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Harlequin

The Grail Quest, Book 1

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Harlequin

By: Bernard Cornwell
Narrated by: Andrew Cullum
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About this listen

The first book in Bernard Cornwell’s bestselling GRAIL QUEST series, in a bright and bold repackage.

The year is 1342. The English, led by Edward III, are laying waste to the French countryside. The army may be led by the King, but it is the archers, the common men, who are England’s secret weapon. The French know them as Harlequins.

Thomas of Hookton is one of these archers. But he is also on a personal mission: to avenge his father’s death and retrieve a stolen relic. Thomas begins a quest that will lead him through fields smeared with the smoke of fires set by the rampaging English, until at last the two armies face each other on a hillside near the village of Crécy.

©2000 Bernard Cornwell (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Small Town & Rural War & Military England

Critic Reviews

‘Crackling with good deeds, fine characters and sparkling set pieces, it confirms yet again Cornwell’s reputation for masterly historical novels’ DAILY MAIL

‘It is all spectacular, rattling good stuff: war and torture; love, lust and loss’ THE TIMES

‘The battle scenes, as always, are masterful; and the vignettes of everyday living, in times of extreme hardship, have the ring of simple truth’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

‘A very fine writer’ ECONOMIST
All stars
Most relevant  
Cornwall at his best!. The story is action packed and enthralling.The narrationwas very good also.

A GREAT READ

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Imparts a thorough experience as if the author almost lived the experience with along with a hint of national pride weaved into the experience

Excellent historical novel well narrated

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War, women and wounds expertly woven around historical events which seems the specialism at which Bernard Cornwall excels. This book culminates at Crecy. I'm looking forward to embarking on the second leg of this journey with our main character l, Thomas.

A great start to the series

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Story line is all over the place, narration put me to sleep.
Never engaged very disappointed.

Boring and lack lustre

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why the narrator of the first 4 books was changed out for this new one is a mistake...i couldn't get past the first chapter.
The new narrator is horrid to listen to and ruined the story. I was thoroughly enjoying this series and listened to the first 4 books within 2 weeks...but it seems i won't be finishing the series.

pathetic narration

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Usually a book has a hero or heroine. I was up to chapter 10, and waiting for either to appear, but nothing. The story takes you to the opposite side of goodies, this is the story of the baddies. They rape, pillage, murder, and steal. It is not a book that you can look forward to at the end of the day, or read before sleeping. For this reason I chose to stop reading, so therefore, I must admit that to be fair to the author, I erg readers who buy this book to try and finish it. It was not what I wanted.

Give it a miss

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Compared to the Last Kingdom series, it doesn’t quite feel as capturing yet. The main characters don’t feel as exciting but maybe further into the series the character development will increase. The novel is close to historical accuracy so it’s a credit to all of Cornwells books how he can weave an enthralling storyline into actual events. Maybe this period of history doesn’t grab me and so I’m left a little disappointed/flat. Definitely moving onto book 2 still. Narration was sub par but there is just enough emotion in his voice to keep me interested. Not B.C’s best, but definitely still think it’s worth the read.

Quality story telling, quality historical accuracy

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