thomas of Hookton (the other two are Vagabond and Heretic).
Thomas is certianly not an everyman of his time. He's educated, should have been a priest but he wound up an archer instead. He uses his wits to cross behind enemy lines and provides for himself and the odd companion he picks up along the way through his skills as a warrior and a scholar.
Thomas is sort of caught between two worlds. He is not nobility, and many times he is cast down upon because of his low archer status. He also has enemies in the English army as well as the French. So, in the book he ends up fighting both a couple of times.
The history and realism are wonderfully woven into these books. Cornwell also does an excellent job showing how an army marches and wears out. The leaders are always worried about things like armor, arrows and boots. After several months in France, it is a tired, poorly shod English army that squares off against the French at the battle of Crecy.
The background is historically rich and the reader will not only be entertained by Thomas quest for manhood and revenge but also will be educated about this time in history.
Rating: 
Summary: Violent Tale of Violent Era; Birth of Intriguing Series
Review: Bernard Cornwell (the Richard Sharpe series, the Starbuck series) is a master of historical fiction, and "The Archer's Tale" is his first foray into the early years of the Hundred Years War between England and France."The Archer's Tale" opens with a horrifyingly brutish assault by the French on the small village of Hookton, which protects a mighty relic through its tiny size and complete lack of importance. The relic, the black lance used by St. George to slay the Dragon, is seized by the Harlequin, and the town razed. The Harlequin also kills his uncle, an old priest with a murky past. Cornwell's description of the destruction and rape of Hookton is masterful in its economy and its clarity -- this book quickly establishes that it is not for the squeamish! Thomas, the archer, escapes the sack of Hookton through his mastery of the bow, which is the dominant military weapon of the era (the late 1300's). Contrary to common perception, archers were not the small wimps who hung out in the rear while the mighty swordsmen and cavalry fought the battles. An archer was fantastically strong owing to years of stringing their mighty bows, and Thomas is an archer's archer. He vows revenge on the man who has brought destruction to Hookton. Possessing more lives than a cat, Thomas journeys to France and plays a crucial role in the sack of a French village. Earning the respect, love, or hatred of those whom he encounters (he inspires strong feelings, does our Thomas), Thomas uses his wits, his skill with a bow, a good head for warfare, and just plain blind luck to journey from battle to battle, from siege to siege. Cornwell brings the Middle Ages alive with his vivid descriptions of life in small villages as well as his depiction of the mighty French city of Caen. We get a good sense of the world Thomas inhabits, from the critical role of religion to the importance of allegience to a lord to the harsh realities of losing a battle. Cornwell does not shy away from the consequences to the elderly, to women, and to children if their defenders lose to the foe, whose army is more likely to be made up of murderers and rapists than heirs of the Knights of the Round Table. Life on the losing end was nasty, brutish, and inevitably short. Of course, life isn't much better for the men, who throw themselves into battles worthy of "Braveheart" in their horrors. While he never gets heavy-handed, Cornwell shows the terrors of war, from the disembowelments, beheadings, boilings, and other gruesome deaths, to the terrible cost in horses and the thankless role of the mercenary. Through it all, Thomas pursues his oath of vengeance, although not with the singlemindedness that would make him boring. Hounded from time to time by a friendly cleric and fatherly commander, Thomas often seeks the solace of a quiet life with an attractive woman (he meets more than a few) in the midst of the carnage of war, and it rarely works out. While not as titanic as Colleen McCullough's "Masters of Rome" series or as detailed, "The Archer's Tale" is a riveting story set in a harsh era. Short on intrigue, long on battles, "The Archer's Tale" is an entertaining read that seems much shorter than its 380-odd pages.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible, absolutely incredible!
Review: This has been one of the most pleasant and surprising reads I have encountered. Now, I read, on average, one large paperback novel a week. As an avid reader, I have also become quite picky. I enjoy the finer books, the gourmet. This novel was based upon the life and times of Thomas of Hookton, and his experiences in northern France during the opening of the Hundred Years War. After seeing Henry the Vth with Keven Brannaugh, I have been most curious about the war, and this was the single most accurate novel I have probably had the honor of reading. Get this book, read the series, and long live Mr. Cornwell!!
Rating:
Summary: Medevil Mastry
Review: This is the first book in a three book series - Archer's Tale, Vagabond, and Heretic. As I am an audiobook junky sorry to say I have only found them in abridged versions in audio (Bummer - if there is anyone out there who knows were unabridged audios of these books are please let me know). These are masterfully told and kept my attention throughout. These are my first Bernard Cornwell books but definitely won't be my last. If these are any indication of his story telling prowess then I'm definitely a new fan.
Thomas of Hookton is raised from childhood to be an English longbowman. Raised by his eccentric and mad relative (a priest) and orphaned young in his life the story of Thomas's search for the secrets of his family's past which hold within the secrets of the Holy Grail is fascinatingly told. Rich vivid characters and a rivoting storyline along with masterful storytelling. Well worth the time to read and one I will listen to again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Archer's Tale Hits The Mark
Review: A compulsively readable story set in the midst of the blood-soaked 100 Years War. The tale is historically accurate, but does not overwhelm the reader with unnecessary detail. Characterization closely parallels the real world, as almost everyone is evil (to a degree).
Highly recommended to history buffs, action/adventure aficionados, and *gasp* lovers of high fantasy.
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