Rating: 
Summary: Not Mr. Cornwell's best
Review: I tried to like this book. I really enjoy the early Sharpe work that Mr. Cornwell has written and his King Arthur trilogy is one of the most stirring accomplishments of the last 50 years. BUT Thomas of Hookton is no Richard Sharpe and the Grail is no Excalibur. 'Vagabond' is uneven in places with no real sense of 'quest' about it. For all the roaming around our hero does, he seems to be jogging in place. The killing of two characters from the earlier book is pointless and does nothing to further the story except clear the way for Thomas' former lover to return. By the way, how many sieges must we read about? This book has one at the beginning and one at the end. Most redundant, considering we have already experienced a siege in 'The Archers Tale'. Wait till the paperback comes out.
Rating:
Summary: Not Mr. Cornwell's best
Review: I tried to like this book. I really enjoy the early Sharpe work that Mr. Cornwell has written and his King Arthur trilogy is one of the most stirring accomplishments of the last 50 years. BUT Thomas of Hookton is no Richard Sharpe and the Grail is no Excalibur. 'Vagabond' is uneven in places with no real sense of 'quest' about it. For all the roaming around our hero does, he seems to be jogging in place. The killing of two characters from the earlier book is pointless and does nothing to further the story except clear the way for Thomas' former lover to return. By the way, how many sieges must we read about? This book has one at the beginning and one at the end. Most redundant, considering we have already experienced a siege in 'The Archers Tale'. Wait till the paperback comes out.
Rating: 
Summary: excellent sequel
Review: if you like the sharpe series and the starbuck series you'll love vagabond and bernard cornwell's new hero, thomas of hookton. as bernard cornwell derscribed thomas as "sharpe with a long bow." the book is pretty similar to the sharpe and starbuck series. the book is action packed with excellent battle scenes. it also continues thomas' search for the holy grail. the charachters are realistic. cornwell doesn't try to create 21st century characters and put them into the 14th century like so many other authors do. these are characters with the types of prejudices and beliefs you would find in a typical 14th century person. however, cornwell's hatred of the french also seems to have caried over from the sharpe books. he paints charles of blois into a villain. perhaps he did that for effect or to create a more compelling story. however, charles of blois was known to be a pious individual who gave to charity. charles has also been beatified in the catholic church. overall, though the book is excellent, and is good as any of the other works cornwell has done.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating adventures of an admirable archer
Review: In "Vagabond", Thomas of Hookton is the expert longbowman hero that we follow on his quest of the Holy Grail. Actually, as in the first book, "The Archer's Tale", Thomas is not all that interested in the Grail; he'd just rather be an archer; however, he keeps getting sucked into its pursuit by others who hound him about it. These others are generally cruel and hateful characters whose interest in the Grail is to obtain political or religious power, or monetary fortune. They are a threat to Thomas and have all done evil to him and his friends,thereby becoming enemies upon whom Thomas must seek revenge. Thomas is a hero to admire, not because he is particularly charismatic, but because he is humble, honorable, clever, and skilled. He is caught in dangerous times and situations, and carries out his duties for England and his friends as best he can. This sequel was not as exciting as the first book, but the battle scenes in both books are fascinating, vivid, and gory. Author Cornwell bases these on actual historical battles. This book opens with the Battle of Neville's Cross in which the confident Scots, invading England while England is busy battling in France, nevertheless are slaughtered. The amazing battle of La Roche Derrien in France is the ending scene, in which all but one of Thomas' enemies is vanquished, but the Grail is still undiscovered. This lets us know that another sequel will follow. I have learned a lot about this era of the famous longbow archers and of the 1000 year war between England and France, and Thomas' personal adventures in this period make me eager to continue reading whatever sequels are coming.
Rating: 
Summary: Cornwell works his magic to create a captivating story
Review: Last year, Bernard Cornwell introduced Thomas of Hookton, a young English archer. He filled the pages with great adventure, gory battle scenes, distressed damsels, armored knights, wayward bishops and beleaguered castles. Now, Thomas returns to England after a victory in the famed battle at Crecy, France. He bears a letter from the bishop and King Edward III that is meant to gain him an audience with an old priest who, it's been rumored, has knowledge of the Holy Grail --- the object of Thomas's quest. Of course, he must fight his way there. After the surprising outcome of the battle at Durham, Thomas forms an odd alliance with Scotsman Robbie Douglas. The two set out on their crusade, a crusade of revenge for several recent deaths, coupled with the hunt for the holy treasure. Their journey takes them back to Hookton first, where Thomas recovers a book written by Father Ralph, his father, who was killed by cousin Guy Vexille (in the opening of THE ARCHER'S TALE). The tome, an apparent clue in the puzzle of the Grail's whereabouts, baffles Thomas --- and later, others --- with its cryptic passages. With book in hand, he and Robbie make the perilous crossing to France over stormy seas, dodging pirates and French war ships, forced into the fray upon landing. They hook up with some of Thomas's old friends and fight some new battles. The quest continues --- and probably will again in Cornwell's third installment in the Grail Series, which is sure to be as eagerly awaited once readers have feasted on VAGABOND. Cornwell recreates, with brutal realism, the battles stretching across 1346 and 1347. He vividly imagines the gruesome skirmishes, flaying his readers open with horrific details. The most feared battlefield weapon, the longbow, comes into bright focus through Cornwell's words. I gained a new respect for archers. While I am no fan of war stories (due mostly to a squeamish temperament), the tale of young Thomas is utterly captivating. Despite the repugnance of the cruelest scenes, I reminded myself that the violence and savagery are an integral part of the story. In truth, it would be hard to call it a war if there was no pain, carnage or death. Before the fighting, the men are whipped into a frenzy with exhortations of "Kill them! Kill them all! The lord will reward you for every Englishman (or Scotsman, or Frenchman) slaughtered!" The hatred is fierce and very personal. Without knowing the enemy's face, swordsmen slash with heated vehemence at their opposition, butchering men and animals, all in the name of righteousness. It struck me as a medieval jihad and hammered home the point that man has been fighting holy wars for centuries. Despite the ugliness of the subject, VAGABOND reads fast and leaves one immensely satisfied with the story. It is indeed a pleasure learning to love history through Bernard Cornwell's work. He takes an otherwise dry subject (to me, at least), works his storytelling magic and turns it into high entertainment. I greedily look forward to being among his audience when he releases the next in the series. --- Reviewed by Kate Ayers
Rating:
Summary: it'll hook(ton) you...
Review: ok, escapism is a noble pursuit, right? not all reading has to better you, right? sometimes, a man can just kick back, escape the wife and kids, and enjoy some historical fiction-lite. and nobody does it better than bernard cornwell in his sharpe series and now the holy grail series. i'm not sure his books deserve 4 stars really. they're not literature after all, but they set out to accomplish entertaining the reader and they're always successful.
here thomas of hookton arrives back in england in 1346, continuing his search for the holy grail, which his father may or may not have possessed. thomas loses a friend and lover, but gains a companion in robbie douglas of scotland. it's a formula readers of cornwell know nearly verbatim, but one cannot help enjoying the ride. cornwell's battle scenes are as usual the highlights of the story, though at one point thomas and robbie are guerillas and i would have enjoyed a bit more of that. so, no surprises here, but a rousing, good read. enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: it'll hook(ton) you...
Review: ok, escapism is a noble pursuit, right? not all reading has to better you, right? sometimes, a man can just kick back, escape the wife and kids, and enjoy some historical fiction-lite. and nobody does it better than bernard cornwell in his sharpe series and now the holy grail series. i'm not sure his books deserve 4 stars really. they're not literature after all, but they set out to accomplish entertaining the reader and they're always successful.
here thomas of hookton arrives back in england in 1346, continuing his search for the holy grail, which his father may or may not have possessed. thomas loses a friend and lover, but gains a companion in robbie douglas of scotland. it's a formula readers of cornwell know nearly verbatim, but one cannot help enjoying the ride. cornwell's battle scenes are as usual the highlights of the story, though at one point thomas and robbie are guerillas and i would have enjoyed a bit more of that. so, no surprises here, but a rousing, good read. enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Another Good Journey
Review: Story started a littel slower than most of Cornwell's novels, but really picked up the pace and I wasn't ready for it to end when the last pages came rolling along. Definitely need to read the Archer's Tale first. Vagabond does not stand on its' own like many of the Sharpe books do. However, it was another excellent read about the 100 years war from Cornwell. Can't wait for the next in the series to hit the streets.
Rating:
Summary: THOMAS OF HOOKTON RETURNS
Review: The Grail Quest saga continues - and I couldn't be happier with this 2nd outing. Thomas remains a man of his time, no revisionist history or contemporary conceits - a rarity in historical fiction & Thomas as well as the others think and act like they would in 1346. I only mention that because some reviewers (including myself) of the first book (Archer) were a little skeptical about a great 100 Year War story getting bogged down by a quest for the Holy Grail. I think Cornwell does a good job of detailing the "Quest" as well as provide a fairly believable back-story - there's no magic or fantasy elements, which was my fear...this is straight up history.
As in The Archer's Tale, Bernard Cornwell pulls no punches in the battle narrative - and he can write a battle scene as well as anyone - worth the price of admission alone.
Bottom Line: I love this series and hope it doesn't end at Heretic. Thomas is a great character & I would consider this series to be some of the best in ACCURATE historical fiction writing. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: THOMAS OF HOOKTON RETURNS
Review: The Grail Quest saga continues - and I couldn't be happier with this 2nd outing. Thomas remains a man of his time, no revisionist history or contemporary conceits - a rarity in historical fiction & Thomas as well as the others think and act like they would in 1346. I only mention that because some reviewers (including myself) of the first book (Archer) were a little skeptical about a great 100 Year War story getting bogged down by a quest for the Holy Grail. I think Cornwell does a good job of detailing the "Quest" as well as provide a fairly believable back-story - there's no magic or fantasy elements, which was my fear...this is straight up history.
As in The Archer's Tale, Bernard Cornwell pulls no punches in the battle narrative - and he can write a battle scene as well as anyone - worth the price of admission alone.
Bottom Line: I love this series and hope it doesn't end at Heretic. Thomas is a great character & I would consider this series to be some of the best in ACCURATE historical fiction writing. Enjoy!
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