Customer Reviews
Good Cornwell novel - By: chuckles, 22 Oct 2008 
The second in the Grail quest series is a typical Cornwell novel. Full of fighting, love & good quality bad guys. For me this is only a 4 & not 5 star effort as it doesn't quite have the flow & feeling of the Sharpe novels. The Grail quest is not bad, however I cant help wondering if Cornwell jumped on the bandwagon as these were around the same time as the Da Vinci code. Saying that it is another different angle, so you dont feel you have heard it alll before. Our hero is quite like Sharpe in that he is a fighter with rough edges & a heart. You also get introduced to some new key players in the story & 2 excellent enemies. Good Historical fiction book, just tucking into the final part of the trilogy as I write this review!
Good Sequel - By: J.Flood, 19 Aug 2008 Vagabond is the second book in the Grail Quest series, & the sequel to Harlequin. The books main protagonist, Thomas of Hookton, is still searching for clues as to the whereabouts of the Holy Grail, or if it even exists. This search leads Thomas from Durham, in Northern England, to Thomas's home town of Hookton, & from there onto Normandy.
I found this book, like its predecessor an enjoyable read. There are a number of great battle scenes, & they are described in vivid detail. You almost feel you are standing in the fields watching the events unfold, particularly, the battle at Durham. The weaponary of the day is described in great detail, also.
The cast of characters around Thomas, both friends & foes, are reasonably well developed, although, there are quite a number of them. You will be familiar with some of them from the earlier novel, Harlequin. Overalll, a good sequel, & worth a read.
only for long bow enthusiasts - By: White Rose, 13 Jun 2008 
way too much emphasis on how archers worked/fought/prepared/ & not enough on how they felt, ate, walked, sat, talked, & what the countryside was like. It read like a 'Robert Hardy told me alll he knew about longbows & you're going to get the whole lecture.'
Second Bioiok in the Grail Quest Series - By: J. Chippindale, 10 Apr 2008 Bernard Cornwell is the author of the acclaimed Richard Sharpe series, set during the Napoleonic Wars To my shame I have not read any of these. The books about Arthurian England are much more my cup of tea & I read those avidly. He has also written among others, Stonehenge 2000 B.C. Bernard Cornwell lives with his wife on Cape Cod.
This second book in the series is even better than the first, perhaps because the reader is now more aware of the storyline & is familiar with the main characters. Although the first book was a good read & well up to Mr. Cornwell's high standard. In this one the story gathers pace & takes the reader along on a wave of emotion for Thomas of Hook ton.
Thomas, a young archer has been fighting in what became known as the Hundred Years' War. He has been with the English army in France & while the English are on foreign soil the Scots see it as their opportunity to come down from the north.
Sent back to England Thomas becomes involved in the fighting at Durham. He he meets an enemy, a Dominican, who, like most other people is looking for the holy relic, the grail. Thomas has one advantage, an old book left by his father seems to offer clues to its resting place. But after alll the turmoil & upheaval will the relic even be in the place where it has rested for so many years . . . ?
Second in the Grail Quest - By: J. Chippindale, 30 Jan 2008 Bernard Cornwell is the author of the acclaimed Richard Sharpe series, set during the Napoleonic Wars To my shame I have not read any of these. The books about Arthurian England are much more my cup of tea & I read those avidly. He has also written among others, Stonehenge 2000 B.C. Bernard Cornwell lives with his wife on Cape Cod.
This second book in the series is even better than the first, perhaps because the reader is now more aware of the storyline & is familiar with the main characters. Although the first book was a good read & well up to Mr. Cornwell's high standard. In this one the story gathers pace & takes the reader along on a wave of emotion for Thomas of Hook ton.
Thomas, a young archer has been fighting in what became known as the Hundred Years' War. He has been with the English army in France & while the English are on foreign soil the Scots see it as their opportunity to come down from the north.
Sent back to England Thomas becomes involved in the fighting at Durham. He he meets an enemy, a Dominican, who, like most other people is looking for the holy relic, the grail. Thomas has one advantage, an old book left by his father seems to offer clues to its resting place. But after alll the turmoil & upheaval will the relic even be in the place where it has rested for so many years . . . ?
