Vagabond (The Grail Quest, Book 2): A Novel Kindle Edition

I read this book in two sittings because I didn't want to put it down. I am not generally a fan of military/war novels; I don't actively avoid them, but they haven't been at the top of my "Books I Want to Read List." What I AM is a history buff and a fan of good, page-turning prose, and Cornwell has that in spades. Cornwell's writing is intelligent and adult. He infuses his characters with personality; they're authentic. The battle scenes are riveting (remarkable, given that not-a-fan-of-war stories thing.)I've had similar reactions every time I've read Cornwell, (in addition to the Grail Trilogy, I've read "Stonehenge", the Arthur Trilogy, and the Saxon Stories.) So if war stories aren't at the top of my "Books..." list, Cornwell IS at the top of my "Authors I Want to Read List (yes, both lists really do exist.)"Vagabond" is well worth the time, as is the rest of the Grail Quest trilogy. I'd strongly suggest reading them in order. ("Vagabond is the second of the three; the first is Harlequin/The Archer's Tale and "Heretic" is third.) But be warned - once you pick these up. you may not want to do anything else until you finish.

Whether or not you're a history buff it's likely you'll enjoy Cornwell's novels. I love fiction. I love a great story. I love historical fiction and it is such a treat to find authors that are good at it but when you find one that's great at it, like Cornwell, I consume their work as quickly as I can. The Grail Quest is superior storytelling by a superior writer. Vagabond has internal and external conflict combined with unexpected twists and turns that are interwoven into a fine tapestry of historical reality. Cornwell manages to blend fiction and history so convincingly that it is difficult to tell which characters were real and which are fictional. The protagonist, Thomas of Hookton, (as well as all the other characters) is well developed, believable and complex. The plot follows history but does very well in it's intricacies and could stand alone without the historical context. It also is quite complex, unpredictable and it kept me turning pages. I enjoy this series as much as I enjoyed Cornwell's Richard Sharpe series. I highly recommend Vagabond and the entire Grail Quest series and would suggest you begin with "The Archer's Tale" (U.S. title) and read all the way through. Vagabond is hours of inexpensive entertainment.

Book Two of Bernard Cornwell’s Grail Quest trilogy finds these significant biblical quotes and others appearing with their translations, while protagonist Thomas of Hookton – an archer in service of King Edward III – begins his search for clues to the location of the Holy Grail. The Grail (the cup from which Jesus served the Last Supper to his disciples, and the vessel in which the Roman Centurion on Golgotha caught Jesus’s blood following when Jesus was speared by the soldier) had been supposedly once been possessed by a heretic French family, the Vexilles, whose dishonored, possibly mad, eldest son Ralph, a priest in England and Thomas’s father, had absconded either actually with the Grail itself, or with documents that gave clues to where the relic was hidden. This installment of Cornwell’s story involves Thomas, a captured Scottish nobleman Robbie Douglas, Will Skeat, Sir Guillaume, the physician Mordecai, Eleanor, and Jeannette Countess of Armorica on one side, with a Dominican Friar and Inquisitor Bernard de Taillebourg, Guy Vexille Count of Astarac,, the French Lord of Roncelets, who holds Jeannette’s son, Charles of Belois, English Sir Geoffrey - the Scarecrow, lawyer Belas, are significant actors and all are vividly realized characters in the tale. The usual plots, betrayals, and wonderful battles (of Durham, England, LaRoche-Derrien, France), the kind of scenes we associate with Cornwell – mesh with Cornwell’s careful research into the Hundred Years War and legends and lore of the Holy Grail. History comes to life here!

Great book. I really enjoyed it. Part of a series of 4 books

Typical Bernard Cornwell, well-written & detailed, w/ sufficient action to keep the reader waiting to see what happens next. A good follow-on to the "Archer", at the start of the 100 Years War between England & France in the 1300's. I find historical fiction makes history more memorable -- it's easier to remember significant historical events because Cornwell makes it come alive! Only half-way through this book, but it's truly an enjoyable read. This book's addition of the young Scotsman adds the element of an unlikely friendship -- you can't help but like the reliable & sometimes reckless Robbie as he travels with Thomas in his reluctant search for the Grail.

Having enjoyed the Saxon tales, I quickly started the Archer takes series and immensely enjoyed it. I recommend Mr Cornell's books to all persons that enjoy reading.

Mr. Cornwell is a storytelling master. I must have read this series maybe once every couple of years since it's been out.

Again, a fascinating period of history is brought to vivid life by a writer who, I think, must have been there. I see and hear and smell what is happening in his word pictures and, as always, there is a great deal happening.I really like Cornwell's writing. Nothing jars, nothing distracts, there is nothing missing that should be there and nothing superfluous that should have been edited out.

It continues where I finished the previous book

Vagabond é o seguimento da história de um arqueiro, com as características de personagem central que fazem tão atraentes as obras de Cornwell: bravura, inteligência, respeito pelas mulheres, cultura e competência para sobreviver.

Good read

Very good book, fast delivery, perfect conditions

L'anglais est plus difficile que dans the last kingdom